iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

For those who have not seen this clip and associated comments, take a look here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gga45xVR8o[/youtube]
Omid aka "Larrpan" from the US wrote the following comment:

"Yukka manymak! Yongu Kids today play as if they are lost! Like they are just spitting out non-sense! You can tell the difference.. Winiwini for example.. playing clear.. not lost.. clear intention.. one can feel goose bumps. i guess kids just doodle with music instruments until they find their way. until they really discover that sacred message and talk it through yidaki. But somehow it is just disappointing for me to hear yidaki players just making noise with no spirit."

Subsequent posts by others (including some of us here!):

pseudolithos(1 day ago)
Hi Larrpan! I write from Rome, Italy....I've read your comment and have listen the great technique of playing of Elijah. This young player is the best I've listen among the "young". But....my preference among the artists present in this "Ididj section" is Larry. It is my "virtual" maestro!

larrpan (2 days ago)
People sing happy birthday to you through the didge, as others take a huge sip of beer and spit it inside a brand new yidaki and call themselves jungai maniky-mi while the rest call him boss. But there's appropriate heart to things which make it sacred.

larrpan (2 days ago)
Discrimination is a reflection of your fear. Don't fear me, because one day we will learn from each other. I'm sure that you can teach me, and I'm sure that I can share with you.

larrpan (2 days ago)
This isn't about a yidaki competition. We can all pick up yidaki and play to make noise. But one heart has a story, and there's appropriate ways of telling that story. It could be just a long horn sound. In fact it isn't even about the sound. It is deeper than that. It is a heart telling a story through the eyes of nature with focus, clarity and intention. To gain this time and maturity is needed. There's a path to learning the right ways of creativity.

GhostofGW (2 days ago)
Hey Larrpan just thecnicaly forget about the soul for a second just thecnicaly can you do better? If yes we would like to hear . If not why this sort of comment ,its a litlle negative dont you think ?

larrpan (1 week ago)
Judgment, yes! I've heard other kids even younger play with clarity, and intention. Maybe Elijah's playing is influenced by video games, car muffler sounds, and cool hip-hop beats. But it's not of his sacred creek, nor a totem with meanings.

jackbuck (1 week ago)
I agree with one thing you said; Winiwini for example.. playing clear.. But if this kid is lost...Wow to be so lost. I'm going to try to lose myself!

ididjaustralia (1 week ago)
Keep in mind too that Larry plays mostly virtuoso stuff, not manikaykurr. This thing about spirit, it is a bit audacious don't u think to assume knowledge and to pass judgement? Just trying to generate debate, that's all Thanks for your comments buddy, hope ur well!

ididjaustralia (1 week ago)
That's for Yolngu to decide, what they want to play.

I'm interested to hear what others have to say about this. I know Djalu is not too fond of fast styles of play, but for a Balanda to be judge, jury and executioner of Yolngu styles of play... well, that's interesting to say the least.

Guan

I suppose it comes down to what one's ear is seeking out to hear. I think these comments show that there are wide opinions about what appeals to our individual sensibilities- flash vs. substance, experience vs. youthful exuberance. Maybe even take it out of the context of yidaki for a moment and look at the evolution of jazz, for example. I can appreciate the virtuosity of Medeski Martin and Wood and how they are pushing the boundaries of musicianship with incorporating discordant elements and ambient sounds into their compositions, but give me Coltrane and early Miles Davis any day! There is no gold standard for excellence with the creative arts and it is inherently subjective.

Jason

Anyone who plays the didjeridu cannot fail to respect the skill Elijah possesses in order to play at such speed, with such precision and for such a length of time! That he is a great player is not questionable but whether or not one likes the resultant sound is another issue entirely.

I prefer the slower styles (it's quite funny to refer to these as 'slower' as they are only slow when compared with Elijah's machine-gun speed!) where more of the instrument's voice is heard, but that's my opinion.

As far as Elijah's playing style and its context in traditional Yolngu society is concerned, that is not for us to say. Times change and traditions change with them. The kids today like the fast rhythms and who are we to judge? We can sit back and enjoy the show without the weight of such issues on our shoulders.

I think Larrpan is more concerned about what will come out of yirdaki in the future if young players keep being impacted heavily by the invasive pop-culture.
I do not think that he is simply critisizing how Elijah plays.
Though I do not know how much manikay is in Elijah's style, but if there is big impact today on young Yolngu's style, then I tend to support Larrpan on that.

But leaving how they play on them would not sound 'sound ' to me, if I was a Yolngu elder.


mahir

Without a doubt, Elijah's skill is quite apparent and worthy of mention.

I think this sort of discussion is common in circles discussing music of all sorts. As a dobro player (who is shamefully out of practice as of late), I enjoy listening and learning from the masters of the form - Jerry Douglas, Uncle Josh Graves, etc. Josh Graves was the dobro player with Earl Scruggs back in the day of Flatt and Scruggs and is credited with adopting the banjo rolls to the dobro context. Some dobro players absolutely despise some of Jerry's more recent recordings as he's taken on more of an electrified overdriven sound and moved away from the standard open G tuning into some more unusual tunings- but he is certainly the most well-known reso out there! I've sat in on bluegrass jams where some of the guys there just want to play everything at breakdown speed (like 180 bpm) to 'show off' but miss out on the melody notes, not to mention that almost all bluegrass songs are ballads meant to played at a more moderate tempo

I'm with you on the 'slower' styles- so much more of the individual voice of the instrument comes through

