Hello, y'all, and welcome to the
Bodhrán Weekend- Fall 2026!
We'll use this page to share lesson plans, links, and anything else that may be relevant to our classes this week.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail at
☞Advanced
Session 1:
-Some Exercises to Get Our Hands Moving
-To start the weekend, we'll learn a triple-down exercise to get our hands moving.
Session 1:
-Using Triple-Downs to Build Phrases
-Now that we have an idea of the ways that we can perform triple-downs, we'll learn some of the ways that we can use them to enhance our phrasing in reels.
☞Intermediate
Session 1:
Manipulating the Double-Down
In this session, we will learn a "gamified" exercise that will challenge how we play and understand this simple reel pattern:
DutDutDu
We will use a grid and colored markers to compose patterns that will ultimately challenge our muscle memory while expanding our ability to quickly adapt our placement of accents and voicing.
Session 2:
Another Way to Look at Polkas
Y'all, I've had some great experiences playing with Hannah Harris on a number of occasions over the past couple of years. One of the things that I've been grateful for is all of the cool polkas that she has thrown my way.
Some of the tunes that she's shared with me have caused me to reconsider how I approach certain tunes. In this session, we'll discuss a few of the different ways that we can approach how we compose parts for polkas.
We'll cover:
-a more contemporary polka groove pattern
-contrasting "roles" when considering what we do for each part of the tune
-watching out for the "symmetry of endings" in polkas
☞Advanced Beginner
Session 1:
-Fundamentals- Accents in a Reel
-In this session, we will learn an exercise that will help us with our placement of accents in a reel. We'll also learn this double-down variation of the same exercise.
Session 2:
-Building Simple Phrases for Reels
-In this session, we will learn some of the ways that we can build simple phrases to accompany reels.
☞New Beginner
Session 1:
-Fundamentals, Basic Reel Patterns
-Holding the drum and tipper
-Basic stroke types
-Basic sounds
-Basic patterns for reels
-Mixing & matching basic reel patterns
Session 2:
-Review of Fundamentals, Basic Jig Patterns
-Review:
-Holding the drum and tipper
-Basic stroke types
-Basic sounds
-Basic patterns for reels
-Basic patterns for jigs
-Mixing & matching basic jig patterns