iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Before I go hacking away, I want to have a clearer idea of what modifications will have what effects. Anyone know? I've got a short didge with a small diameter inner bore that doesn't play well, requires a lot of pressure to get a decent sound. Should I just enlarge the inner bore? The walls are pretty thick and it's rather heavy, so I have a lot of room to work.

In general, what effects will the following modifications or characteristics make?

Larger vs. smaller bell
Thinner vs. thicker walls
Larger vs. small-diameter inner bore
Larger vs. smaller-diameter mouthpiece
Longer vs. longer length

I understand a large bell has more power and volume, and thinner walls are more to crack. I've also noted a larger-diameter inner core has better resonance. Any other modifications or characterisitcs that affect sound?

Hi Harry,

Maybe upload a pic of the instrument in question. Is it a yidaki? Or another type of didgeridoo that you just want to improve the sound of?

Large vs small bell is difficult to say without knowing about the rest of the instrument because bell size in itself doesn't do much. I would say though that the greater the volume of the bore, the more air that is required to play the instrument everything else being equal. A "good shape" is where the bore does have volume - which is generally associated with loudness, resonance and bass - but is tapered in shape, that way you get the nice acoustic characteristics yet don't have to huff and puff to make it sound. The shape of the bore determines back-pressure and ease of play of the instrument generally speaking.

Wall thickness... maybe around 4 mm is "ideal"? But there's no right or wrong wall thickness, each instrument is individual and to get the best out of a piece of timber is the challenge which requires a number of variables to be taken into consideration at the same time? The didgeridoo makers on here can advise you better, these are merely my thoughts based on the performance of finished product.

Mouthpiece size... if you were to enlarge the mouthpiece size, the key/pitch - I don't really know the difference between the two hahaha - generally becomes lower if you open up the mouthpiece end. And opening up the bell end generally raises the instrument's pitch/key. Also the longer the instrument the lower the key/pitch generally.

If the instrument is a yidaki you picked up from Djalu don't do anything to it yet until you've uploaded a photo here.

G

Err... Opening up the bore anywhere will always result in lowering the pitch, never will it raise it... at least here in northern hemisphere
Though indeed, flaring the bell will raise the drone's pitch a lot more compared to opening the mouthpiece.
And opening the mouthpiece will raise toots' pitch a lot more compared to how it raises the drone's pitch.
It's a good thing to test these different openings to be able to adjust drone and toot to particular keys/pitch.
... and indeed again, it is NOT a good thing to have these experiments on a Djalu (or any other good) yidaki !!!

It's one we cut and made. I don't like it, so I'm happy to hack away at it. I have several other nice ones that I brought back from Djalu.

Pics to follow.

Here are photos:

Length 47 inches (119 cm)
Mouthpiece inner diameter 1.25 inches (3.2 cm)
Bell inner diameter 3.25 inches (8.3 cm)
Weight 9.0 pounds (4100 gm)
The inner diameter is about 2 cm at its narrowest. It was originally about 1 cm but Djalu drilled it out with a very long hand drill.

One of the kids who helped me finish it said that you have to play it like a "lead guitar." He didn't seem to have any trouble playing it:
You Tube
http://youtu.be/980ORXcWrc8

It's actually more conical shaped, with a pronounced straight taper, than the photos would suggest.

So should I leave it "as is" and just learn to play it, or should I try to modify it?





Mouthpiece


Bell (lots of sand from the beaches in Arnhem Land)

That's a contradiction wawa, re-read ur first 2 sentences lol.

Opening up from the bell up will raise the pitch of the instrument because it will shorten the effective tube length, so pitch goes up.

Hey Harry, the length you have there is pretty short and I would think high pitched and buzzy, maybe upload a pic looking into the bore at both ends, might not be much you can do to improve this but didj makers out there any comments? You could also take it to someone in your local area who might be able to assist, you're back in the US now right?

G

No it's not ...
Wherever you open the bore, it will always raise the pitch of all the modes of vibration (drone, toot, and the toots "above" it).
Though when you open it only from the bell end, it will have a greater pitch-raising effect on the drone compared to the toot.
Whereas when you open it from the mouthpiece, it will have a greater pitch-raising effect on the toot compared to the drone.
But removing wood from anywhere will always make any kind of vibration go up the musical scale... never down.
Follow me ?

no help?

i'm just basing wot i say from observations in NEAL, no theory involved as i don't know musical theory or maybe we're just misusing words and we're talking about different things altogether?

anyway i'm out of this discussion im not a didge maker so i wouldn't really know

g

I think you're generally talking about tapering a stick, and I'm talking about tapering one particular stick.
When talking generally (like comparing a whole lot of "Mandapuls"), you can imagine the bore being more or less conical, and in this case you are right : more conical is the bore, higher will be the pitch, and the more cylindrical the lower the pitch (for same length).
Though when you put it into practice on one real log, you can only work it one way : open it up by chopping off some wood (cannot reduce top section's diameter to taper it, you can only open the bell section... or vice versa : you can only open the top section to make it more cylindrical and cannot reduce bell section for same purpose).
And by opening up the bore (top, middle or bottom) or shortening the length, you will always raise the pitch.
Though opening in different areas tend to raise the pitch of certain "modes of vibration" (drone, toot1, toot2...) faster than others, even if in the end they will ALL be raised.
(just another way of trying to say the same thing here... hope I'm not too confusing)

"...high pitched and buzzy..."

Yeah, that's a good way to describe it.

You can see straight through the instrument. The inner bore tapers from 3.2 cm at the mouthpiece down to about 2 cm somewhere in the middle and then out to 8.3 cm at the bell.

I would leave this stick alone and appreciate it for what it is. If you continue to play it it will only improve your playing as you get used to the characteristics of different instruments. I think it would be better to learn from it in it's current Yolngu crafted manner than to mess with it and take the chance of ending up with a piece of firewood.

Kyle

Agree entirely, learning to play a high pitched instrument can only serve to improve your playing in general and from my point of view, will increase the "power" of your playing overall

Paul

I was afraid that you would say this.

I used to hate anything above an F as they all sounded to my ears(when I played them) as has been mentioned, "buzzy". I got a really good Millirr Munnunggurr Mandapul (y*r**k*) on ebay a couple of years back but bid on it without knowing the key, all the seller said was that it was quite high. When it arrived, god it was high, G#/A toot and when I started to play it everything sounded almost monotone and very buzzy, couldn't seem too get much "colour" to the sound at all, vocals were non existent, and dhirrls didn't roll at all... I was even thinking of re-selling it at one point. I did eventually realise though (after listening to some of Guan's youtube clips of similar instruments) that it wasn't the instrument at fault but me!!! My playing "power"/pressure capabilities of my lungs/ diaphram pressure/ or whatever you want to call it/describe it, was weak, generally ok for other instruments but not for this one! Since then with lots of practise my playing has developed to a point where this instrument is now a joy to play and I love it!!! it even sounds like a mandapul now!!! even though vocals are still a problem with me on this one. I even have a "Red Flag" lambilpil (didjeridu) and that is even higher (B/C toot). The only problem I have now is, if I revert back to say a C instrument after playing a G/G# I really have to "pull the reigns in" on the drone other wise everything gets overblown!!! So stick with it, once you start to get it to "sing" I think you will like it

All the best Paul

Okay, you've convinced me.

Manymuk.