I think that Larrpan's comments about the right and wrong ways to express spirit are extremely audacious. Larrpan http://www.didgeman.com is just imposing his limited, highly sentimental, views of yirdaki playing on everyone else. As a guy from Texas, I think he is way off base to judge the authenticity of Yolngu expession, even if he did spend a few weeks learning from Djalu. What other can judge the "proper" way for Elijah to express his heart, or even suggest that as a Yolngu he is under some obligation to express his heart in his playing. He can play how and what he wants, his spiritual expression is no one's business but his own. The recent comparisons of different players with the same yirdaki show the extreme skill of Larry Winiwini, but his playing is nevertheless quite different from Djalu's. As Kyle stated before, traditions change with the times. It seems to me that there has always been a lot of difference between the styles of different players, and a lot of wiggle room to accommodate that. I personally like Elijah's playing quite a lot and I don't care if its traditional, spiritual, or from the heart. It just sounds good to me and the skill to play with such speed is obvious. It may be different from the yirdaki expression of many others, but I don't see how that in any way invalidates it as Elijah's authentic expression. When I was 15 I listened to nothing but metal and punk, now I prefer much slower stuff. I think his playing is a fantastic expression of the exuberance of youth.

Hi there

He is only 15 ! Do you remember yourself at 15 ? The boy play yidaki he is not fooling arround doing nothing . Lots of training to get this power many hours .Its not about perfection, style and soul or anything coming from the heart that we should listen to at this stage, we should just listen and be realistic we cant compare Elijah to Larry or Yomunu ,he is still a kid but we can realise their is hope and a lot ,and that is what we have to listen .

What Laarpan say about the young generation when he say they play if like they are lost and spitting out non sense and after that comparing the youg with Larry it is not very realistic and a litlle hard on them .

Laarpan wrote

.

Yep he is right on . But he also said to gain this time and maturity is needed . Here its about a young player at 15 can we seriously ask for more ? Anyway we should listen and look to those kid with the heart and smile after all we are mature adult and those kids have enought pressure at this age. Not because he is a yolgnu that he cant go on computer and read "critics" about how he play .We should all say Thanks for sharing Elijah !

GGW

Lots of interesting views here, good stuff! I've invited Omid to comment here since it was his original post on YouTube that started the ball rolling...

Guan

I fully agree with GGW... I like!!!!
It's good to see a new star rising! If only all the Yolngu boys where as interested in yidaki and culture....
Wasn't it Yothu Yindi with Mr. Munnungurr playing 'rock and roll style' that got the world interested in yolngu music?
Just my thought's
Michiel

I hope this is just about his age and present preferences etc as many of you suggested. However, I also remember vividly reading and hearing also from the others (i.e Guan) about especially Bininj elders complaning about the youth not learning traditional songs and Mago playing so much anymore. If there is a link in between (i.e being interested iny other styles rather than traditional ones), then maybe this is not so good.
On the other hand, as this culture, its music and art have ben evolving/changing and surviving under the influence of western culture ( Morphy), one tends to think that they might develop other ways of dealing with such changes as well (hopefully)


mahir

Hi Mahir,

I think the circumstances involving Bininj youth are complex, and not simply a generational rift in personal styles. I suspect the seductive draw of urban centers coupled with the current intervention in the NT is the catalyst for a migration of sorts away from the communities and cultural practices. It's no big secret that young people are feeling pulled from both sides and aren't quite sure where to place themselves.

Ad first reading this tread, I did not want to respond cause I'm not good in what's wrong or good. Seriously I don't know. But to be honest this spirit thing pulled the tricker!

Omid please clarify your understanding about SPIRIT and appropriate HEART to things? Please enlighten me for I am a very, very simple human being. And for what I came to learn over the years is that every thing is spirit! Or in other words "aliveness" and we are all part off that. If you want or not, you are. If you comprehend or not, you are. Hell yes even the ones that are making noise on Yidaki, get you angry and disappointed. And Elijah is just one of the many, many faces aliveness comes with. And ooooooooh boy is he alive, vibrant, fresh, renewing, provocative and full power. Because by nature aliveness is chaos and balance ad the same time. Or In simple terms, this is also called movement, and movement brings evolution (death & birth) so nothing ever can stay the same in the realm of time and space.


For all I know, it's this aliveness that is sacred and there for all it's manifestations.

Peter

Hi there

Peter these are wise words thanks for that

GGW

Personal blunt view (apologies in advance to those sensitive types)- Omid's attitude upsets me. His remarks are telling - telling me how little he really knows. Audacious - yes.

I cannot play with the dexterity Gunydjurruwuy exhibits - never could, never will. I don't aspire to play that style especially but I can appreciate it. I praise the young lad and I'm not too concerned about what he's playing - I'd rather prefer him keep some aspect of yirdaki alive than spend his time drinking kava and smoking ganja. Omid has a romantic view of Yolngu life - blinded by his own visions of self-grandeur.

Omid's comments are out of line - and how dare he use "Larrpan" as an honorific - it shows his desire to be someone of note. A bit of self criticism and reflection would go some way to improve his attitude. If he stoppped thinking about how good he thinks he is he might see reality. Pull ya head in mate and grow up.

Peter (no-punches-pulled) Lister

PS: If ever there is a chance Gunydjurruwuy sees this - then well done - keep working hard at your playing and I hope one day to hear you in person. Way dhabirrk !!

Just thinking back to when I was young and with the benefit of getting older I can see whats taken place before me. All those young guys of my youth, all busting to learn wicked, hard, fast guitar and now they all play slower paced, deeper, more soulful stuff. They wouldn't be playing anything now if they hadn't started somewhere - there is a good chance that someone as young and talented as Gunydjurruwuy will turn to other forms of yirdaki playing over time and when he does, what a great wealth of experience he'll have on which to tread that road......