Hi Paul,

This is a good topic we appear to have a number of similarities in our approach and technique, keep it coming...In fact the more you talk of the egg drum the more inclined I am to purchase one..I feel the credit card easing out of my wallet as I type!

Saying that, the thing which would prevent me purchasing, apart from the cash, is the the fact that I've a Seamus O'Kane I aint tipped once since I bought it. I could conceivably sell it on I s'pose, I just heard myself sigh reluctantly, perhaps not then.

I'm really getting into the bass tones and pitches on the RWE Bodhrán, in fact I was so mesmerised by some of the tones coming out of it last week I promptly put it down picked up the laptop and fired off an email to Rolf Wagels telling him its perhaps the best drum I've ever played, so far!(egg drum horizon line getting ever closer)

I'll try the technique you mentioned you got from Paul. I use the thumb technique having got the idea from Brian "Dingo" Morrissey and its really nice. I'm trying to work these subtler tones into some Hayes & Cahill tunes for my performance exams and I think they're beginning to come together.
With the addition of a nice Tipper Mr Higgins gave me a couple of weeks ago, normal style tipper but with muffler's on, the warmth this combination elicit is fabulous. I'm having a great time working with Jim its more about the chat than actual playing and he's a great man for nice melodic grooves.

(I've been typing this post over coffee and a intermittent chat with the mott and her cousin. I've made my intentions clear about the purchase of the egg drum and apart from the obvious retort of "how many is that now" she hasn't baulked at the idea)
So yes I think I've just bought meself a new drum or the idea of a new one at least. But I'm really intrigued by the egg drum now that I've reached this level appreciation/dexterity of the tonal centre & variants with the RWE and it seems to be the natural progression. Before buying one I'd like flesh em out a bit more so I might give you a call Paul one evening when you're free i.e. only doing 50 things instead of the usual 150 !-) Do you know what the availability of the egg is like or are they made to order?

Okay that's a novella of a post, what essay!?!