Introducing Bodhrán
A Group Course for Beginners
Next classes start
27 & 29 January 2025.
‘The course was amazing, and I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in such a short time. We have a fantastic teacher, knowledgeable and happy to introduce us to different types and flavours of music. He was very encouraging, and all in all it was a great experience.’
– R. McAdams
‘The course was great! The teacher is excellent, and he is really passionate about music. I enjoyed the classes and also discovered some Irish trad music while learning. Highly recommend it. Thanks!’
– F. Seque
Course Description
The bodhrán, a wood and goatskin drum beaten with a wooden stick or beater, is the heartbeat of traditional Irish music. Designed for absolute beginners and available in both in-school and online versions, Waltons New School of Music’s Introducing Bodhrán course has taught hundreds of people how to play this great Irish instrument. By the end of the course, you will have the confidence to play a variety of Irish traditional rhythms and accompany other instruments, both solo and in sessions.
The course includes the following elements:
- Holding the bodhrán
- Holding the beater
- Basic strokes and variations
- Reel and jig patterns
- Other traditional rhythms (polkas, hornpipes, slip jigs, etc.)
- Left-hand technique and varying the pitch of your bodhrán
- Bodhrán care and maintenance
Requirements
All course participants will need to have bodhráns (ideally at least 16-inch) and beaters for classes and practise. (See the Recommended Instruments tab on this page for a list of recommended bodhráns, which are available from Waltons Music at discounts for course participants.)
Enrol in this course.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
In-School & Online Tuition
We offer two versions of this course, in-school, which takes place in the New School, and online, which takes place in your own home.
In-School Version
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is thankfully behind us, the disease remains a threat. So with the health and safety of both students and staff at the New School in mind, we have retained some of the equipment and policies we put in place during the pandemic to make in-school tuition safe. See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information.
Online Version
In addition to bodhráns and beaters, online course participants will need:
- An internet-connected laptop, computer, tablet or smartphone. (A laptop or computer with webcam and microphone is recommended, as it will have the largest picture.)
- Ideally, internet speed at least 1.5Mb per second. (You can test your speed using Measurement Lab’s Speed Test.)
- Headphones or earbuds, if possible.¹
- Free Zoom software or app.²
- Waltons Music offers its Zoom ZUM-2PMP Podcasting Pack, ideal for online music tuition, at a 5% discount for currently enrolled New School students. If you would like to obtain this discount, please contact Waltons and include a scan or photo of your tuition payment receipt.
- If you haven’t learned music with Zoom before, please see our printable Zoom for Students information sheet for information on how to download and set up Zoom for music tuition.
Before the course begins, the teacher will email you a Zoom meeting invitation that includes a meeting ID and password to join the first class.
This course covers Stage 1 of the New School’s ten-stage system of student progress and assessment, which culminates in a teaching or performing qualification (Stage 10) should the student progress that far. Participants who successfully complete the course can be issued with a certificate of completion of Stage 1. If you are taking the course, please let the school office know if you would like this certificate. See About Our Stage System for more information.
Have you enrolled in this course?
Download our Introductory Handout
for tips on how to get the most from it.
Introducing Bodhrán is one of the New School’s group courses. We also offer private bodhrán lessons for students of all ages and skill levels. See Traditional • Folk • World Instruments Tuition for more information.
Techniques Covered
A video demonstration of some techniques covered in the course:
Harry Long
Coming from a family steeped in Irish music, with a PhD in Irish History and author of The Waltons Guide to Irish Music and the Leaving Cert. Music coursebook Soundscapes: Irish Music & Aural Awareness, Harry has devoted a lifetime to the study and teaching of Irish history and traditional music, in all its forms. He has played tin whistle, low whistle and bodhrán for over three decades and has performed with the Irish National Folk Company at St. Enda’s National Historic Park and both solo and in sessions at music and dance festivals throughout Ireland and internationally. He currently performs with the trad/folk band Coscán and has released three albums with the group, most recently Firedance (2019). Harry has composed and recorded music for RTÉ radio and television documentaries, including Head Waters (1991), on the area where Turlough O’Carolan was born, and A Change of Heart (1997). His solo whistle playing can be heard on the album Rinka (2002), as well as the Waltons double CDs, Ireland’s Best Tin Whistle Tunes, Volumes 1 and 2 and Ireland’s Best Tin Whistle Tunes for Children. As a teacher, he has guided hundreds of students at both private and national schools in Dublin, Meath and Wicklow. Harry has taught tin whistle, low whistle, bodhrán, Introducing Tin Whistle and Irish Music Tasters, as well as directing the Rig-a-Jig traditional music group, with the New School since 2000.
