HISTORY

The bodhrán is an irish frame drums ranging from 25 to 65cm (10" to 26") in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45cm (14" to 18"). The sides of the drum are 9 to 20cm (3½" to 8") deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (although nowadays, synthetic heads, are sometimes used). The other side is open ended for one hand to be placed against the inside of the drum head to control the picht and timbre. One or two crossbars, sometimes removable, may be inside the frame, but this is increasingly rare on professional instruments. Some professional modern bodhráin integrate mechanical tuning systems similar to those used on drums found in drums kit. The bodhrán was used during the Irish rebelion of 1603, by the Irish forces, as a war drum, or battle drum. The use of the drum was to provide a cadence for the pipers and warriors to keep to, as well as anounce the arrival of the army. This leads some to think that the bodhrán was derived from an old Celtic war drum. The bodhrán is similar to the frame drums distributed widely across northern Africa from the Middle East and has cognates  in instruments used for Arabic music and the musical traditions of the Mediterranean region (see Music of North Africa, Music of Greece etc.). Traditional skin drums made by some Native Americans are very close in design to the bodhrán as well.