Folk instruments

Bodhrans

The bodhran is the heartbeat of Irish traditional music. A single frame, a stretched head, and a wooden tipper produce the driving pulse behind every session from Dublin to Nashville. Roosebeck bodhrans are handcrafted tunable frame drums in rosewood, mulberry, and walnut, sized from a compact 14-inch practice drum up to an 18-inch stage instrument.

Explore our full range of 14", 16" and 18" models. Each one ready to play with premium tonewoods and thoughtful craftsmanship.

View all Bodhrans below ↓

Know before you buy

The full picture.

Everything you need to choose, buy, and start playing.

What makes it different

T-bar tunable system on every drum. Turn the T-bar and the internal hardware adjusts head tension evenly across the drum. You can dial in the pitch for dry studio work or loosen it up for a deep session sound.

Solid timber shells. Single pieces bent from rosewood, mulberry, or walnut. No plywood, no laminates.

Goatskin heads. Traditional natural heads, not synthetic. They respond to humidity and touch the way a bodhran is meant to.

Sizing for every player. The 14-inch model suits children, travelers, and players who want a drier, more controlled tone. The 16-inch is the most popular session size. The 18-inch delivers the deep, booming low end preferred by stage players.

Choosing yours

If you're new to the instrument, the 16-inch Tunable Rosewood Bodhran is our most popular and the size most sessions are built around. For a darker, warmer tonal character with a black-stained finish, the 16-inch Mulberry T-Bar in black is a strong alternative.

Larger players, or anyone who wants stage presence and low-end push, should look at the 18-inch Mulberry model. Every drum includes a tipper and a tuning key.

Playing it

The bodhran is played with a double-ended wooden tipper in one hand while the other hand presses against the inside of the head to change pitch and dampen resonance. It rewards patience early and opens up rapidly with practice.

Read our beginner's guide: What is a bodhran. The tunable system lets you adapt to any room, any climate, and any style of playing.

Built by hand. Played for life.

A closer look at the craftsmanship behind every Roosebeck instrument.

Browse our full collection of handcrafted folk instruments. Each one is built with care using solid tonewoods such as rosewood, walnut, mulberry, and spruce, finished by hand in our workshop.

Built to last

Solid tonewoods and proven designs, refined across more than five decades of luthier experience.

Beginner-friendly to professional

Models for first-time players and serious musicians, with clear specs so you know what you're getting. Quality instruments at an affordable price.

Set up to play

Each instrument is checked at the bench so it arrives ready to tune up and play.