 
Top end is an
emerging style of bodhrán playing, particularly popular with North of Ireland
players but becoming seen everywhere. The style has arisen from seminal developments in drum skins. It has encouraged
stylistic, technical and academic study elevating the bodhrán into a performance
instrument capable of displaying virtuosity, a far cry from it's pulse-keeping
roots
 ..
The style
is characterised by the  Tipper being held above the drum and striking of the
uppermost part of the skin, often in the top few centimetres of skin, as the
graphics show. Unlike the Kerry style, the top of the tipper is not required to
make contact with the skin and triplets are accomplished with technique and hand
speed. In pure top end the tipper won't pass the center point.
 The left hand tonality
is the second defining aspect of top end playing, it is the voicebox of the drum
and through movement, pressure and delicate touches, the drum can be coaxed into
producing an extremely wide and dynamic vocabulary of sounds from deep booms
& pitch bends to high pops & trills. Good bodhrán playing is all
about seducing the sound from the skin.
 The tippers used tend
to be thin, 7-12" long, in the range of 8-12mm diameter and of a hard wood.
Often a section of a violin / cello bow is used,
most of these will have a slight natural curvature which players may find
advantageous (or irritating). Striking the drum in this manner with a tipper of
this type produces a 'popping' sound that when used in conjunction with the left
hand covers multiple octaves in pitch. The drum shown here is a 12" Metloef which I have nicknamed the popcorn
drum for this reason.
The stick is held
between the tip of the thumb and the middle knuckle of the first finger, some
players hold it between the thumb tip and the finger tip. I have seen another
style of grip where the hand is held more like a fist enclosing the tipper. The
'05 Down & Ulster junior Champion Niall Quinn plays very effectively in this
style.
Tippers usually
have a top section that extends beyond the thumb as shown above, this permits
the use of Kerry-style triplets.  My own preference (left)
is a shorter tipper which I use in a pseudo-Limerick style, the tipper top is
held at the thumb in this case. This latter grip I find to be somewhat lighter
and faster but at the cost of triplets.
 The other favourite
tipper type is a homemade 'hot rod' made from bamboo barbeque skewers. Generally
7 or 19 are used. read how to make
one... Lengths vary from 7-10". This gives a fatter bassier
sound but there is a 'click' that comes from the bunched skewer ends hitting
each other. The skewer tipper is gorgeous sounding and is light enough to permit
good speed. Players will carry an assortment of beaters of different sizes and
weights, I've seen hairbrushes, paint and pastry brushes all pressed into
service
Playing the top end
style involves making the 'strumming' hand movements indicated in the graphics,
with the drum being struck on both the downstroke and the upstroke (forward and
backward to be precise). Most of the action and required flexibility is in the
wrist but the whole lower arm does rotate. As with drumset playing, fingertip
control is used for fine Tuning the stroke and providing control.
A common and useful
stroke is the Down Down Up (DDU) stroke and the many variations that exist
there. There are several exercises on the rudiments pages. Most commonly, the top
end is blended with the conventional Kerry style, there are many ways of
combining styles in your rhythm arsenal and you start making stylistic
decisions.
 The drummakers
whose drums are used for this style generally prefer the use of thin goatskins,
the preferred skins come from the Lambeg drum read more... A Lambeg skin is hand scraped to an even thinness
and treated with the maker's secret formula. Rob Forkner of Metloef treats his
skins in a multi-stage process that makes them softer and more
flexible
There are few
makers in the world who make drums that I can personally recommend. I can only
recommend those I have played. O'Kane, Metloef and Eckermann stand above the
rest. My personal & professional opinion is that Waltons or Roundstone
instruments are fit for display only.
I recommend that
you don't get a bodhrán from a shop, there are many makers producing drums. Good
makers will usually sell directly makers
links...,and will custom build or will have a range of tried and
tested designs. If you make bodhráns and want me to review one of your drums,
please send me one, I'll and other players will try it and I'll review it here
on the dojo.
Preferred drums
for Top end style.
Seamus O'Kane - Dungiven, Co
Derry, N Ireland. The originator of the use of the Lambeg skin. One style of
drum, plain construction, screwdriver tunable. Super consistent in sound and
construction, this is the global standard against which 'Top end' drums are
judged. Seamus has a huge waiting list and is not taking new orders
Metloef - Rob Forkner - Texas USA - Custom
built, warm sounding, multi octave drums, beautifully constructed and finished,
Lambeg skins or kangaroo skins used generally. Very reliable drums for sound and
build. Rob is the originator of the thumbscrew method of toolless tuning, thank
you!. We designed & Rob built the Gemini drum, I also have a 12 x 5 popcorn
bodhrán which is my favourite squeeze. Rob makes top drawer instruments- I have
3
Norbert Eckermann Austria - tabla
bodhrán - beautiful finish, reliable throughout for sound and build. The left
hand skin is polished to a glass-like shine and is silent. It is a
full sounding drum and reacts well to both tipper and skewers. The skin is
fairly hard which gives extra clarity and bite. There is a secondary skin under
the outer edge instead of tape, this gives supreme definition to the upper
octaves
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Playing Styles 
