Playing any instrument can come with a physical risk and the bodhran is no different
Maintaining a good posture – to avoid regular visits to the osteopath – and blisters are two of the common health issues associated with playing the bodhran.
The way you hold the bodhran is obviously very important; but so too is your choice of beater, and especially the type of grip you choose to adopt. We will look at the options for gripping a beater in a separate section.
Playing any instrument can be physically demanding, but the bodhran can be particularly ‘full-on’, if you so wish it to be…or the excitement of the music simply takes you along.
If you’re playing along to music going at a ‘fair lick’, even a simple ‘foot-tap’ beat could involve you playing at around 100 notes a minute. If however, you are playing along to an Irish March – in other words you’re in ‘triplet-heaven’ – then you could be playing close to 300 notes a minute!
For example:
Needless to say, playing at this speed means that both your choice of beater and your grip selection needs to be spot on from a music-playing perspective. However, the right grip could also help to reduce the wear-and-tear on your body.
Avoiding pain is easier said than done when the excitement of playing the music takes over…but if any part of your body starts to hurt, take stock and work out why!
Prevention rather than cure!