Bodhran (Irish Drum)

UPDATED 3/30/2023
THREE Bodhran workshops with Kyle Forsthoff will be April-May 2023. Take 1, 2, or all!

Blackstone River Theatre will offer three 2-hour workshops in Bodhran (the Irish drum) on Sundays, 9-11:00 a.m. (advanced beginner level) and 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (total beginner level) on April 23, May 14, and May 28. Sign up for one, two or all 3 workshops! These workshops are geared towards adults and teens; the advanced beginner level requires 10-12 previous classes or similar experience. A minimum of 4 students is needed to hold class with a maximum of 8 students. The fee for each two-hour workshop is $35.00 and prepayment is necessary. Students must have their own bodhran and tipper.

The bodhran is a small handheld Irish frame drum consisting of a goatskin playing surface stretched over a wooden frame. The drum can be struck with the hand, "finger style," but most Celtic percussionists strike the drum with a double-headed knobbed stick known as a tipper. This Bodhran class will cover the most common rhythms used in Irish traditional music – reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, etc – as well as a variety of ways to adapt them with ornamentation, tonal variation, and syncopation. The goal is to create versatile and sensitive players who are able to accompany in whatever style they prefer, be it traditional or more modern.

Kyle Forsthoff has been studying and playing Irish percussion for over ten years. He performs with Fellswater and has also shared the stage with artists including The Vox Hunters, Lindsay Straw, Torrin Ryan, and Joey Abarta. Forsthoff competed in the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Sligo, Ireland in 2015 and also attended the 2014 Craiceann Bodhran Summerschool in Inis Oirr, Co. Galway.

HOW TO REGISTER
If you are interested in a bodhran class, please:
1. E-mail brt@riverfolk.org to pre-register and then,
2. Put a check payable to Blackstone River Theatre in the mail ASAP to: Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, Rhode Island 02864