The video is a demo of a remarkable piece of playable sculpture. I propose to buy them unpainted and paint, carve, wood-burn and decorate with a variety of beads, feathers and textiles, and then sell on the open market.
Herein is the kind of data I try to give you every day in my blogs — to save you time, energy, money and most of all, dead ends. It’s not at all tricky to find good didges, but selecting one with which to ACTUALLY BOND is like choosing a mate, mate.
What should you be looking for in a didge, especially if you know nothing about them but want one anyway??? Continue reading for more info…
Key=Perfect Pitch, no less than Perfect!!! I like E, F# (that’s F sharp) and D myself. Overtones are your “toots”, those little higher-pitched thingies…watch for them, and make sure they’re right for your sound! This is where it gets a little tricky, and you’ll probably need help deciding that. I plan to help the buyers of my painted didges with solutions that work for their performance or sleep-apnea therapy requirements. Oh…if you didn’t already know it, didgeridoos are accepted as an effective treatment for sleep-apnea … I’ll be talking about that this morning at the Festival of Ishtar.
Okay, so what else do you need to know?
Skill level should be BEGINNER to ADVANCED. I mean it. Don’t be stupid and buy a hardwood didge for beginner only. You don’t need to do that, and it won’t save money in the end. The didge should be wood throughout, including the mouthpiece, which should be small enough that you don’t need to apply beeswax to accommodate your lips; it’s going to be tough enough at the start, and you won’t want anything in the way that might turn you off, discourage you or feel uncomfortable. If you use the didge for sleep apnea therapy, you’ll know that the benefit is only over a long period of time, at least four months of daily 20 minute sessions, and anything that might make you quit should be avoided.
Length should be around 62″ – 68″ to get the best sound and look. There are variations, as you see in the opening video, but in general, you’ll be happiest with this length of hollowed-out polished tree-trunk, if the weight is less than six pounds, about 2.5 to 3 kilograms, if you’re wondering.
Backpressure — I like it VERY strong, but “strong” is okay for most players. Ease of play should be VERY easy. Why the hell not, unless you’re some kind of masochist??? Loudness should again be VERY loud, not merely LOUD, if possible, but here you can ease up for a wonderful didge that isn’t very loud, because you’ll mike it anyway for performance or youtube upload.
Okay, one final point, and then if you’re interested in purchasing one, you can contact me and we’ll talk. You want ONLY Concert Quality, not merely Performance or “High” quality. Believe me, it’s worth the extra two bucks.
Here’s my intro video on the subject. When you’re ready to buy one, contact me first!
http://youtu.be/N9pSutzITsQ