Thank you Nicole for the great lesson! I am a pianist, choir director. Thought I would give this a try as we have music with a Celtic Feel in our church repertoire. Harder than I thought. Excellent tutorial!!
Thanks Nicole for such a good lesson - new sub! 😊 I'm just starting to learn bodhran after 30+yrs playing drums, it's a whole new challenge, but your lesson is easy to follow! Cheers! 💜
Thank you, this was very helpful ! I like the way you teach it… It gives me some confidence even when I know it’s a hard exercice. thank you again and bravo !
Thanks for a great lesson. I've recently come back to playing bodhran and I'm now using the same right hand style as you and I've been having trouble with triplets & rolls. Being able to watch and listen really helped clear things up for me.
I'm so glad to hear that Ian! Also, let me know if you're interested in private lessons. I teach via Skype. This way I can help you personally with your grooves and goals and answer question you may have!
Wow, thanks for this video. I tried learning the triplet from several videos, but by watching your hand with your instruction here I finally got it! And I actually did a roll too
Funny but I was thinking of this Máirtín O’Connor track featuring Colm Murphy even before you mentioned him! I love his playing here. It also features Dónal Lunny’s wonderful bouzouki-playing. I never quite realised how much technique there is in playing. It’s not just a case of ‘beating the bodhrán’.
Nicolle Fig I'm also a session drummer from the 70's and worked in all top studios in NYC ! I thought learning the bowran would be easy , hahaha....what a surprise , a whole new experience . Thanx so much again for your videos.
holy lord! that's brilliant. i gave up playing mine 3 days after i got it. that was 12 years ago. gonna dig it up and buy a new beater and start playing it again!
I just discovered your video yesterday and, through it, the grip you use. I had given up on the Bodhrán and the pencil grip which was so terrible for me that I preferred quitting the instrument altogether. I'm looking forward to trying this grip out. Thanks.
We should talk about what I do with my left hand. I was taught trad style in the Gaeltacht in Donegal in the late 80s, but I'm a bass player, and I produce triplets and rolls, and polyrhythms using my left hand fingers.
I am an a drummer and I was filling in for a band and a very nice person gave me a Bodhran drum to try out. I am familiar with triplets and rolls and know what they sound like, however I'll have to get a new tipper that looks like the one you use. The one given to me is smaller and not as easy to use as the one you have. I would like to learn something to play and get back to the friend who gave me the drum with what I have learned. I sure she would be pleased and I am really interested to learn to play. Thanks for you great lesson.
Hi, you can. check out these video to give you some tipper guidance! th-cam.com/video/H3jIZGqxWDs/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/JRrnsyJ0iuk/w-d-xo.html Keep playing!
Hi Nicolle, would you be kind enough please to tell me the length of the tipper you're using here. I've got only the double egg end tipper that came with drum and I hate! But before I spend a lot of money and time trying to find the right length of stick to do these rolls and triplets, I figured I'll start with the length you're using. It obviously works!!! Thank you very much! And, coincidentally, Merry Christmas 2022! 😉🎅
Nicolle, thank you so much for your videos, I've been using them to learn myself; can I ask -- and I know the last comment was posted a year ago so forgive me if you don't want to answer -- how do you stop your fingers hitting / rubbing the skin while you're doing a triplet? it feels like, either my fingers are getting in the way, or, if I put my hand at a slightly greater angle from the skin, I can't complete the triplet / roll with the other end of the tipper - they just don't meet have you got any tips you could give me to fix this please? thank you
Hello Makie, Thank you for your comment. I would say (it's hard to know exactly what is happening as I can't see you) perhaps you're holding your tipper too hight up?
Hi Daniel, thank you for your message! I believe there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I do switch back and forth but I do tend to do more double-ended triplets! I believe it's important to know how to do both equally good. Then, you can make an informed choice of which kind to use, and when! Some of the difference are: sound quality - a double-ended triplet sounds slightly different to a single-ended one; speed - depending how fast they are playing, a particular triplet may suit better than the other; tune type & style - for example: if they play a modern reel, a single-ended triplet might suit more (you don't have to stick to one kind in a tune tho!). This are just some of the differences. It really is up to you and what you think will enhanced the music more!! Happy Playing!!
