13.5.4 Other
Description
This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.
13.5.4 Other
* Aboriginal music
[JO] The band Outback does a good job of the didgeridoo, and they're
now on Ryko. They used to be on Hannibal Records. Second is Trance
Mission, with their self-titled album on City of Tribes records. They
use clarinet, too... it's real strange, but it grows on you. Lastly,
you've heard of Steve Roach, haven't you? :) He's been on several
labels, and I'm not sure which he's with now. But just about anything
he does -- except maybe Empetus -- there's probably a didgeridoo in it.
* Didgeridoo [PW]
Firstly, how to get a sound. With brass instruments, you make a sound
by vibrating both lips into a mouthpiece. With a didj though, you are
only supposed to vibrate your top lip, keeping the bottom one still.
Having played the trombone for about 7 years, I found it quite easy to
get a sound somewhat similar to a kid blowing down a vacuum cleaner
hose (or a plastic pipe for that matter). It took me a bit of time to
get a proper type of sound but when I did, I found I used a lot less
air, and could manipulate the sound far more. Then again, having
played the trombone, I was used to the principles of manipulating my
mouth (just ask the wife ;-]. Effects such as "dingo calls" are
achieved by making a noise with your vocal-chords at the same time as
the drone with your lips. This also takes a bit of practice !
Secondly, circular breathing. This I have not yet tried with much
conviction but I'll get around to it real soon now ! The basic
principle is that you puff your cheeks up, block off the back of your
mouth with your tongue, and then breath in your nose while pulling
your cheeks in to expel air through your mouth. Blocking the back of
the mouth can be done by raising the back of the tongue to the top of
the mouth. It helps a bit to push your tongue forward as you pull
your cheeks in to get a bit more pressure. Also, don't try this with
your mouth wide open - you need a small gap in your lips to keep the
pressure up. The book I have also suggests getting a straw with a
twist in it, putting the end in a glass of water and blowing through
it. This way you can see if you are breathing properly (and you
really know it if you breath in your mouth instead of your nose :-).
Thirdly, if you can't hear the instrument very well because it's
pointing away from you, put the end into an open cardboard box - it
makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't appreciate
the empty box in the middle of the living room floor .....
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