iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Hello,

My mouthpiece of my didge is coming apart a little. I just bought a new didge last week.

I was wondereing if you could suggest me where to best get the wax from and what differences there are...

Does the mouthpiece have a great influence on the sound etc.?

I read the thread with the detal putty as well....

Thank you,

Adan

Hi Adan

Had another look at the pictures on the other thread. Yes the mouthpiece is not looking it's best and I reckon you have some leaks there which will kill your playing attempts. I would take it all off and start again, you can melt down the wax and use it again if you want but it may be an idea to get some more just in case you run short. Check Ebay you will probably get some on there, standard beeswax will be ok for this kind of didge. Here is what I do to replace a mouthpiece. You have a sizeable diameter to reduce so I would roll out a largish sausage shape long enough and thick enough to reduce the inside diameter to about 40mm yet still wide enough to reach the outside diameter of the didge, press it onto the top of the mouthpiece end and seal it down the inside and outside of the wood. Because of the large diameter you will need to raise the wax up a bit to stop your nose etc banging on the mouthpiece as you play. To do this roll another smaller sausage out about half the length of the first one, make it a bit thinner, and place it on top in such a way so it reduces the mouthpiece to around 30mm (a good starting point). Mould the two together on the outside and inside to ensure no leaks and making sure it is just high enough for you nose or whatever to clear the wax. As for your other points, I don't think you were "screwed over" financially considering the price you paid but maybe the sales pitch could have been more honest. Can't really tell but it looks to me as if it may be yellow boxwood (eucalyptus) but it does look quite dark on the inside so thats what makes me unsure, yellowbox is "yellowish" . Iron bark is very dense and heavy so a didge of that size would weigh quite a bit. As for the rest, the artwork looks almost too precise to be painted by hand so I am not sure if it has been applied mechanically, much like a transfer and then the artist has maybe applied afew finishing touches and then signed it . A lot of the cheap teak didges have this kind of process done albeit badly, yours looks like a good job. What matters at this stage is that you play it and practice playing it. In a short time you will start to improve and when your appreciation for this instrument grows then maybe thats the time to think about investing in an instrument that will satisfy your needs musically and culturally.

Contrary to Paul's comments above, I believe the painting was in fact done by hand. I've seen similar work on instruments from the Queensland/NSW border in the past.

It's almost impossible to tell what timber was used once the instrument has been shaped and in all honesty, it doesn't really matter.

You could repair any leaking sections of your mouthpiece by simply heating up the affected parts (by hand or with a hairdryer) and smoothing the wax over the leak. This way you wouldn't have to rebuild the mouthpiece from scratch, which may be a daunting task at this early stage in your didgeridoo playing life.

Hope this helps.

Kyle

Listen to Kyle Adan, he is far more experienced than me on these things and has a good long didge history. As for the mouthpiece, at least now you have two options and certainly, on reflection, Kyles is the easiest for a newcomer. Good luck

Hey Paul and Kyle,

thank you for your answers.

I first off tried Kyles attempt last night...did't go soooo well

I basicially managed to fill all the holes i saw from the outside and put a bit more wax just where it connects to the didge....

Then i shaped the opening a bit smaller and rounder.

This had a massive influence on the sound and crsipyness of the sound...it is not as loud anymore and not as crisp and seems to have some kind of side tone to it.... hard to describe really.

But that makes really clear how much influence just the mouthpiece has. I will probably trying to make it completely new.

How thick should i roll the wax and is it important that it is nice and smooth from the inside?

Also i am not sure how "sharp" small the radius at the top should be. So by that i dont mean the diameter but the thickness off the wax at the top i guess...and should that top bit face more inside or outside? So should the very top bit be like a cone or rather facing a bit inwards?

Maybe i am just a bit too detailed about that, but i just saw how much influence these little changes i made last night have on the sound.

Thank you so much for all your help, I really appriciate it!!!


Ciao,

Adan

1) "How thick".... hard to say but its got to be thick enough to withstand the pressure of your lips on it, the bigger diameter you need to reduce the thicker the wax needs to be. The smoothness on the inside is not crucial but I do like to have it smooth, its more important to get a good seal. I just put my thumb on the wax on the inside as slide it down over the wood to make sure I have that good seal, generally it will then naturally be quite smooth.

2)"how "sharp" small the radius" ....this is a matter of taste. Some of my yidaki (natural mouthpieces) have a very small radius, almost sharp, whilst others are cut flat accross the top and have no radius as such so your lips press on a completely flat surface. I have just looked at a large didge of mine about 4" in diameter (incidently the first one I bought in ignorance and it wasn't even made by aborigines) which has had the wax replaced and it tapers up gradually from the wood to give a 30mm hole, the wax then rolls inwards and back under tapering back to the wood on the inside. the radius of the "roll" part is only about a 1/4 of an inch. As for whether the top profile should be pulled up a bit like a cone so you have this kind of lip or the reverse is again a matter of choice. I generally play natural mouthpiece yidaki's so I prefer a completely flat surface, even to the point of making a mouthpiece and then slicing the wax with a knife to get the same effect. I think, get the mouthpiece roughly how you want it then experiment with what is the best for you. Once you get a bit more experienced you will be able to play almost anything as long as the mouthpiece diameter is about the correct size.