Hello, y'all, and welcome to my Craiceann 2025 page!
I'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
Lesson Plans- Midday Class Sessions
Beginners
Session 1:
Technical: An Exercise for Developing Up Strokes
The ability to freely accent or emphasize down strokes and up strokes in our patterns is an important fundamental skill for every bodhrán player. In this class, we will use the exercise below to learn and discuss some of the finer points of this skill.
Session 2:
Practical Application:
Basic
Session 1:
Technical: Stroke Vocabulary
Most sticking patterns for this instrument generally employ four types of strokes- down, up, tap (A.K.A. "flat"), and in. In this session, we will explore
use to work towards DD sticking
Session 2:
Practical Application: Using Basic Patterns to Compose Drum Parts for Session Tunes
based off of last session- using alternating vs. DD to complement parts- use Gatehouse Maid
Competent
Session 1:
Technical: Tuning Our Instrument & Altering/Voicing Basic Patterns
Mike O'Sullivan DUTDUTDU exercise- start all mute, move opens and pops around to manipulate variations (write pattern on card, use lego to mark changes)
Session 2:
Practical Application:
Advanced
Session 1:
Breaking Our Brains, Part 1
Back in January of 2021 Colm Phelan posted this video on the The Irish Bodhrán group page on Facebook. Shortly thereafter, Kyle Forsthoff shared this transcription of this exercise with me. My experience with learning this exercise lead me to think, "What could others learn from this?" In particular:
-How does one go about learning complex exercises such as these?
-How do we internalize the rhythms that we need to play?
-How does one break down and reassemble an exercise as complex as this?
-Why is it important to study the playing and technique of incredibly advanced players?
We will learn how to engage with this exercise in order to advance our abilities with rolls.
Session 1 Goals:
1. Learn how to vocalize the rhythms in the transcription.
2. Learn how to break down beats, measures, and phrases.
3. Recognize and begin to perform the four types of rolls in this exercise.
Notes:
1. This exercise is used with the permission of Colm Phelan.
2. I am not representing Colm or his technique. The purpose of this lesson is to teach us ways to engage with this level of material.
Session 2:
Breaking Our Brains, Part 2
Once we can vocalize the exercise and demonstrate an understanding of the four types of rolls used with in it, we can then start learning this exercise bit by bit. In addition, we will need to start incorporating voicing into our performance. Our goals for Session 2 include:
1. Beginning to play the rhythms that we previously vocalized.
2. Learning ways to assemble beats and measures in order play sub-phrases and phrases.
3. Learning techniques to incorporate voicing.
4. Breaking down the stroke vocabulary (ways of moving the tipper) needed to perform this exercise.
Lesson Plans- Evening Elective Sessions
Monday-
The LEGO Wall, and Then Some...
Tuesday-
Building Your Own Warm-Up and Practice Routines
Wednesday-
Hybrid Rolls
Thursday-
Arranging Drum Set Parts on the Bodhrán
Other Possible Elective Lessons-
Roles of the Bodhrán When Arranging Parts
(Using Sorcha's Waterman's/Luke Skywalker Walks on Sunshine as a guide)