Steve came a bit late to the party, but rather than turning his back, he dug in. Off to Ireland to take some lessons with the great player/teacher/drum maker/all around good bloke, Seamus O’Kane. Steve credits Seamus as teaching him everything he knows about the bodhran, and a good half of it has nothing to do with the actual playing of the drum ! After some serious years of practice, attending workshops by the likes of Eamon Murray and Junior Davey, Steve has grown into a serious player with a subtle, smooth style and a deep appreciation and knowledge of the melodies that carry the tunes.

BEGINNER CLASS. This will cover all the basics including jigs and reels. We’ll discuss the Bodhran as an instrument with emphasis on: its history, influential past and current players, how it is made, what gives it its sound, what is expected of a Bodhran player in a session, and general session etiquette! If the jigs and reels come easy then we’ll move on to slip-jigs, hornpipes, slides etc.

INTERMEDIATE CLASS. We’ll go over the basics, (without the basics, we have nowhere to go, plus I’ll need to hear all of you play), move on to slides, slip-jigs, hop-jigs, hornpipes and some 7/8 tunes, double-downs and single-ended triplets as well. We’ll even throw in some rock & roll for the fun of it !! In this class we’ll also be discussing the Bodhran as an instrument with emphasis on: its history, influential past and current players, how it is made, what gives it its sound, what is expected of a Bodhran player in a session, and general session etiquette!

FOR BOTH CLASSES. At the end of the week I’ll invite some musician friends in so that everyone will get a chance to play some tunes BY THEMSELVES with live players. Looking forward to it. All the best, Steve.