iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Hi Guan,

Is it possible to get instruments that are spot-on" pitch-wise?

Her's why I ask: First, I sometimes see instruments labeled, say, F/F#. Now I know that some folks will play a given instrument a bit sharper of flatter than someone else. But, when I try 'em, I get a distinct feeling that there is a rather small sweet spot for playing that works the physics of the instrument for optimum resonance. Players that play 'em a bit sharp, or flat, seem to waver a bit, while those in the sweet spot maintain a more stable pitch.

Also, because I often play in ensemble with others, and instruments are a sizable investment for me, I like to get ones that will play well in-tune with other instruments, apart from their charms as a solo instrument.

When I listened to the current ididg donation yirdaki on YT, I saw that it's listed as an F. I noticed that it seemed higher than the mago I won, also listed as an F. I just compared, and both my ears and tuner agree... this may be complicated by the fact that Darryl, at least, uses a common practice of beginning phrases with what I would call a raised pitch: I perceive him starting at about an F on "dit" then dropping roughly a half-step to about E. I hear many Yolngu players do a similar thing. Vernon Marritjngu is doing that in the video, too. For some reason, I don't often see that playing element discussed, and it also seems to me to be one of the details non-native players often lack.

So, when we say E/F, does that mean it depends on phrasing, personal approach such as lip tightness and air current velocity, or ? Is it possible to purchase a yidaki that has its straight drone right at a specific pitch such as D or E? Are they tested with tuners before labeling them, or how is it done? Eventually, I'd love to buy one, but need to take that into consideration.

Thanks much,

Hey Steve,

Generally, the first letter refers to the fundamental drone and the second to the first overtone (toot), so an E/F woud be a stick that plays in E with an F toot.

Instruments are tested with tuners usually although there is always some fluctuation in pitch depending upon who is playing as some players really push it, driving the pitch up slightly, whilst others are more laid back and can relax the pitch somewhat.

Hope this helps,

Kyle

Heh, yeah, thanks Kyle, that part I knew but spaced on (the E/F); it was that kind of day yesterday!

So how do we understand the pitch difference between these two videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWZEkRaPGcw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maq5jKlykdk

Just trying to understand in case I ever order a stick. Usually, I like to play most instruments before buying, but that's unlikely to be the case with a yidaki. And when I have ordered a stick without playing, it's been a custom order that was built and tuned before shipping, also unlikely in this case.

Thanks,

Steve Sklar
http://khoomei.com
http://youtube.com/throatsinger

I find the sticks quite similar in pitch (just listened to both clips at the same time) with the yidaki slightly higher in the 'F' range, but there is a distinct difference between the bass/treble relationship of each stick with the mago seemingly more bassy and 'round' in tone and with the yidaki tighter and with more of the upper harmonic range evident, at least in that clip.

They probably come up as 'F' in the tuner, but at different levels, i.e. the mago closer to E and the yidaki up near F#.

Hi Steve,

Just a quick one as I need to go somewhere... will write again later but for now I'll just say that an instrument's pitch can vary depending on a number of variables. The player is probably the number 1 variable. Also weather/climate can have an effect, not just temperature and humidity but also altitude. If an instrument is advertised as 'concert pitch', it is almost certain to disappoint.

I use a guitar tuner to find the key of the instruments I have.

More later!

Cheers,

Guan

"Concert pitch"=bad?!?!

Hi Steve,

Not bad, but likely to disappoint. If an instrument's main selling point is that it is spot-on in key, and it turns out not to be due to variables at play, then the whole point of getting the instrument is thrown out the window!

I guess the best bet in getting an instrument that is exactly in key would be to have it custom-built by someone who is willing to work with you very closely. Or another way would be to modify your current instrument(s) by removing bits of it or adding on length but it could be tedious work... if an instrument is almost in perfect pitch, raising the pitch could in theory be achieved by cutting off a small segment at the mouthpiece or bell end, and lowering the pitch could in theory be achieve by widening the bore at the mouthpiece end. But if you love your instrument the way it is, regardless of key, tis best to leave it as it is rather than muck around with it.

Guan

Ciao all,
Hi Steve, and congratulations on winning that beautiful Mago:)
Just another quick thought on tuning.
As Guan ane Kyle have already mentioned there are many variables at play in tuning an instrument.
The player, humudity, air temperature, altitude.
As you mentioned, according to physics every instrument should have a sweet spot, and that is mostly
true, apart from the instrument/human interface. At that point there enter again many factors, how far lips are
inside the mouthpiece, how tight the lips are, and how strong the coupling is between vibrating lips and instrument..
For example, an instrument with a large mouthpiece in general will be more susceptible to these factors and thus in general the tuning will be somewhat less precise.
In the end the best thing is to get a well tuned instrument and then do the final tuning by hand as Guan suggested above.

Martin