iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Hi
Some of Guans recent posts on youtube has inspired me post a bit of my own freestyle

Hi Paul,

You have got a nice technique. I like the second bit a more than the first but overall it is very well-done in my opinion.

Cheers

M.

Thanks Mahir

Appreciate the feedback, would be nice to hear others on the forum giving their instruments a blast tho!

Paul

Wow, you've improved greatly Paul, well done, love it big time!!!

You've been practising a lot ay?

Guan

Thanks Guan, have had a bit more time to practise recently as I was out of work and now I am back at work,3 days a week, I am still managing to put in about 4 hours practise a week or so. I have made some News Years resolutions which reflect my advancing years (57 now you know!!)and these are, to eat healthier, get more sleep( I am a bit of a night Owl), more exercise(so easy to be lazy) not to work full time anymore(lifes too short to spend it all at work!) and to become a "good" yidaki/mago player and to get that "sound" ( that 3 dimensional depth of sound that good players are able to produce and not just the flat 2D sound I think I get at the moment?!!) OH and to get to OZ again, this one is already in the pipeline as you know. Quite a few there but I hope to keep them all!!

Cheers Paul

Good definition. Btw, speaking of life being too short reminded me of Bertrand Russel that I have been reading recently..What a bliss to read his English and see his wisdom about such matters..Lovely.


Mahir

Maybe some of the secret to the "3rd dimension" in yidaki-playing is in using the passive-voice.
Your technique is good and sharp but it seems to me it is lacking some PV to "harshen" it all up and give a sort of parallel rhythm (3rd D).

Sounds like pretty good NY resolutions to me Paul, again, congrats on your playing, you sound like a totally different player, 5 out of 5 for the dedication and practice, I'm impressed! With getting a more 3D sound, I think Francis is right with the passive voice thing, I call it the throat effect, mighty difficult thing to get right for us Balanda players but it can be done !

I got no NY resolutions myself

Well guys I'm back online now had computer problems for the last 2 or 3 days and couldn't get on the net but kinda solved I hope. Haven't replied to emails as I don't have my proper office computer just using a back-up unit.

Time for dinner, oven-baked fish and some salad. Catch ya guys!

Guan

Thanks Martin and Guan for the encouragement/analysis, reckon you are right, always have had a bit of trouble with PV so thats something that I need to practise. The intention is there but I have to think to "include" it (therefore not really passive!!) and then it gets forgotten in the heat of playing, if that makes sense?

Cheers, will post something else once I have had a bit more practise

Paul

More practise is needed but I have tried to add a bit more throat/passive to this clip

Paul

Hey Paul,

This second version is better as far as PV is concerned although it is slightly forced as evidenced by the fact that your tongued attacks don't silence it. Let it become more 'passive' (this is the hardest bit to explain, however when you've got it right it won't feel like you're adding your voice at all) and the heavier tonguing (diths) kill the PV and make a more definite rhythmic punch.

Also, your PV wavers a bit in the second half and changes pitch - perhaps you started thinking about it!

Keep at it. It's going well.

Kyle

Thanks Kyle for giving it a listen and explaining how/what I need to practise on to improve, as I said before, this part of playing has always haunted me but I am determinied to crack it!!!

Paul

Yes, sounds a lot better with PV to my ears !
Though I'd say you're not "singing" on the right pitch yet...
Your voice seems too cristal-clear where it needs to "roar".
We hear a "roaring" on 00:19 > 00:20
Try changing your pitch until you get that "roaring" sound then try sticking to it.
As Kyle says, it's no more like adding voice anymore once you got it, but just like adding a special effect.

You're getting really good man, keep it up Paul! I love the introductory part, the first 8-9 seconds, I haven't heard anyone try Laga's style as yet and you're damn close. The great thing is that you're using tonguing effectively, a lot of players trying trad style merely increase blown pressure to create the accented beats, whereas I can 'hear' your tongue in there so well done. For a bit more texture to your playing, try playing ha' ha' ha' with the tongued accents, the ha' is basically created by the throat and is just the same as when laughing hahahaha, the ' represents the glottal stop where the epiglottis closes off suddenly.

Guan

Is it possible to control the epiglottis intentionally? If yes how can it be done?

Ambros