Bodhran is the name given to an Irish frame drum that measures 10 to 26 inches in diameter. Its sides are typically three-and-half to eight inches deep. Its head is made from calf, deer, goat, greyhound, horse, or sheep skin, but goat is the usual choice. Through a secret method, the head is cleaned and treated, then stretched over a shell, glued, tacked, and dried.
It is a basic and ancient kind of frame drum with versions that can be found in Russia, Morocco, Egypt, China, and Algeria. In North America, Indians use frame drums. Even though these other frame drums are similar to the Irish variety in shape and playing style, Irelands frame drum is kind of unique.
One to two bars of a crosspiece are placed inside the shell. The crosspiece makes it easier to grip the bodhran, making it possible for the player to play it and walk at the same time. This is important because the Irish frame drum plays a significant role in Irish festivals.
Wren Boys carry a wren from house to house at St. Stephens Day on Dec. 26, singing and playing the bodhran in the process. Sports fans have started to use this drum in cheering their favorite teams. After traditional music in Ireland moved indoors to recording studios and concert halls, players decided that the crosspiece was not essential, as new techniques became possible to perform.
A double-ended stick called a cipin or tipper is used to play the frame drum. This use of the cipin and the playing methods are what make the Irish frame drum distinctive. Most frame drums are played using only the bare hands.
The origins of the Irish frame drum are not established. One theory goes that in old Ireland until the 1950s, a skin tray or sieve was used by inhabitants of the islanders to sift different materials. A name that was given to this skin tray was bodhran.
It can either mean tray, thundered, deafening, or dull sounding in the Gaelic tongue. In using this skin tray, the Irish noticed a soft rhythmic sound made by it and from there the drum was developed. Another theory is that the Romans who occupied the ancient Celts brought with them a frame drum from the Middle East that soon became the bodhran.