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Home  Vintage Guitar Articles Music Meaning Of Symbols And Designs On A Bodhran
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Meaning Of Symbols And Designs On A Bodhran |
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Written by BenedictPerez
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 |
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There is a musical instrument called "bodhran" which has a universal purpose. It is a skin tray which is very popular among the Celtics and countries like Ireland, Brittany, Cornwall, Scotland and Wales. This musical skin tray has been in use in many different ways for thousands of years. Bodhrans are suitable separating chaff from grain which is known as winnowing. Winnowing using the skin tray is still a practice in some third world countries such as Africa and India.
by BenedictPerez
There is a musical instrument called "bodhran" which has a universal purpose. It is a skin tray which is very popular among the Celtics and countries like Ireland, Brittany, Cornwall, Scotland and Wales. This musical skin tray has been in use in many different ways for thousands of years. Bodhrans are suitable separating chaff from grain which is known as winnowing. Winnowing using the skin tray is still a practice in some third world countries such as Africa and India.
The frame drum or bodhran appears like a sieve for those who are not familiar with this instrument. To some who are unfamiliar with this will simply see it as a skin tray. At any rate, this musical thing can be used as a sieve by punching holes in the skin. It practically looks like a sifter like that one being used for construction materials. This musical instrument falls under the percussion type and this is the favorite drum of the Irish people.
Bodhrans come in various sizes and designs. Most players prefer the smaller size for it is easier it is to carry along. The size of the bodhran ranges from fourteen to twenty-six inches to suit to the player's preference. Sound is produced by the use of the hand or by the tipper. The tipper, which is a double-headed stick, is held in one hand and often used for very fast and complex beats.
The bodhran is the Irish or Celtic drum and the name comes from the Irish word "bodhar" meaning deaf. It can also be translated as "tray", "deafening", "thundered", and "dull-sounding". It is also known as a "frame drum" because of the way is made using a piece of soft wood and animal skin. Bodhrans are used as working tool and a musical instrument on the other hand.
The drums are commonly associated with beating and loud sound. However, the bodhran is not like most drums for it plays a soft sound often giving an impression of dullness. It sounds deep and can be played in many styles ranging from the traditional Irish rhythm to the modern beat. You can likewise play with this instrument according to your personal style. The variations in sounds depend on the tapping on the skin or rim and in the movement of the hands.
Most of these drums are used for purely religious or cultural festivals. But in countries like Ireland, Spain, France and the Basque country these are musical instruments which have become an integral part of entertainment. It is only, however, in Ireland that the bodhran has attained its high level of sophistication.
A very popular cultural festival in Ireland that uses the frame drum is known as "The Wren Hunt". This is about some groups of people wearing costumes and straw hats with blackened faces who go hunting for a wren. The captured wren will be brought to a parade house to house while playing the bodhran and people singing the ceremonial song.
The designs of this type of musical instrument feature the cross, animals and birds, spiral and knotwork. The knotwork is a very common design you can see for it signifies the human soul which is believed to a soul of divination and man's eternal spiritual growth. All these symbols bear significant meanings which are related to the rites or ceremonies involved using the bodhran.
About the Author:
If you want to listen and feel the beat of ethnic musical instruments, you shuold try bodhran. It has a distinct sound that creates music to hear. Or you may want to try celtic bagpipes.
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