Thanks for the comment! Yes, that could definitely be another video topic!

Thanks so much!

Love it!!! :)

You’re welcome!

You’re welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome!

You’re welcome!!

The process of taping Bodhráns started pretty much with Seamus O’Kane and his drums around 1970. So, relatively speaking, it’s a fairly “new” idea. A cursory google search told me that electrical tape as we know it was patented in 1946…by 3M.

@@HeyItsMattBell So, it seems before that they let the drum sing on it's own.

@@oldmanfromscenetwentyfour8164 Seamus was one of the pioneers of using much thinner, more flexible goatskins that had been treated to be used on Lambeg drums. The “older style” heads like on Charlie Byrne’s Bodhrans were much thicker, and the higher overtones were not nearly as pronounced, so tape was not as often used (although I’ve seen some with duct tape on the inside). All that to say that the thinner the head, the more high, ringing overtones present, which most contemporary players like to attenuate.

Although I have virtually no technical knowledge, I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the discussions with some extraordinarily engaging performers. I'm looking forward to the next podcasts. Informative and entertaining and accessible to someone who is not a performer but loves traditional music.

@@mibell14 Thanks so much!!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Hey Aidan, and sorry for the delayed response :) Yes, the longer rod tippers work well for the modern style that I play. The stick in this video is my “NutBell” stick, which is made by Stevie Moises. You can contact him at: tippermaker.de

Glad it helped!

Thanks so much!!

Awesome, thank you!

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much! I feel like I’m just starting to explore the expressive possibilities of this instrument!

Absolutely, Chad!

Thanks Rebekah! Hoping for the rest of the season to be quiet!

Thanks very much! And yes, very true about the spade work :)

Hey Robert! All of those approaches you mentioned (minus the paper bag one :)) are all “valid” and commonly used. Lots of people in the Irish Trad scene will tune to a D, as that works well for tunes in D, A, and G. I tune a lot lower, somewhere around an A or Bb, and then use hand pressure if I want to play that D. It’s also very dependent on your particular drum’s size, skin type, etc. Ultimately I find that each drum has a kind of general range of a note or two where it sounds best. It’s also a personal preference thing…some people like very high tuned drums as they will be acoustically louder and also more skin tension can be easier to play. I like the “sub-bass” and pitch bend options of tuning low.

@@HeyItsMattBell Thanks for the quick reply. I'll play around with it a bit more. Right now it's close to D. Might try a bit lower, but even here it has a bit more brightness than I would like.

@@the_real_light_lifts You’re welcome!

Hey there! I would probably go with 3/4” Super 88 rather than the 1.5” tape anyway, both for the reason you mentioned and also because it’s MUCH easier to work with. I would try and overlap the collar even if it’s small if you can, as the tape will have a better chance of staying put. You can always try method 2 and see if that works, and if you like the sound better.

Thanks very much! Yes, some of the high things that sound “metallic” are from the ring shifter. The Bodhrán can definitely get some cool higher pitches as well. I’m glad you dig the low end of the drum! I’m a sucker for bass, so my playing style has always emphasized what the Bodhrán can do in that area.

Thanks so much, Brian! Alex and I were lucky growing up that this technique is such a big part of pipe band drumming. I kinda learned it by mistake :) You were a huge influence on the both of us in our time in The Old Guard!! Thankful to have served with you and thankful for our continued friendship :)

Thanks so much Brian! It means a ton coming from you :) For sure, these effects are super fun…Dave Boyd hipped me to using these type of effects on the Bodhrán. He’s a phenomenal Bodhrán player, and composer based in Ireland. You would definitely dig his stuff! Most of the effects on this are on the Logic Pro side…the UAD stuff going in is only an 1176 and a Pultec EQ on each mic. I’m only just touching the 1176 and the Pultec on the back mic is on but nothing is actually EQ-ed…just imparting a bit of the “sauce” of the transistors or whatever. The EQ on the front mic is just boosting a bit of the highs at like 3500-5000 Hz. Everything on the Logic side is applied to a “Bodhrán Bus” with both mics going to that…I like to combine both mics into a bus and affect both the same way…makes for a more “unified” sound at least IMO :)

You’re most welcome! Messing around with these kind of effects on the Bodhrán us super fun!

Thanks Bruce! That “softening” process had started a couple years before retirement :)

Thanks man! Let’s chat soon! I’d love to hear about what you’ve got going on in your studio!

Thanks Justin! Let’s talk soon!

Yup! It’s a fun one for sure!!

Hey David! Thanks for reaching out! I’d say at least a few months, depending on your experience level with different drumming techniques. I grew up learning this kind of technique (pipe band drumming, orchestral/jazz stuff) and so I’ve been doing some version of it for at least 25-30 years now, so it’s difficult for me to have perspective on how long it might take to learn.