I’ve long been fascinated by the unusual and hypnotic sound vibration of the didgeridoo. A deceptively simply hollow tube able to create an impressive musical experience.
Having no musical training or experience in playing an instrument my curiosity and
Didgeridoo One
Didgeridoos are typically wooden. This tube was cardboard and, as I was to discover, not even close to useful proportions. At least it was a similar colour to wood and ignorance afforded me the opportunity to at least try something.
I was able to find a disused plastic ball almost the exact diameter of the tube, which was promptly cut in half, attached to one end and then perforated to create something resembling a mouthpiece.
This was sufficient for me to begin experimenting with sounds and set me on the path of what was required for this.
Didgeridoo Two
Some months later I had what I imagined was a drone. Armed with a little more information, I was determined to learn more. Realizing my beloved cardboard didge was far from suitable I was on the lookout for something more appropriate.
I found it.
Discarded in a garden was an old piece of pipe that appeared to be a very suitable proportioned indeed.
Excited, I shook out the decaying leaves and crawly creatures, and give it a good wash. It worked and my learning continued, supported by video instructions on the Internet and a fortunate opportunity one morning to receive in-person instruction from the didge-mother of Holland, Lies Beijerinck.
Didgeridoo Three +
The experience with Lies was motivating, but also revealed that the piping did not sound particularly pleasing. I began learning about weird things like resonance and the material factors that influenced its quality.
An idea lurking in my crazy mind leaked out in a joke when asked what I was going to make to contribute to the children’s school fund-raising auction. I found myself committed to making a didge out of kelp.
Kelp gets thrown up onto the shore in abundance every day. Typically it’s damaged or rotting but is otherwise a good shape for a didge that, when dried, becomes hard and ridged. So each week, while one child was at dance lesson’s, I took the other one to hunt for suitable specimens on the nearby rocks.
The final piece was successfully auctioned. The sound it made was wonderful, and while I was being nudged to demonstrate I was not yet sufficiently confident in my playing to exposed myself like that.
I’ve since made a number of these, which I typically give away in
Didge-some-more
My playing has progressed substantially over about two years such that I’m far more willing to play in front of others. Having achieved something that was unbelievable to me some year prior brings a determination to master more.
I’ve made an impressive looking didgeridoo out of an Agave stem I harvested, which became the labour of a madman and find myself looking out for a just-the-right-log to chisel away at…