The bodhrán is a traditional Irish frame drum: a shallow round hoop (usually 35–45 cm) with a stretched goatskin head. Unlike many drums, it is played with a special double-ended beater (the tipper, or “cipín”), held in the middle and rapidly “rolled.”
The other hand presses the head from the inside, changing its tension and thus the pitch and timbre, so an experienced player draws astonishing rhythmic and tonal variety from the bodhrán. The bodhrán sets a springy, “breathing” pulse in Irish folk music (jigs, reels), supporting the fiddle, flute, and pipes. Despite its simple construction, it demands virtuosic technique. The bodhrán is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Celtic musical tradition, sounding at sessions from Ireland to all the world.
