Ah, you guys are all confused. You're missing the core of the reproductive process. You see, the male of the species drummus bodhrani is THE TIPPER, as can be plainly seen by its shape and how it moves. After all, what (male) bodhran player's first lesson in holding the tipper didn't start with "hold it like you were"...never mind. The female of the species, as with many others, is the one that makes all of the noise and is often painted in pretty designs. Some are perfectly content to have multiple partners, and others prefer staying with one tipper. There is a small subset of bodhrans who prefer to reproduce without the assistance and participation of a tipper. These individuals, who are valuable in their own right and should not be subjected to disparaging comments of any kind, are called tamborines.