Let me start by going on record as saying "I LOVE MY E-NOTCH." It has literally changed the way that I play the bodhran. I no longer have repetative movement troubles and virtually never have stress or fatigue from playing since I got my first E-Notch Tipper™. I got my first E-Notch™ in 1999 from Tanya Brody, a harper/singer and sometimes bodhran player, who is friends with Ken Larson, the designer of the E-Notch™ tipper.

Ken had passed a couple of them on to Tanya, "To give out to bodhran players who'll appreciate them" as she told me. He had been making tippers for Tanya for awhile at that point and she swore by them. The grip style took about half an hour to adjust to, but once I did, I was hooked!

The E-Notch tipper design was first conceived by Ken Larson, a long time bodhran player and tipper maker from Minnesota, who has become so busy as a working musician that he has given the rights for E-Notch Tipper™ production to David J. Draeger. David then set up besttippers.com which also sells a variety of other tippers, all designed by David.

The only statement about the E-Notch™ at the website is "This tipper style is designed to reduce the grip pressure needed to hold standard tippers. The lowered grip pressure may reduce muscle stress in the wrist and arm." And it does just that. I've noticed that the hollowed out grip allows me to relax my hand a lot, thus allowing for A LOT of fine control and precision without the cramping of essentially making a fist with a stick in it.
I am currently on my third E-Notch Tipper™, and I've given my first two away to particularly promising students who admired mine and wanted one of their own.
A testimonial on Davids' website from Kris Perry, a bodhran instructor from St. Paul Minnesota, says "I recommend the E-Notch Tippers to all of my students. I have seen beginning students, who start with the E-Notch Tipper, progress much faster than those students who started with a standard tipper. My students tell me they are very pleased to reach their playing goals so quickly." And I can whole-heartedly concur with his sentiment.

All three of my E-Notchs™ were, in fact, made by Ken Larson, though I am ordering one from David soon (review to follow). My tipper of choice is a 10 1/2" Purpleheart which Davids' site lists as being a "medium weight" wood. David also makes them in "light" (i.e., Maple) and "heavy" (i.e.,Rosewood) weights. It would seem from the website that David is very flexible about his woods and sizes, and he seems very accommodating of custom orders.
E-Notch Tippers™ cost $20.00 + $5.00 S/H for custom sized tippers in Maple, Purpleheart, African Paduk, Rosewood or Bucote woods. And other exotic woods can be had for a mere $5.00 more.

Visit David Draegers' Website Today!





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