WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?! | Matt Bell On Drums

[@ddragonwhistler]

I love your Bodhran playing.

[@HeyItsMattBell]

Thanks!

[@DaricShireMusic]

I'd love to learn about your bodhran recording techniques as I've started to try and record my playing and mix it into my music.

[@HeyItsMattBell]

@Daric Shire That’s a great idea. There’s a lot to cover there! I’d like to try and do some screen capture videos where I go into Logic Pro X and show what I’m doing under the hood. Stay tuned!

[@jimstickley9191]

Hey Matt, Keep the bodhran stuff coming, especially non-trad usage. Pipe band drumming would be good too along with the whole recording/production process. Anyone trying to self produce or create would benefit from that type of content as well. Keep it up bro!

[@HeyItsMattBell]

Thanks @Jim Stickley! I’ll keep you posted!

[@haroldfain1356]

Hi Matt, I really liked the instructional bodhran videos that were recently discontinued, especially the beginner ones. I'd love more instruction, basic, then intermediate, and then advanced. I need a systematic way to get better. Your instructional videos were top-notch.

[@HeyItsMattBell]

Thanks @Harold Fain! I’m definitely considering posting the “greatest hits” from the Contemporary Bodhrán website here on the channel...just need some time to go through those and decide what I’m going to do. Thanks for your input!!

[@janetwellington1941]

As an absolute beginner, I'd love you to film your techniques/strokes from behind you (as though I'm looking over your shoulder) AND if you could do some slow motion filming so I can see positioning more easily, wow, that would be helpful! And I'd love an organized set of beginning videos for technique and then some practice tracks (playing along with selected tunes).

[@collinstarnes8112]

How about more Scottish pipeband snare/bodhran videos? I am a fan of both of them.

[@HeyItsMattBell]

Hey @Collin Starnes! Coming your way soon! Thanks for getting in touch!

[@the_real_light_lifts]

Can we talk about general tuning for the Bodhrán? Is it, tune to your drum size? preference? Tuning of the songs you will play? Low versus Higher? I don't want to hear too many overtones, but also not sure if hitting a paper bag is best either. I appreciate your time and answer to this.

[@HeyItsMattBell]

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.

[@the_real_light_lifts]

@@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.

[@HeyItsMattBell]

@@the_real_light_lifts You’re welcome!