iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Ok, I admit it. I've been obsessed with a particular YouTube clip recently. And judging from all the fuss in the media and online communities, so have millions of others. If you haven't seen this, you gotta!

A bit of background first by way of Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_Rock_%28music%29

And a newspaper article in the New York Times:

Web Guitar Wizard Revealed at Last

And finally, the clip itself!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8[/youtube]

This is the 10th most watched YouTube clip of all time globally at 36.5 million views and counting, and there's good reason why, this kid is just amazing! I can appreciate good musicianship, but this is just out of this world it is that good.

Since the appearance of this clip on the internet, hundreds of guitar players (thousands perhaps?) worldwide have tried to emulate funtwo's feat. There are also versions now on acoustic guitar, bag pipes, violin, piano... but no didgeridoo yet.

So the challenge... is anyone game to try this on didgeridoo? It would be a world-first. True, didgeridoo is a rhythm instrument rather than a melodic one. But at the same time, the didgeridoo presents an infinite number of possibilities what with voice calls, overtone note(s), variations in rhythm and timing. Plus, with the slide didge, variations in key too!

So, who's a Didge God? In my books, Larry Winiwini and Adam Marrilaga. They're both technically outstanding, have brilliant expression and feel, possess speed and dexterity like no other, and have an innate sense of rhythm. They're Didge Gods.

I've yet to hear non-traditional didgeridoo players with this level of skill, but let's uncover them here. So all you wizards out there, here's your chance to shine in the spotlight!

Guan

Ah, interesting turf you're getting into here, Guan.

What makes great music, or great playing? Are they the same? Are all the usual academic-type criteria valid, or is it as posited by Bevis and Butthead: It's cool or it sucks? While I dig a good argument, I lean towards the "it all boils down to taste/opinion."

For example, the kid playing Pachelbel. Millions love it. You love it. And if it puts lead in your pencil, brings you joy, teaches you something or whatever, that's good. But me, it leaves me flat. I'm a guitarist, among other things. While some find this kid to be the pinnacle of guitar playing, I prefer my virtuosity along the lines of, say, John McLaughlin, who to me makes junior's video seem like, well, kid's stuff. See what I mean?

At any rate, there are some non-trad players that come to mind... Stephen Kent is a wiz, first didg player I ever saw/heard that knocked my socks off, and still does. Great MUSICIAN, too (not always the same thing), and sweet dude. Great chops and speed when he wants to rip, and sooo smooth when he plays those beautiful drones. Plus, the way he integrates his percussion and "the dance." Family Tree #2 tracks 1 & 3 still wow me. Slow, deep, majestic.

Ash Dargan can blow. I've shared some gigs with him and heard some great stuff, more impressive to me than, say, his multi-media stuff, musically. And hung out with him practicing a few times, just awesome stuff. Like Stephen, a former brass player with a great, unique tone and voice.

Ondrej Smeykal is a monster. Met and heard him at JT last year, and he's streching the envelope, methinks, in non-trad technique and expression. I'll be putting some video from JT online soon, and it's really cool stuff. A real speed freak and groove machine when he wants to be, he's also capable of some great, reeaaallly sslllooooww magic, too.

Oh, I can't wait to hear what Randy Graves is doing these days. Great player, with probably the most diverse palette of technique and influences that I've yet to hear. Years with the Yolngu likely haven't hurt any.

As for pushing the didg envelope, it won't be coming from me! But I think that there is certainly room for further development. I guess I don't really expect to hear Pachelbell or bebop on the didg, to to the inherent limitations (other than maybe via studio trickery) but I do know that even just melodic overtone manipulation could be developed farther than it is. Most didg players can kinda sweep up and down, etc., but I know that nearly anything that can be throat-sung, melodically, without changing the fundamental, SHOULD be playable on a didg, and I haven't heard anybody do that yet. Maybe someone already does?

Here are a couple videos Ondrej, from last year's JT Didgfest.

http://www.khoomei.com/didg/videos/smeykal1.mov

http://www.khoomei.com/didg/videos/smeykal2.mov

These are bigger, better files. You can dl low-quality mono versions at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2VEYIKbiX8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6EBOFclIs


More when I have some time...

Enjoy,

Hey Steve,

Taste in music or anything else is invariably subjective, I've got no argument there. It is interesting the people you've nominated as didge Gods. Anyone else have idols they want to show and tell? Above all, who's brave enough to try 'Canon Rock' on didge/yidaki/mago/slide didge?!?!? My feeble initial attempts, to borrow Bevis and Butthead's phrase, sucked!

Guan

Thanks for that Steve. This is a revelation, I think most of us here haven't heard of Ondrej, is he American? His playing is nice, I enjoyed that. I still prefer Winiwini and Marrilaga, that's just my personal taste.

Guan

Learned to play Yidaki with HardTonguePro.net www.ididj.com

Practice, Practice, Practice and get a copy of Hart Tongue Pro, that's how I did it!

Good Luck!

Not one but cerveral GOD's

Mago (W.A.L):

David called the "bomb". www.youtube.com

Yidaki (N.E.A.L):

Winiwini www.youtube.com

David Dharra'puy first 3 min. of the clip www.youtube.com First 3 min. of the clip.

Elijah Gunydjurruwuy www.youtube.com

And if one is intrested I will go into depth.

Peter

Smeykal is Czech, I think he lives in Prague. Website is http://smeykal.com

I would tend not to use the term didg-god, just not my style. And I can't say that I'd necessarily prefer the guys I posted to, say, the superb Yolngu players you mentioned, or the players YidakiMago named. But, I thought the goal was to suggest, or find, players non-trad players of similar skill levels.

As for the Pachelbel Cannon, or any other piece, suitability for a melody on a standard didg would seemingly depend on A) whether the melody is within the harmonic series, B) the range of the harmonic series of the given didg, and C) the characteristics of the melody, such as speed and complexity. Of course a piece such as PC is not limited to the melody, having chords, which makes a more complete rendition impossible.

Again, notwithstanding the high level of accomplishment of current virtuosic didg players trad-and-not, I believe that the limits of the instrument have not been approached. I suspect it's Tatum, McLaughlin, or Coltrane has not yet appeared.'

My GOD's are as follows

Wandjuk Marika
David Blanasi

cheers
M,

My list of 'didj gods' is anyone that has influenced me over the years and has changed as has my taste in playing style. Of course my heart lies with the traditional players of the Top End, but every now and then I hear some great contemporary playing and I'm struck by the magical feel I had when first learning about this instrument and all the wonderous variations in style and technique.

Excellent comments as usual, Kyle! We are all hybrids of our experiences and internalize thing along the way, and what a better proof than through our own individual 'voices' that come through our playing styles? Taste is such a subjective thing to discuss, that's quite true - and I have been influenced and inspired by some great players during my journey with this wonderful instrument. The Czech rhythm machine Ondrej Smeykal is pushing the envelope of contemporary didjeridu play, and I'm always interested in seeing what direction he will go into next.

Jason

Hmmm, when it comes to guitar playing and we have to stress classical compositions, I find this guy much more impressive than funtwo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTD2mwwlPqc[/youtube]


Just don't look at the funny face

from a didge point of view has to be mike edwards/jackson

I'd be interested to see the reasoning behind choosing particular individuals as being 'didj gods'- not disputing the choice, just curious about what about their playing elevates them to that particular status.

Interesting point Jason I would say that I am my own didge god but from my choice of the 2 mikes it was cause they gave me Axis (you see what I did there) to the Didge scene as they were the fisrst kind of recorded playing that I heard that really really inspired me and then other people since then.