I have a tunable drum and wanted to know how I can get the same sound that I hear on the videos my sound sounds more higher and I’m not sure how to get that muffled sound
Hi Rose, it's a little difficult for me to help you because I can't see you or hear you. To me tho, it sounds like your drum might be tuned up to tight. I know that my skin is too tight when the bass disappears. It kinda sounds like if you were pressing on the skin too hard all the time - even if you are not pressing at all. In other words, it sounds too high pitched. The way I learned to tune my drum is to - as evenly as you can (*), loose the skin until it wobbles, just a tiny bit tho, not all the way! Then, start tuning it up evenly. Keep tuning up until you find a sweet spot - you like the sound. If you tune up too much tho, you will loose the bass. If that happens tune down evenly again. It is a matter of practice and preference. I hope this helped! (* by evenly I mean in a X manner. Do one tuner and then tune the opposite of that tuner, until you do all of them).
Hi Nicolle, just wondering if you have a video on single ended triplets? I think I see you using them here and there, (although with my eyesight, you never know!). Anyway, could you possibly provide some tips on this technique, or point me in the right direction if you already have? THANKS!
Hi Michael, I just posted a video on single-ended rolls. Perhaps later on I will make another on single-ended triplets! th-cam.com/video/oq8NPNXvq-s/w-d-xo.html
Kara A Hello, thank you for your comment. I actually made a video on what drum I play with all the information. There are also links you can follow. I hope that helps! Thanks!
I write ambient and new age music and I've been working on a celtic style song that sure could use a good Bodhran player! If you play any Irish instrument well and are interested in collaborating on an original song, please contact me - thanks!
Who is spazzing on drums,6 stopped geniusing - was listening from ears found phone Saw a radiant musical muse with a tight roll , the grove done one handed. No drum set. Next instrument on the list Can you do some rock and roll rhythms? I'm sure at your level you could walk anywhere and play with anyone, Keep the beet my musical sister, we will keep strumming on to his side. Best vibes to you from Arizona
As somebody who has played the bodhran for almost 30 years, the best advice I could give is don't haul it out and accompany someone without asking. That only works for the best, and not even then always. OOOH IRISH MUSIC??? I HAVE MY DRUM!!! I've seen it way too often. In fact some Irish musicians say the best way to play the bodhran is with a knife.
I used to wander into a certain cultural centre in South Dublin which had nightly sessions with top-class players. Each night a bodhrán player appeared who insisted on joining in on each set with a loud and monotonous beat. How they tolerated him I don’t know. He really spoiled the session but didn’t seem to be aware of that.
This hand movement is so awkward but you make it look fluid. Great job I have no clue, It's learning a different language but my hand, wrist and forearm do not want to cooperate
Hi Nicolle! I've been obsessed with UCD's rendition of Mo Ghile Mear recently (th-cam.com/video/zxjvNUNXhkU/w-d-xo.html). Could you reply with what style/time signature that song is in? I can't tell what count the Bodhrán player is putting the emphasis on. And hey, maybe it would be worth doing a tutorial video for it :D Thanks and keep it up!
Hi EWXU! thank you for your message. I believe this song is in jig time 6/8 (starting at 1 08). He is doing 1-2-3-4-5-6 with the emphasis on 1 & 4. I made a video on Jigs a while back. Perhaps it can give you a better idea. Hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/9ehZKxCueo4/w-d-xo.html
Thank you Nicole for the great lesson! I am a pianist, choir director. Thought I would give this a try as we have music with a Celtic Feel in our church repertoire. Harder than I thought. Excellent tutorial!!
Thank you Nicole, I’ve had a bodhran for some years, now I can play at last. Thank you so much.
Thanks Nicole for such a good lesson - new sub! 😊 I'm just starting to learn bodhran after 30+yrs playing drums, it's a whole new challenge, but your lesson is easy to follow! Cheers! 💜
You have an easy to follow and relaxed teaching style that makes us want to learn more. Very good job here.
Great instructional video. Looking forward your next video in the series.
Thank you, this was very helpful ! I like the way you teach it… It gives me some confidence even when I know it’s a hard exercice. thank you again and bravo !
