iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Hi to you all

This new stick is very addictive indeed and with Winiwini as virtual teacher and inspiration I give it a second attempt. Please any comment is welcome, since Winiwini is not talking back to me. I really like to get deeper into this grove and the in's and out's of NEAL. I have a lot to learn!

Well here's my NOISE...............

Cheers,
Peter

Hi all ready back,

Well recording yours self is ruthless. Damm my hooting (DUP) isn't much at all. So I had some practise wit a riff that contains a lot of "DUP". What are your though about getting the DUP's accurate and sounding full bodied?

Peter

Hi to you Peter,

No noise to me. Well done, nice voice, almost THE voice I think. The holy voice we all (almost) are looking for.
I can't make advices because my voice is not better than yours. You've got a good level. But you can make an effort on the trumpet sound. The sound is not clear, but I think it's only in this sample, the rest of time you have a precise trumpet sound.

Hi there

ah ah this is someting that ive been work and work and work until my stick finished with electrical tape .

Try going backward like usualy you go dup pu dhirrl try going dhirrl lo dup as an exercise .
Dhirrl lo dup! ,dhirrl lo dup ! dhirrl lo dup ! just to click the toungue mechanic dhirrl the tougue curve's up ! lo the toungue go forward and she is ready to smoothly dup !
dhirrl lo dup ,dhirrl lo dup and sudently you go dhirrl lo dup pu dup and there you go .dup pu dup pu dhirrl dhirrl
Oh by the way good playing Peter !

GGW

Well thanks kakadekick for your kind words, most encouraging. And indeed I'm looking for that voice. And although I know perfectly well that I'm not Yulngu and will never become. Still, I really like to get as close as possible.


Ha ha it's you again my Canadian TradHead GGW. Thanks for the tip I'll will get duck tape then.................o and super clue. Hé, never though of reversing the riff. But it kinda make sense to me. I sure give it a try to morrow. Can't do it now because my neighbours get at this late hour.

This is also good to perfect the Dhirrl_lo. Thanks for your expertise

Peter

Hi Peter,

Very nice!

To get a better hoot/horn/overtone note requires practice and strengthening of the musculature in the lips and surrounds. There are some simple drills you can do to strengthen these muscles, and best of all, you don't need an instrument for these drills and they can be done anywhere... if you don't mind the occasional mystified look from strangers in public

Fill your mouth/cheeks with air and then squeeze that air out by contracting your cheeks whilst pressing your lips tightly together so that only a small stream of air escapes from your lips. You can do circular breathing as well whilst doing this, and you'll find that after 10 or 20 seconds the muscles in your lips and cheeks start to feel tired. That's good! It means they're working out. If you do this several times every day for only a few minutes, you'll discover after a week that your hoot/horn/overtone note is vastly improved with greater control, clarity and purity of tone!

Guan

That's funny mate,

Have to laugh about my self. Somme times I'm a real dummy . How could I miss this simple bud effective exercise. The thing is that I give this as a practise in beginner workshops(contemporary style playing). Although a slightly diverent in that I use balloons to strengthen the muscles, lips cheeks and tongue. But this you can do any where any place. And in the mean while cheer up the world

By the way what's your opinion about the placement of the mouthpiece, upfront or on the sides (left /right)? And do you know what's the general opinion off Yulngu on this matter? I'm trying to switch to upfront. But the shifting to upfront is a dead slow progress. I'm finding it easier to play on my left side. I got more strength and there for control on that side exept for the hooting.

The reason why I'm shifting are two
1) My hooting/horn/overtone note really sounds in balance.
2) I was let to belief that with proper traditional playing the mouthpiece resides upfront?

