What The Wife Did (Cont.)

A little while back, I wrote of What The Wife Did for me by surprising me with my new bodhran, and I lamented the fact that I couldn't show you (both) this beautiful drum.

Well, now I can thanks to Contagion (thanks dude!) so here it is!














The head is thick goatskin. Other hides can be used of course; deer, sheep, calf, horse, and even greyhound! Goat tends to be the most desirable though, because of it's thickness and durability.

Personally, I don't think I could play a greyhound skin drum without my leg twitching uncontrollably... and I wouldn't fancy that wet dog smell when I wet the skin with water (like goat smells *good*?).















Here's the frame; 4.5" deep, beechwood with a mahogany finish. You can also see the Claddagh design and the tacks holding the skin onto the frame. Each tack reads "Roundstone", named for the old monastary in Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland, where the workshop of Malachy Kearns is located.















The back of the drum. There were two crosspieces, but I removed one (as you can see). This allows me to use my left hand more effectively on the back of the skin to apply pressure, thus varying the tone of the drum as I play.















A close up of the label verifying that this is, indeed, a Malachy Kearns bodhran!















Here are the various beaters that I use, depending on the particular sound I'm looking for. Beaters are also called "tippers" or, in Irish, "cipins" (pro. "ki-peens"), which means "tinder" or "stick". The dark one (matching the drum frame) came with the bodhran, as seen in the first photo.

So that's it. Maybe someday, I'll get the chance to play it for ya.