Hi people,

There are several players who come to mind who use a Tipper free style. This is another version I has because my wrist does not let me do the Christy Moore thing! This is a style played by

John Skelton , Mark Hellenburg and oh...... Me!

This is great for working with singers, skin on skin works beautifully.

The idea is to use what is in effect a modified Pandero technique , though the style of playing is a parallel development historically .

The basic idea is based around the double stick style

1. Make your hand into a basic handshake shape with the thumb up. Keep your fingers at a 90 degree angle to your thumb and hold them together.

2. The action is to pivot the hand around your index finger, from palm down up to palm up.
To try this, hold your index finger with your other finger and thumb. Now rotate your wrist around your index finger and see how that feels.

To apply this to the Bodhran, Hold out your striking hand half way between across your chest and straight out in front of you i.e. at 45 degrees. Bring the drum across the front of your chest, towards your hand which is in the thumb up position. Remember to keep your wrist straight, so that there is a straight line from your index finger to to your elbow. This makes it more comfortable to play.

3. The Downstroke.
Start with your palm up, and move your hand , pivoting it as indicated. Let the outside edge of the top joint of thumb strike the skin on the way down. Continue moving your hand from palm up to palm down , so that your palm is facing the floor. This is the downstroke .

4. The Upstroke .
Your hand then moves back from palm down to palm up pivoting along the index finger.
Keeping the thumb out of the way, use the first joints of your middle, ring and little fingers to strike the drumskin on the way up, in a slapping motion, cuff round the ear style! Keep moving so that your hand now faces palm upward.

This is 1 downstroke and one upstroke.

You can also do a variation on the upstroke by striking the skin with the fingertips and letting them rest on the skin. This makes a dull thud.

You can get triplets by catching the top of your thumb on the skin on the way up.

Think of the thumb as the downstroke and the fingers as the upstroke.

Hope this helps .

Steafan

Any chance you could post a video of this technique for me to look at? I think I have the gist of what you are saying, but a picture is worth a thousadn words. Thanks.

Bill

Working on it!

Steafan

Hi Steafan, all,

this is how I play many of the groovy middle eastern styles and it opens up the potential for great rolls and triplet variations. I often play on the bodhran like this but would never really have considered it an authentic hand style - until now :)

The exact rotational movements that lie behind this are key for me to how I play top end, minimising arm movement (effort) but maximising Tipper head speed & control. It's a useful translation.

The videos of glen velez and David Kuckhermann on bodhran.tv may be helpful iirc in illustrating the principle in the short term.

Welcome to Bodojo.

Cheers

P

Here's a Youtube video someone sent me, featuring Roscommon style hand playing from the old days. Check it out and see what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENzhd_JgAgg&feature=related