r/bodhran • u/nadventurous • Dec 27 '25
Gifted a Bodhrán
Getting into exploring and getting into playing traditional Irish music and a family member gifted this to me. Can’t find any info about it on the Walton’s website. It’s 18 inches made from goatskin and birch.
Is this meant to be played or just is it only meant decorative? Would like to find videos or information on how the sound qualities compare with different qualities of instruments m. Should I consider a higher quality one to start learning or are these a good first step?
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u/idi0td00mspiral Dec 27 '25
Keep in mind that the design will smudge a bit in the areas where you make contact with the tipper. It won’t happen quickly, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide if you care about that. I played a McNeela (pretty, playable, sound wasn’t great) for a few months before upgrading, and the outlines got fuzzy, but it’s still nice enough to display!