John Sweeney
John comes from a musical family and has been studying, playing and teaching guitar, as well as bodhrán, tin whistle and a range of Irish traditional instruments, for over thirty years. He works in many different styles, including blues, rock, jazz, traditional and flamenco, and he has performed and recorded with a number of Irish groups, gigging extensively throughout Ireland, Canada, the UK, the US and Spain. He began teaching in 1988 at the Scarborough School of Guitar in Toronto, Canada, where he also studied composition and flatpick technique. He has also studied flamenco guitar with Miguel Escudero Lopez in Seville, Spain and traditional music at St. Enda’s Folk Park & Museum, and he continues to develop techniques in a range of guitar styles. John was the only guitar player selected by the renowned vocal innovator and improviser Bobby McFerrin to perform with him in the National Concert Hall for Bobby McFerrin Meets Ireland (2013), a unique collaboration for the Waltons World Masters Series between Bobby and a small, select group of Irish performers – chosen to represent the creativity, tradition and spirit of Ireland and selected through an Ireland-wide audition process. He has taught at the New School since 2003 and also teaches our Introducing Guitar for Adults, Introducing Guitar for Teens, Acoustic Blues Guitar Basics and Trad Guitar Basics courses, as well as guitar and bodhrán courses for our Outreach Programme and Music at Work Programme.
Reviews • Testimonials
‘I liked the relaxed atmosphere and encouragement. Really enjoyed and looked forward to attending each week.’
– E. Burke
‘Great people, great teacher, great fun.’
– D. Duggan
‘Fantastic teacher. I have no musical talent, and I somehow came out of this 10-week course being able to play a few reels and jigs, and having really enjoyed the course.’
– R. Egan
‘Great teacher!
– C. Fagan
‘I recently took the Introducing Bodhrán course and I loved it! The teacher was great, and he created a really fun atmosphere in the class. He has a lot of knowledge of music in general. Looking forward to continuing with the bodhrán. Very good value for money too!
– K. Filan
‘I found the course great, as I had never played before and was not at all familiar with the instrument. We were eased into playing comfortably.’
– D. Flynn
‘[A] great teacher who found many ways to describe the techniques required. This resourcefulness was so helpful to our understanding.’
– C. Hanratty
‘These classes were brilliant. I can now play Riverdance on the bodhrán! We had such an inspiring teacher, and his passion was infectious. I would highly recommend Waltons. Thank you.’
– L. Kelly
‘Fantastic course – really helped me to gain confidence in playing.’
– L. Larkin
‘Highly enjoyable course. Would definitely recommend.’
– J. Ryan
‘The course is a very good starting point for bodhrán learners. I would recommend the course and school to anyone learning the bodhrán.’
– J. Scannell
‘Great teacher, full of knowledge, who made the classes fun and incorporated extra teaching tools to go above and beyond.’
– T. Stephenson
Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.
2024-2025 Second Term
Class Schedules
CLASS 1
10 weeks, 27 January – 14 April 2025
(No classes on 3 February & 17 March
– Bank Holiday Mondays)
Mondays 6.30 – 7.30 pm
Teacher: John Sweeney
Course Type: In-School
CLASS 2
10 weeks, 29 January – 9 April 2025
(No class on 19 February – Mid-Term Break)
Wednesdays 6.30 – 7.30
Teacher: Harry Long
Class Type: Online
Tuition Fees
Class 1: €220
Class 2: €200 *
* The online version of this course is offered at a 10% discount.
Enrolment
Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the tuition fee. Places in each class are limited to eight and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Many of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.
Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Recommended Instruments
There are many bodhráns, in many different sizes, available, but the following instruments and covers – all available from Waltons Music – are recommended for their quality, portability and affordability:
- Waltons 16″ Pro5 Bodhrán • Dark Mahogany • €95
- Waltons 16″ Pro5 Bodhrán • Ebony • €95
- McBrides 16″ Pro Bodhrán Cover • €49.99
These bodhráns and cover can be purchased from Waltons Music at 10% discounts for students enrolled in the course. If you would like to obtain a discount, please contact Waltons with your instrument choice and include a scan or photo of your course payment receipt.
What happens after the course?
Two weeks before the end of each Introducing course, participants will be given options for continuing their tuition with the New School if they would like to do so. Although an ‘improvers’ or continuation course cannot be scheduled on the same day/time as the Introducing course, one can be arranged if enough course participants would like to continue and the teacher has timetable availability or there is timetable availability with another teacher. Participants can also continue their tuition with private (one-to-one) lessons or ‘partner’ lessons with another class member. (See Tuition Options – Private • Partner • Small Group Lessons.) We are happy to discuss these options with you.
Trad Slow Sessions
Participants in this course are also welcome to attend our popular Trad Slow Sessions. These are traditional Irish music sessions in all ways except one: the tempo. We play the session tunes at a slower than normal pace (often less than half the speed), so that beginning and intermediate players can more easily learn the tunes and join in the session. Trad Slow Sessions take place once a month on Friday evenings in the school.
See our Trad Slow Sessions page for more information, our tune list, printable sheet music for all tunes and 2022-2023 dates.
Bodhrán on YouTube