iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

In a good Mago, is there a certain look of the bore that would make it much different from the Yidaki? Is the bell more or less smaller as a rule than the Yidaki? Or could one have a fairly large bell end and still be used as a Yidaki?

Hey Vern:

Check out these clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGfgad01KIw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhF4ScuucGI

Same instrument played in both styles, and sounding equally good in both!

Jason

M*lk*y looked, sounded like he was playing a modified WAL vamp, but did toot the overtone. It was not the same you hear from Larry going "bida bida bida bida bida dith dith bida bida "toot" bida "toot". In fact Larry's toot was more subtle and not the horn sound of a power ovetone. I can even make a pvc sound like a horn,but I cannot make it sound like Larry with his suble toots.

Rather than get overly wrapped up in the semantics of one regional variant of didjeridu vs. another, it might make more sense to use the terminology that Alice Moyle used when she was classifying didjeridu accompaniment in the Top End, Vern.

'Overtone absent' or 'type A' refers to didjeridu accompaniment where the blown overtone or toot isn't used in the local playing style (WAL)

'Overtone present' or 'type B' refers to didjeridu accompaniment where the blown overtone is regularly utilized in the musical compositions of the area (NEAL, Groote Eylandt)

We can, of course, make certain statements about the physical shape of any said instrument about whether it is likely to be used in either 'Type A' or 'Type B' accompaniment.

Good question and not an easy one to answer! It is difficult to make general statements about bores with regards to 'type A' vs. 'type B' sticks. I would say that 'type A' instruments in general are shorter and are more voluminous per unit length... but then again that's not necessarily true if I take a look around here. Hard question indeed...

I think it comes down to 'feel' rather than physical attributes as to what makes a good type A or type B instrument.

I've got to agree with Guan's comment on the 'feel' of the instrument. I've played some yidaki (albeit few of them) that respond really well to WAL technique and I've played quite a few mago that respond well to NEAL type tonguings. Generally speaking however, I've found that the craftsmen who create these instruments tend to make them for the playing style of their area (or the area in which they now live).

Quite true, Kyle, and it's quite serendipitous when a stick shines as both mago and yidaki.

I've got an Ambrose Cameron in F that does just this! You can check it out in a few weeks time my friend.

Yeah not too long at all! I think I leave a month from today, if I'm not mistaken

Sometimes I ask a question and then answers sort of rattle my memory. In my OWN website about didgeridoos, I have a "Links" page and sure enough there is a link to an aricle adressing kind of what I've been asking about. The link in here. Regional Variation in Instruments By Ed Drury. I'm sure that it is very true that there are sticks than can cross the borders from one style A or B, without too much trouble. But then I also feel that there have been sticks made that are best in their own style of playing, whether in Mago or Yidaki... type A or type B.

As the recent 'Maningrida Traditional Music Compilation' shows, Maningrida over to Ramingining is cross-over country

I guess what the meat of my question was about, is the inside bore. Is it more open all the way up in a Mago? Are the thickness of the walls a bit thinner in Mago vs Yidaki? Lenght seems to play somewhat of a role, but I think it's in the amount of "termite" activity in the center, the more eaten the more likely it is for WAL style playing.