What a bright smile! And good job on the thorough demonstration!
The most amazing thing is the sound..... It sound at the same hit every hit.... Really good good good job! Wow!
Thank you yet again, for a very informative vid...happy new year to you!
Your teaching style is great. most other bodhran basic videos are too boring or hard to follow. Thank you for sharing this to youtube!
Im a drummer and new to this. Thank you for sharing this lesson.
Love your teaching style Nicolle, I have learnt a lot from you, thank you.
What a great video series! Thank you.
EXCELLENT explanation of how to do this. Thank you
Jota!,, regards from Ireland I'm just getting back into the bodhrán after many years thank you 👍
Wow!! I'm bloody dazzled by this drumming!
Can't wait to get my Bodhran in a couple of days =D
Thanks Nicole, really useful and well explained video
You make this so easy to understand!! Thank you :)
Thanks for a great lesson. I've recently come back to playing bodhran and I'm now using the same right hand style as you and I've been having trouble with triplets & rolls. Being able to watch and listen really helped clear things up for me.
I'm so glad to hear that Ian! Also, let me know if you're interested in private lessons. I teach via Skype. This way I can help you personally with your grooves and goals and answer question you may have!
Well that was dlightful and vey informative!! Thank you for the clear and easy to follow lesson! I takes aay some of the mystery.
Beautiful beautiful and so well explained Thankyou 🌿🌟😁
Like a galloping horse.beatuitful....!
I bought a bodhran (Bow-rawn) :) and have now found my instructor/instruction!! You're very talented, and enjoyable to watch! Thank You!
It's pronounced bore-on
Brilliant - lesson was very well explained, thank you
Wow, thanks for this video. I tried learning the triplet from several videos, but by watching your hand with your instruction here I finally got it! And I actually did a roll too
Woohooo!!! That makes me so happy!! Keep going!!!
Many thanks Nicolle.
Your absolutely brilliant. thank you
Thank you for this great lesson!
wow - a brilliant teach from you so thank you Nicolle - you make me feel i can do this
Yes you can! Keep going!
I miss the base in trad so much, it's my favourite part....thank you!
Great video. Thanks for the explanation!
You're my inspiration as a new player! Thank you!
You’re very kind! Keep playing!!
Funny but I was thinking of this Máirtín O’Connor track featuring Colm Murphy even before you mentioned him! I love his playing here. It also features Dónal Lunny’s wonderful bouzouki-playing.
I never quite realised how much technique there is in playing. It’s not just a case of ‘beating the bodhrán’.
A very beautiful Lady showing really nice techniques. This helped me a lot. Thank you for this video.
Great Video and nice playing 😊
Fantastic teaching here!!!! I'm a retired door installer and thought it was cool that you used that with the door handle as a guide. How cool is that.
Wow, that’s amazing!! Thank you for sharing this!!
Nicolle Fig I'm also a session drummer from the 70's and worked in all top studios in NYC ! I thought learning the bowran would be easy , hahaha....what a surprise , a whole new experience . Thanx so much again for your videos.
Great work 🤙
Very well done and explained - - - >>>
That was fantastic thanks very much, l just got my first bodhran (finally ☺) ii be watching this plenty of times, ta ✌️ 🎶 🇮🇪 2020
Woohoooo!!! You got this!! 🥳
Super helpful... thanks!!
Thank you kindly.
Amazing
Thank you Nicolle!!
Thanks for the tutorial!
You're a good teacher.
holy lord! that's brilliant. i gave up playing mine 3 days after i got it. that was 12 years ago. gonna dig it up and buy a new beater and start playing it again!
NiceGuy Jo-El Wow! I’m SO excited for you!!!
Beautiful…………….
Thank you!
Great video. My Drum shall be here tomora,so here's hoping i can play it lol x
Thanks, I learned a lot!
Great. Thanks!!
Good video. 🤙🍺🍺
very good teaching.
Well done
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Thank you! 😁😁😁
I just discovered your video yesterday and, through it, the grip you use.
I had given up on the Bodhrán and the pencil grip which was so terrible for me that I preferred quitting the instrument altogether.
I'm looking forward to trying this grip out. Thanks.
