The Heartbeat of Irish Music: McNeela’s Recommended Listening for Irish Bodhrán Players

There’s no better way to improve your playing than spending as much time as humanly possible listening to the playing of other musicians. Practice is obviously important too but nothing

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An Ancient Irish Drum: The History of the Bodhrán

What Type of Musical Instrument is a Bodhrán? The Bodhrán is a circular frame drum most commonly found in Irish traditional music. It gained significant popularity during the great folk music

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McNeela’s Top 5 Best Bodhran Styles for Irish Music

If you’re looking for the best bodhran for traditional Irish music then look no further. Check out this handy list below featuring a quick and easy guide to these iconic

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Meet The Maker: Irish Bodhran Maker Seamus O’Kane

Welcome to the second instalment of my brand new “Meet the Maker” series where we learn about the talented craftspeople behind the instruments we know and love. Today we’re looking

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Top Tips To Care For Your Bodhran Drum Head

People think of percussion instruments as being sturdy and robust, but for the Irish frame drum, the opposite is true. The bodhran requires special care and maintenance to keep it

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How to Play the Bodhran in 3 Easy Steps

The bodhrán is an ancient Irish frame drum and one of the oldest traditional Irish musical instruments in existence. This iconic musical instrument is enshrined in Irish music, culture and

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How To Care For Your Non Tunable Bodhran

We all know Bodhrans are very sensitive to the weather. Why is this? Mainly this is because of humidity. Bodhrans vs Weather Conditions Bodhrans react differently to all types of

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How to attach a Bodhran Strap to your Bodhran

I’ve been meaning to do a post on this for a long time as it’s a question I frequently get asked. Don’t worry, it’s actually pretty easy to put a

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The Best Bodhran Beaters for Traditional Irish Music

While the bodhrán was originally (and still can be) played by hand, modern Irish bodhrán playing favours the use of the bodhrán beater – also known as a tipper, stick

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How to Make a Bodhrán

The process of building a bodhrán is truly magical. I love nothing more than seeing one of my favourite musical instruments take shape before my eyes.  I’ve been honing my

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