iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Who wants to watch and listen to Marrilaga play yidaki? He's a quietly spoken and gentle character, the sort of person who blends in well with others. But when he plays yidaki, boy does it stand him apart. This guy is THE maestro!

Who wants to see, who wants to see ?? I bet no-one can guess who was Laga's (short for Marrilaga) teacher and who he sounds like

Guan

What's his country Guan ??

He is Red Flag mob, Dhalwangu, staying at Galiwin'ku and he is ngamini-Wititj. Actually, his name Marrilaga means 'flag'. Let this me a guessing game heh heh ? I'm happy to give hints though, but the right questions have to be asked first!

Guan

Ok, to keep the suspense going, 'Laga' is 19 years old...

He is as fast as Elijah Gunydjurruwuy but with different technique...

Guan

OK, so he's Yirritja - mother's side is Dhuwa - could be Ga:alpu....can't recall which other mala "holds" Wititj that marries Dhalwangu - wouldn't be Liyagalawumirr that's certain, probably not Djambarrpuyngu either......

Ok, here's the first vid of Adam Marrilaga. More to come...!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QG3USjxE6Q[/youtube]

Guan

I'll have to send him a proper Red Sox hat to replace that terrible Yankees one!

Absolutely beautiful playing Guan.
So much refined detail and delicate balance, and fast..! What dexterity.

thanks for that one Guan.
Cheers, Martin

That sure is an old school instrument in terms of proportion! His playing reminds me very much of Larry's.

Hey Kyle, you're right about the instrument. It isn't a big powerful beast and is modest in its proportions and acoustic output. I learnt something new from Laga which I'm very happy about as I don't think I've picked up any tips for years. Surprisingly, I was practising yesterday and managed to find that magical sweet spot, the way the tongue is positioned and everything else is held together in its proper place to get those lovely tongued accents and other sounds that Laga and other yidakimirr achieve. Laga actually said that to get the required speed, the tongue should be yalnggi (soft), something I've taken aboard. But this morning I've lost it again and need to revisit what I was doing right yesterday...

Also, to get the correct tongued accents, the abdomen must be tight, a bit like how singers tense up their abs and project from there.

The thing about this style of playing is that it works beautifully with most sorts of yidaki. The hard tongue style seems more suited to conical bores and powerful high-back pressure instruments.

Anyway, hopefully I can write something in the techniques section soon. I'm very excited at having met Laga as he has tremendous knowledge and is good at explaining technique. His style, especially the introductory parts where he doesn't breathe for the first 6-8 seconds with rat-a-tat-tat machine gun fire is called djaykulung style... it is tricky with neat syncopations, reverse rhythms, going round and round...

Guan

Here's another vid of Laga, on a yidaki he made himself.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV2AN2oWGj8[/youtube]

Guan

This is one of the best... those first 8 seconds are killer!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaHpvoPT228[/youtube]
Guan

Hi there



If its not Larry Winiwini Gurruwwi i wonder who can be the teacher .So by the way he play and sound i'm pretty sure its Larry (Wuduku)

GGW

Or Djalu ? Winiwini also learned the yidaki playing of Djalu - but to be honest - I put my money on Larry - I think Larry was/is his teatcher

Søren Dahl

Laga looking like an old man, still love his technique the best, compare him and Dhapan playing the same instrument.



Guan