iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

[SeriousChris]

Did you guys ever consider that the question "front" vs. "side" could simply be a question of where one has some teeth left?

There's no way how one can play in front if the front teeth are missing - not a rare occurrence in Arnhemland, especially in older players.

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Serious Sticks

[Peter Lister]

I can't say that I've checked out players teeth that closely, but I also think that the majority of players are not that old. Sure there are a few, obviously Djalu' comes to mind, but many older men are singers rather than players and i'm of the impression that players often "graduate" to singing. Men like Djalu' are exceptional for many reasons - he's not just an accomplished player and maker but is THE repository of much knowledge associated with yirdaki as we all know, so not typical amongst players.

A quick peruse of Guan's footage on Youtube will demonstrate the youthfulness of many players of a high standard and i"m sure their dentition is better than mine !!

Bita

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Bita

[ididjaustralia]

That's the one Peter! Yes, he was the exception. Most (almost all?) players I've seen in Arnhem Land play straight-on or slightly to the side as in a little bit left or right of centre of mouth. There have been the occasional player who plays more to the side which I've thought strange, but then I realised it was only strange because of conditioning in my thinking. I think it comes down to what's comfortable and what is effective, and the sort of uncompromising zeal amongst some Western players that you MUST play front-on is just silly.

With dentition, it is worth noting that it is only relatively recently that there has been marked deterioration in dental health among Yolngu, what with sugar and processed foods that are available these days. The Mountford-led scientific expedition to Arnhem Land in 1948 recorded a healthy people with fairly good teeth, at least compared to today. There's a chapter in volume 2 of the expedition's findings: "The Dental and Periodontal Conditions of Aborigines at Settlements in Arnhem Land and Adjacent Areas". Lots of good material in there on nutrition too!

The 60 years between Mountford's research and today is stark indeed... so much has changed, and it would not be exaggerating to say that Yolngu are facing a chronic and devasting health crisis.

Guan

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[YidakiMago]

This indeed is a most interesting comparison Guan. And yes Mr Morrison looks fine to me. And the old guy's, Milles Davis par example even lived a very hazardes live, performing in smoky bars and clubs, whisky and late hours and all ways on the move. He got to an respectable age, considering his live style.

To be honest I do feel the opposite! The Gapanbulu has me in a firm grip, so the last few days I played (practising) a lot. Some times one hour ad a row. And this resulted in a much more open air flow. I even can speedup cause everything is relaxed, feels smooth and open. Ad this stage all is in balance. I don't get to esoteric with you guy's but I dare to say I feel Mmmmmmmm. All is oke........... just the feel after a good workout without the sweat. Very refreshing.............So this is my fix for the day.

If I'm not mistaken I recall that Djalu him self, some where stated that you need lots of wind to make the Yidaki sing? One needs to work to get that air flow going. You need pressure to get the mouthing in perfect motion, even if you play Djalu style. And if you observe Winiwini closely you can see that this is a full body instrument. It's all about controlling the air flow. Maybe when we play with that kind of strength it could be damaging..........but on the other hand when playing that strong I reckon you have reached a level that you're totally in control.

The only thing I can relate to whilst playing ad peak performance, is that I can observe pressure in the head and lots of tension in the neck region. This automatically results in quitting when exceeding the speed limed. Plain and simple out of rocked fuel. But he I'm not in my 20 any more...........

Gaun I was thinking the same thing on Datjirri nose bleeds. It's also know that this appears a with bodybuilders who literary pumping up there self's till they pop .

Stay tuned, I got some more issues lined up to discuss.

Cheers to you all,

[Peter Lister]

Guan,

Well, if you do manage to get at least some of that footage online that'd be great as many here will not be able to see it otherwise. It's pretty good and Moyle had her wits about her when she filmed it - I doubt there is any other footage from that period that shows player technique quite like that. For those that aren't aware of the terrific work she did, this footage, 'Groote Eylandt Music and Dance' was made to show the choreography of trad dance, so Moyle setup three cameras and mikes and filmed the performances from these three different angles. She then later used Benish (spelling?) notation to describe the choreography in a form that western dancers would grasp and aided by her footage.

The really great thing about the yirdaki segment is that she also filmed him closeup and from a couple of different angles so you can see his use of throat particulalrly clearly - he has this wonderfully rhythmic rocking across the mouthpiece too - fantastic spat overtones.

Guan, do you kow if he's still alive ? Oh, and he's agot a really cool hat ! : )

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Bita