Bill Woods has used his decades of experience as a successful bodhrán performer and teacher to create this integrated instruction book and downloadable online audio for the beginning bodhrán player. Using photographs, text, and audio examples, it takes you in easy steps from holding the bodhrán and stick through playing along with traditional Irish dance tunes. It shows you the basic accompaniment patterns for reels and jigs and demonstrates ways to make these patterns more interesting using rests, accents, and rolls.

In addition to the audio examples, the downloadable audio has traditional Irish dance tunes recorded at different tempos so you can start playing along almost immediately and increase your speed as your skill improves. Also covered are the correct pronunciation of bodhrán, the history of the bodhrán in traditional Irish music, suggestions on playing with other musicians, suggestions on what to look for when choosing a bodhrán and stick, instructions on a simple and inexpensive way to make your own stick, and the basic structure of Irish dance tunes.

Introduction
Pronunciation
What Is a Bodhrán?
A Very Short History
Playing with Others
Choosing a Bodhrán
The Head
The Frame
Tunable or Not Tunable
Crossbars
Choosing a Stick
Making Your Own Stick
Protecting Your Bodhrán and Stick
A Little Music Theory
Notes and Rests
Staff Lines
Measures
Beats
Tempo
My System of Notation
Holding the Bodhrán
Holding the Stick
Hitting the Bodhrán
Starting to Play
Jigs
Playing Different Rhythms
Rests
Accents
Rolls
Combining Rests, Accents, and Rolls
Now What?
Shameless Promotion
About the Author