Hi there

I beleive playing from the front is better for NEAL .For toungue ,jaw ,and get those neck muscle properly in action yes i do beleive playing up front is a lot better .You already sound very good Peter your dup are nice i think you will just be better up front , more precise .Everything comes in due time But again its just my opinion here ,have also lot to learn .Ill post some noise soon, im living in a pile of boxes moving next week in my new house .A house with a place to play yidaki without beeing disturb ...oh i cant wait

GGW

Oh love to hear your noise one day. This would be cool and I hoop that other treadheads will follow. So we can learn about each other experiences and help the ones that are just starting and truly like to explore this NEAL style off playing. And thanks for your kind words...............Well I'm not really a No-No, as I stated before in the "NOISE" tread, but I like to raise the bar as high as I can. Come as close as possible and maybe create my own rock & roll tune (sound). So playing (emulating) is just one side of the story........

Yes my Canadian friend I share your opinion on the placing of the mouthpiece. But "dambo rambo" it's like beginning all over again a specially the transition from drone to Dup. My lips are so soft up front. But I will endure to strenghten them.

Any ways unpack your boxes and Feng Shui your now home with your happiness stick You might never kow what fotune lies a head. So lot's luck to you and your new dream space.

Peter

Hi Peter,

Front-on or side is really up to you, it is a personal preference thing. Most trad players play front-on or slightly to the side. There are exceptions of course... I'll try to get some footage of a spectacular player from around Roper River who played very much on the side. Might be up to YouTube soonish!

Guan

You're a God sent and a MYTH-buster my friend. Good to hear, because I remember vividly one time that people were propagating that the only proper way is front-on. To be honest in all the cases these where non Yulgnu!!! I even met one guy that went bezerk if you did not play front-on and refused to give you lessons............ No this is not a joke!!!



Ooooh Yes please, really love to see this footage. So nice because these things, issues tend to twirl in the mind and aren't off any help. Non the less ill keep practising front-on.

Say Guan, what's this story about pumping Yidaki to hard that it might damage the lungs??? Omid was explicitly stressing out this point. And he's not the only one.
So what do we mean with pumping that Yidaki? Maybe also a myth? Or can we find some truth in it. Cause I can't relate to this issue ad the moment..............

Cheers Peter

Hi Peter,

Yes, it is easy to get fanatical about issues like that... I'll find that video and upload it here or on YouTube at some stage soon



I would imagine that everyone who has been saying that playing yidaki too hard can damage the lungs heard it first from Djalu. Djalu really doesn't like it when young people play fast and hard. He is a conservative player and sticks to the old ways. As for the question, do lungs get damaged from playing too hard? I really don't know but if a yidaki player is serious about finding out the answer, he or she would look at the lung health of trumpet players and musicians of other brass wind instruments. They create a much higher air pressure within their lungs that didgeridoo players that's for sure. Actually, I was just thinking about this the other day when reading an article about a famous Australian trumpet player, his name is James Morrison and he seems healthy, he is very much alive and still playing music.

Take a look at this pdf about air pressure and lungs:

http://www.springerlink.com/index/uj21704kt6604035.pdf

There's another link that looks interesting but I can't access the article. It is found here:

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve ... 2000004681

There's a bit of an abstract to the article which reads: "The article was inspired by a 78-year-old white trumpet player who had no prior ... These parameters affect the amount of lung volume and velocity of air ...". Mahir, can you get access to it? I think universities have subscription to some of these online journals.

Guan

I wonder if this was in some ways fueled by Datjirri's 'retirement' in his youth after his nose began bleeding due to excessive playing during ceremony.

Yes, interesting. When I was living in Arnhem Land I used to have constant nose bleeds but it wasn't due to yidaki playing. It was the heat, the stress, the challenge of daily living with Yolngu. I had this for years and eventually got treatment... the doctor used silver nitrite or something to cauterize one of the blood vessels in my nose.

The ceremony Datjirri talks about should be properly spelt Marradjiri which is an exchange-type ceremony.

Guan

Heh Guan,

are U thinking of that Nunggubuyu player in Moyles' footage from Groote (1969)?? If so, terrific footage. I'd think that in the majority of cases though, straight-on is the norm. When I think of side-on I'm thinking of players really using the sides/corners of their mouths as many western didjers do. You've seen many more trad players than I, but I've not seen any trad player from up North playing that way - with teh exception of that footage.

Bita.