Alex Nuta I’m SO HAPPY to hear this. Good luck!!
You make it look so easy! But it is not....just starting out and find your videos very helpful!
We should talk about what I do with my left hand. I was taught trad style in the Gaeltacht in Donegal in the late 80s, but I'm a bass player, and I produce triplets and rolls, and polyrhythms using my left hand fingers.
Thanks Nicole Fig!
excellent video
What a Dick.. 😏
very helpful, thank you :)
I am an a drummer and I was filling in for a band and a very nice person gave me a Bodhran drum to try out. I am familiar with triplets and rolls and know what they sound like, however I'll have to get a new tipper that looks like the one you use. The one given to me is smaller and not as easy to use as the one you have. I would like to learn something to play and get back to the friend who gave me the drum with what I have learned. I sure she would be pleased and I am really interested to learn to play. Thanks for you great lesson.
Hi, you can. check out these video to give you some tipper guidance!
th-cam.com/video/H3jIZGqxWDs/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/JRrnsyJ0iuk/w-d-xo.html
Keep playing!
Hi Nicolle, would you be kind enough please to tell me the length of the tipper you're using here.
I've got only the double egg end tipper that came with drum and I hate!
But before I spend a lot of money and time trying to find the right length of stick to do these rolls and triplets, I figured I'll start with the length you're using.
It obviously works!!!
Thank you very much!
And, coincidentally, Merry Christmas 2022! 😉🎅
Great video. G.R M.A
Thank youuuu! 😀
@Lothar Lustig this is a music class…?
me encantaaaaa :3
"Use the force!" - Nicolle at 2:33 :D
This is too funny!! 😂
That’s awesome! Hahaha
sweet video....what is the overall size of the drum?
Thank you! You're a great teacher.
(You accent is uniquely beautiful. Is it Irish mixed with Spanish?)
Love it.
Hola Nicolle. gracias por tus videos. ¿ haras alguno en español? Muchas gracias.
Esa es una idea muy buena! ;)
BABY ,YOU NA KNOW WHAT OF KIND STRONG DISIPLIN STRATEGISCH VERRY CLEVER
what is a good tipper
Nicolle, thank you so much for your videos, I've been using them to learn myself; can I ask -- and I know the last comment was posted a year ago so forgive me if you don't want to answer -- how do you stop your fingers hitting / rubbing the skin while you're doing a triplet? it feels like, either my fingers are getting in the way, or, if I put my hand at a slightly greater angle from the skin, I can't complete the triplet / roll with the other end of the tipper - they just don't meet
have you got any tips you could give me to fix this please? thank you
Hello Makie, Thank you for your comment. I would say (it's hard to know exactly what is happening as I can't see you) perhaps you're holding your tipper too hight up?
Thank you! So is there an advantage between single vs. double ended triplets/rolls or is it just preference? Do you switch back and forth?
Hi Daniel, thank you for your message! I believe there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I do switch back and forth but I do tend to do more double-ended triplets! I believe it's important to know how to do both equally good. Then, you can make an informed choice of which kind to use, and when! Some of the difference are: sound quality - a double-ended triplet sounds slightly different to a single-ended one; speed - depending how fast they are playing, a particular triplet may suit better than the other; tune type & style - for example: if they play a modern reel, a single-ended triplet might suit more (you don't have to stick to one kind in a tune tho!). This are just some of the differences. It really is up to you and what you think will enhanced the music more!! Happy Playing!!
Curious what Beater you're using here
what kind of tipper do you use?
I have a tunable drum and wanted to know how I can get the same sound that I hear on the videos my sound sounds more higher and I’m not sure how to get that muffled sound
Hi Rose, it's a little difficult for me to help you because I can't see you or hear you. To me tho, it sounds like your drum might be tuned up to tight. I know that my skin is too tight when the bass disappears. It kinda sounds like if you were pressing on the skin too hard all the time - even if you are not pressing at all. In other words, it sounds too high pitched. The way I learned to tune my drum is to - as evenly as you can (*), loose the skin until it wobbles, just a tiny bit tho, not all the way! Then, start tuning it up evenly. Keep tuning up until you find a sweet spot - you like the sound. If you tune up too much tho, you will loose the bass. If that happens tune down evenly again. It is a matter of practice and preference. I hope this helped!
