The sound of this ancient instrument is difficult to describe in words. A low rumble, a roar, a bit like timbre of the throat singing of Siberian shamans. He gained fame relatively recently, but has already won the hearts of many folk and ambient musicians.
Didgeridoo - the folk wind instrument of the Australian aborigines. Represents hollow tube length from 1 to 3 meters, on one side of which is a mouthpiece with a diameter of 30 mm. It is made of wood or bamboo trunks, you can often find cheap options made of plastic or vinyl.
The story of didgeridoo
Didgeridoo, or yidaki, is considered one of the most ancient instruments on earth. Australians played it when humanity did not yet know any notes. Music was necessary for the pagan ritual of Korabori.
The men painted their bodies with ocher and coal, put on feather ornaments, sang and danced. It is a sacred ceremony by which the aborigines communicated with their gods. Accompanied by drumming, singing and the low rumbling of didgeridoo.
These strange instruments were made for the Australians by nature itself. During times of drought, termites eaten away the core of eucalyptus, creating a cavity inside the trunk. People cut down such trees, cleaned them from the tripe and made a mouthpiece made of wax.
Yidaki received wide distribution at the end of XX century. Composer Steve Roach, traveling around Australia, became interested in an interesting sound. He learned the game from the natives, and then began to use the didgeridoo in his music. Others followed.
Real fame instrument brought the Irish musician Richard David James, writing the song "Didgeridoo", which conquered the British clubs in the early nineties.
How to play didgeridoo
The process of the game itself is very non-standard. The sound is obtained due to the vibration of the lips, and then repeatedly amplified and distorted, passing through the cavity yidaki.
First you need to learn how to extract at least some sound. For now, set the instrument aside and rehearse without it. You need to try to snort like a horse. Relax your lips and say "tpruuuu." Repeat several times and carefully observe how your lips, cheeks and tongue work. Remember these movements.
Now take didgeridoo in hand. Apply the mouthpiece tightly to your mouth so that your lips are inside it. The muscles of the lips should be as relaxed as possible. Repeat rehearsed tpruu. Snort inside the pipe, being careful not to break the contact with the mouthpiece.
The vast majority of people at this stage does not work. Either the lips are too tight, or they are loose on the instrument, or the snort is too strong. As a result, there is no sound at all, or it turns out to be too high, cutting ears.
As a rule, you need 5-10 minutes of practice to publish your first note. You will immediately understand when didgeridoo give a vote. The tool vibrates appreciably, and the room will be filled with a pervasive roar coming out of your head. A little more - and you will learn how to receive this sound (it is called drone) immediately.
Melodies and rhythm
When you learn to confidently "buzz", you can go far. After all, you cannot build music from one buzz. You cannot change the pitch, but you can change its timbre. For this you need to change the shape of the mouth. Try it out while playing sing different vowels, for example "eee-oh-oh-yo-ee". The sound at the same time will significantly change.
The next technique is articulation. Sounds need to allocate to get at least some rhythmic pattern. Allocation is achieved due to a sharp air releaseas if you utter a consonant sound "t". Try to set your own melody rhythm: "that-that-that."
All these movements are performed by the tongue and cheeks. The position and function of the lips remain unchanged - they buzz evenly, causing the instrument to vibrate. At first, the air you have will end very quickly. But over time you will learn how to buzz economically and stretch one breath for several tens of seconds.
Professional musicians master the so-called technique circular breathing. It allows you to play continuously, even while inhaling. In short, the essence is as follows: at the end of the exhale, you need to inflate the cheeks. Then the cheeks are reduced, releasing the remnants of air and not letting the lips stop vibrating. At the same time, a powerful breath is made through the nose. This technique is quite complicated, and more than one day of hard training is needed to study it.
Despite its primitiveness, didgeridoo is an interesting and versatile instrument. Musicians combine it with ethnic drums, harps, flutes and throat singing to create mesmerizing meditative compositions. If you are looking for a new non-standard sound in your music, you may be able to get it with this ancient instrument.
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