Monday 29 October 2007

Me and My Didgeridoo

My mate just came back from Australia and one of the things she got me was a didgeridoo...yeah that is right, she got me hollow wood. So I am holding on to this piece of long wood and not really sure how to play it and hence decided to do a bit of investigation into it. This is what I have learnt about it so far for those interested in going out and buying a didgeriddo yourself.

According to one rendition of an aboriginal legend, the first man wanted to please the sky. He put a hollowed branch to his mouth and began to play. With the force of his breath, the termites living in the hollow branch were expelled from the open end and became the stars.

Interesting...so what I have learnt from all this so far is that, screw astronomy and the theory that stars were created during the Big Bang, they were infact created by a man blowing a hollow piece of wood, now isnt that much more easier to study than all that difficult astrophysics they teach us in school? I bet Gallileo would be kicking himself in the grave if he knew about this.

I also found out some other inetersting facts about the digeridoo -
10 DIDGERIDOO FACTS
1. Possibly the world's oldest musical instrument
2. A wind instrument originally found in Arnhem Land, Northern Australia.
3. Is made from limbs and tree trunks hollowed out by termites (insects).
4. Is cut to an average length of 1.3 metres and cleaned out with a stick. or hot coals.
5. Was used as an accompaniment to chants and songs.
6. Produces a low-pitch, resonant sound with complex rhythmic patterns.
7. In sure tribal groups only played by men but in most groups by men, women and children.
8. Traditional various forms at the didjeridoo where found in Central Australia around Alice Springs.
9. The Didgeridoo is the sound of Australia.
10.If the earth had a voice it would be the sound of the Didgeridoo.

So the next question was, how do I play this thing? I have always sucked at musical instruments, I remember my music teacher trying to teach me to play the flute for 2 years and eventually giving up on me cos I couldnt even get the basic rhythm after 2 years of him putting in a huge amount of effort on me, God Bless his Soul. So how the hell was I gonna learn this then, well this seems a lot easier to play, it cannot be rocket science could it?

I found the following website that showed me the basics...
http://www.didgeswedoo.com.au/didgeridoo_lesson.html

The secret is apparently the drone sound and the circular breathing. I am gonna keep practising until I get as good as this guy...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

god knows y i bought you that thing...seen as it's more important to you than me now!!!