iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

[stockie]

Just wondered if people had any thoughts on who may make the better players/more resonant Magos out of Russell, Bob or Headley? if there is indeed any comparrison any thoughts lets discuss pros and cons of makers in the same way that Djalu is regarded with Yidaki

[ididjaustralia]

Ambrose and Blanasi were the best but they've passed to the 'Dreamtime'. Haven't really been impressed with the Hedley magos I've come across. And which Russell do you mean? Ngadayngaday?

Also look out for Dhugurun, Banyawarra, Djulukpirri, Marralinya, Warrkuluma etc. There's heaps of good mago makers to be found throughout Arnhem Land!

Guan

_________________
iDIDJ Australia - Didgeridoo Cultural Hub
E-mail: info@ididj.com.au
Web: www.ididj.com.au
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ididjaustralia

[ididjaustralia]

One other name to add, Djawola, pic below. As far as I know, he's been making mago for over 10 years but he isn't prolific. Like most 'bush people' staying outside of main settlements in Arnhem Land, it is not an easy matter for such craftsmen/artisans to bring their works to market. Regardless, I love Djawola's instruments, he has a careful hand in crafting and his artwork - all ochre in the 2 examples below - shows a similar level of refinement.

_________________
iDIDJ Australia - Didgeridoo Cultural Hub
E-mail: info@ididj.com.au
Web: www.ididj.com.au
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ididjaustralia

[ididjaustralia]

Just to advance the discussion a little, see pics below.

These are mago that I regard as Masterpieces, each an outstanding musical instrument and some a work of art of outstanding merit. I could add a handful more instruments but you get the picture.

What strikes me with this grouping is the enormous diversity amongst them. The timbers, art styles, voice, crafting method.

I'm not sure what can be learnt from this collection of mago instruments but if there are any take home messages, they would have to be the following...

One is that you can find great mago instruments in the 'Top End' and they're not all made by names that are familiar to the outside world. The flipside of this is that those names that are known, and even those craftsmen who are deemed to be experts or famous, don't always make great instruments. This goes for mago as well as yidaki craftsmen. I think some of you learnt this the hard way recently from communications I've received in the past weeks.

The main problem with identifying and profiling artisans/craftsmen is the consistency factor. Because every tree is different, and thus the raw materials a craftsman has to work with changes each and every time he or she makes an instrument, it really boils down to which craftsmen have a knack for finding the right trees and the best trees. The age of a person, as well as his/her health condition, have a bearing on how easy it is for him/her to locate suitable trees, and then there's the hard work of chopping, carrying, crafting. It can be back-breaking work. Where the person lives also determines what sort of trees can be found... what is the terrain like, the fire ecology of the area, the ratio of young to old trees (and hence the diameter of suitable stems that can be harvested)? Does the person have a vehicle or does he or she footwalk? Is the forest already over-harvested from other didgeridoo cutters?

To know which craftsmen to look out for and to help nurture the new generation of emerging artisans, knowing a bit about the individual, his or her family, and as much as their cultural and personal background helps. I think it would be a mistake to say "Hey, Tim is a great craftsman, I've got to get one of his mago" or "I've heard Bruce is great, I'd love one of his yidaki". Didgeridoo as an art form and a craft is still quite unpredictable with no 'recipes' to follow. It is quite a contrast to say, quality guitar craftsmanship, where starting materials are known and their structural and acoustic characteristics well understood (and sometimes controlled, like in kiln-drying timbers for various parts like the neck, sound board etc).

Guan

_________________
iDIDJ Australia - Didgeridoo Cultural Hub
E-mail: info@ididj.com.au
Web: www.ididj.com.au
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ididjaustralia

[YidakiMago]

If I was to walk in a Mago store .............say such store excists This would be my pic!!! This offcours is all highly subjective. But those below I would most certanly pull out off the rack for a futhere and thorough investigation. For some reason I tend to be drawn by the shape (figure) of the instrument. Sorry I'm just a average male. I should know better............It's all about the inside of course. And if this comes with a nice painting then it's real hard for me to stay objective. Though in the end the sound characteristics will have the majority of the end vote.

So please listen to Guan for he is right and nailed this one down. Can confirm what he is saying. Way back when my adventure started I tried to buy and sell authentic didges. So I bought 15 sticks from Wugularr art centre. Amongst those 15 was one that stood out. But certainly not ad firt sight. This one was made and painted by the son of Blanasi "Jhon Blanasi". It was small and thin walled not one I would pic out off a rack. But what a player, realy suberb acoustics. It had all what one might aspect from a good mago

One other thing to take in account is your own mago "kunborrk" playing skills!!! For example I do have a mago made by David Yirindilli. This one is a G and is far from easy to play. But if one can handle this stallion, it's a BOMB. And not every body is configured to get the most out off the same stick. For me it's the combination.

Guan thanks for the wonderful pictures you provided.

[stockie]

I want those sticks

[kdidj]

You can't even afford one of them dude lol!

_________________
www.kdidj.com
www.myspace.com/kylemaplesden

[mahoran]

It is amazing how these pictures turn on many of us heh?

Incedible, I am drooling over them too

nice collection Guan,

cheers
m.

_________________
no matter how thin you chop, it has always two faces!!!

[ididjaustralia]

Thanks guys, glad you like the pics. Just coming back to Stockie's initial questions though, not sure if I made the point but maybe what I was trying to say is that having a discussion about certain craftsmen and their merits or their "pros and cons" is fraught with difficulty. Why? Because it is not fair to make blanket statements that Bob is better than Russell, or Simon makes more resonant mago than Eric, or Peter's instruments suck. It isn't as simple as that. Having said that, I've been known to favour certain craftsmen and to make such blanket generalisations in the past, but that's from knowing the artisans and having a working relationship with them.

I suppose an easy answer if we're desperate to find one is that any Indigenous person who knows the land is capable of making great didgeridoos. But often they don't and the reasons for that can be many and can be complicated by circumstances.

Anyhow, the pics show that greatness isn't restricted to only a few names. I do have my idols, craftspeople I think highly of not just because of their talent, but their strength of personality as well. But in the same breath, I think it is good to support and nurture as many artisans as possible. Sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement for a craftsman to produce his best works.

Guan

_________________
iDIDJ Australia - Didgeridoo Cultural Hub
E-mail: info@ididj.com.au
Web: www.ididj.com.au
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ididjaustralia