(* by evenly I mean in a X manner. Do one tuner and then tune the opposite of that tuner, until you do all of them).
Hi Nicolle, just wondering if you have a video on single ended triplets? I think I see you using them here and there, (although with my eyesight, you never know!). Anyway, could you possibly provide some tips on this technique, or point me in the right direction if you already have? THANKS!
Hi Michael, I just posted a video on single-ended rolls. Perhaps later on I will make another on single-ended triplets!
th-cam.com/video/oq8NPNXvq-s/w-d-xo.html
Can you recommend a good drum maker/brand that is tunable? What is the size of your drum and what type of drum head do you recommend? Thanks
Kara A Hello, thank you for your comment. I actually made a video on what drum I play with all the information. There are also links you can follow. I hope that helps!
Thanks!
I write ambient and new age music and I've been working on a celtic style song that sure could use a good Bodhran player!
If you play any Irish instrument well and are interested in collaborating on an original song, please contact me - thanks!
wow! you are a hella badass!
MC O'Brien Aaaww thanks!! I really appreciate it!!
What is the drum you are using? Looking to get in to this. Any drum suggestions?
Hello Tom,
I recommend the Coreline!
th-cam.com/video/K51ZCs7teK8/w-d-xo.html
Are you still in Galway?
Who is spazzing on drums,6 stopped geniusing - was listening from ears found phone
Saw a radiant musical muse with a tight roll , the grove done one handed. No drum set.
Next instrument on the list
Can you do some rock and roll rhythms? I'm sure at your level you could walk anywhere and play with anyone,
Keep the beet my musical sister, we will keep strumming on to his side.
Best vibes to you from Arizona
Dear Nicolle
Where can I buy the Bodhran model with which you play?
Thank you
A cordial greeting.
Hello Arturo,
Here's a link: th-cam.com/video/K51ZCs7teK8/w-d-xo.html
How many beats are one roll?
perhaps if you explain your triplet as 2 half beats and a full beat
merry christmas. hey im getting a nice bodhran some time soon. it would be nice to be able to talk with you and share ideas.
Hello, you can write to me via my website nicollefig.com!
What brand of bass bodhran is this?
You hold yer tipper way different then me so I do my triples different as well
The way you break this down...lovely. A lesson for all to learn. You are quite pretty as well. Sorry (;
Do you normally put the accent on the "Let"?
Where is this?
DragonSkin spicy?
As somebody who has played the bodhran for almost 30 years, the best advice I could give is don't haul it out and accompany someone without asking. That only works for the best, and not even then always. OOOH IRISH MUSIC??? I HAVE MY DRUM!!! I've seen it way too often. In fact some Irish musicians say the best way to play the bodhran is with a knife.
I used to wander into a certain cultural centre in South Dublin which had nightly sessions with top-class players. Each night a bodhrán player appeared who insisted on joining in on each set with a loud and monotonous beat. How they tolerated him I don’t know. He really spoiled the session but didn’t seem to be aware of that.
Even jedis have a hard time with the bodhran 2:30
This comment wins! I was hoping someone would notice!!!!
This hand movement is so awkward but you make it look fluid. Great job I have no clue, It's learning a different language but my hand, wrist and forearm do not want to cooperate
Hi Nicolle! I've been obsessed with UCD's rendition of Mo Ghile Mear recently (th-cam.com/video/zxjvNUNXhkU/w-d-xo.html). Could you reply with what style/time signature that song is in? I can't tell what count the Bodhrán player is putting the emphasis on. And hey, maybe it would be worth doing a tutorial video for it :D Thanks and keep it up!
Hi EWXU! thank you for your message. I believe this song is in jig time 6/8 (starting at 1 08). He is doing 1-2-3-4-5-6 with the emphasis on 1 & 4. I made a video on Jigs a while back. Perhaps it can give you a better idea. Hope this helps!
th-cam.com/video/9ehZKxCueo4/w-d-xo.html
Nicolle Fig thank you so much for telling me! I’ll keep an ear out for it next time I listen
I can't see how you are holding your stick