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Hi,

i know that a lot of Hang Players play also didgeridoo. In the foretime somebody told me, that it is easy to build a didgeridoo from PVC. Is this worth the action ? Has anybody do this, or heard a didgeridoo from this material? I asked my wife a few times if she dont want to play a didge. I think it is nice, if she can do this and i play hang. I dont want to buy a expensive instrument, at the moment. Maybe i can awake the didge player in my wife, if i build a didge. This is cheap and if she dont want, i spend not much money. Or is the sound bad and the instrument is hard to play, so that my wife dont want it and maybe with a original didge she has fun? I dont want to make the mistake, that she think to play didgeridoo is nothing for her, only because i bring a bad thing. I hope you understand.

Greetings
Frank

Frank,

when I was in "Kaltland" last year,I went to Bauhaus/OBI got 1.2m of
a 50 mm PVC pipe some beewax and of you go! ....cost you 5 buck's.

Didgeridoos shouldn't be directed at, or played by Females.

Hi,

not? Has this a background in the culture? If i think about the didgeridoo players i have seen in my life the most (or maybe all) are male. Yes, i search in my brain and find no picture from a female player.
It was only a idea, because i like the sound from didgeridoo together with the Hang from time to time. I read that the circular breathing is helpfull for asthma. My wife has a little bit to do with this. Not bad, but i thought it is good if she do this.

Greetings
Frank

I know of three women playing the dige.

Ix

PVC pipe works great for a beginner trying out Didje playing, its inexpensive, and quite effective. Yuo can decorate the pipe easily as well, one great technique for the bell is to gently heat the plastic and then gently force a wine bottle or similar inside the end of the pipe, thus giving you a flared end.

Of course there is nothing like the beauty of wood, its resonance is far greater than that of plastic and to look at of course wood is much prettier.... but to start your wife off, plastic would be a good idea.

Women are perfectly accepted in Aboriginal law to play the Didjeridu, just not at ceremonial events, non Aboriginal folk created this issue surrounding the Didjeridu that women are not allowed to play it, or they become barren if they do... its just myth.

A Didje in the key of D goes best with any 2nd gen or Integral Hang so you'll have to play with the length a bit to find the right point of D.

Good luck, look forward to seeing some youtube vids of you guys jammin soon

I've had 3 people come to the Didje club I run and 2 of them have been signed off by the doctor as no longer requiring an inahler for their Astma...

As for female Didje players, UK based Rachel Tighe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqAewPyPdE great player and very much accepted amongt the Didje community as a proficient UK performer... another is Lies Beijerinck seen here jaming with David Sampson on Hang.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uafmPGfP1B8 good inspiraiton for you and your wife Frank

Hi Kelly,

thank you. I show my wife the videos. She also like didgeridoo. But she is not very patient. A few years ago she play a few days saxophon. She thought that she must be in one ore two weeks so good as "Charly Parker"
Ok, the instrument was not easy to play. That is a big mistake, to start on a bad instrument. Yes, i am sure, that a wooden didge sounds better as PVC. And it also looks better. It is only to wake up the didge girl in my wife.
I dont think, that we have problems with the Aberoginal law here in my village. We only play for fun and make no ceremonial events.

So, it is cheap and if she dont want to play i can test out if it is good for me.

Greetings
Frank

You want 40 mm PVC pipe cut at about 118 cm (this length depends on the amount of beeswax you will use, plus your playing pressure,) but 118cm is a start. PVC sounds ok bit tinny though.

Hey Frank... if you want to wait until the HangOut, i'd be happy to spend some time with you both showing you the basic techniques of Didje playing.... I've been playing for just over 6 years now and I still wish I could play like the greats of the Didje world... Ondrej Smeykal is one of my favourites on the Didjeridu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGTWqZoswAo such control and technique... one day... one day!

At least a weekend of playing some Didje might be the introduction she needs to get into it... its very theraputic, calming and relaxing because of the breathing techniques.

4 now But I'm not a good player... I need more practise

Indigenous people approach life in different ways and at a much different pace to us, and and they appreciate being met where they are somewhat rather than invaded verbally which is the western way. Direct questions will not necessarily be received in the way we do.

Women especially need to be aware that some indigenous folk see that women shouldn't play didgeridoo at all. They have strong beliefs and may feel offended by insensitivity to this. Some indigenous folk are fine that white women play, others may be quite upset. Different tribes have different beliefs so be aware that there are many approaches. Some are more tolerant others aren't. Some have approved certain women in certain situations to play some are lenient with playing socially, many are totally prohibitive about women playing.

http://www.heartlanddidgeridoos.com.au/default.htm

worth a look,

On the subject of didges I would like to add something...

I'm sure some of you would be aware of the slide didge, which is an interesting variation, and shorter so easier to transport (especially in consideration to air travel) but have you seen what is called a travel didge? When we were in Switzerland, a Swiss friend of ours who we were staying with brought out a travel didge when we started a jam (He has 3 or 4 didges). He bought it in Switzerland, I think it was made there. From memory it is a reasonable price. Maybe it is already well known, but I certainly have never seen or heard of one before and I have mixed with a few didge players (at home in Oz). For those unfamiliar with it, it is a flat rectangle box shape, and the chamber does a 180 degree turn twice inside it. I was amazed at the sound - it is very good (well, his particular one was anyway). Much easier to travel with, though it might find resistance with some due to being so different from the traditional didge. I certainly doesn't look anywhere near as good as a traditional didge. I am curious what the Indigenous people think of it, or would think of it. I'm also curious about who created it in the first place, and whether anyone in Australia is making them. Anyone know?

Hey, is this what you mean?



If so there are quite a few Didje makers making these now as they are popular with performance artists, light and easy to carry around.

A very popular travel Didjeridu is this one, I know quite a few folk who have bought them and they play pretty well, several different keys in one didje and they are very easy to transport as well... pretty reasonable on price too.

http://www.soundtravels.co.uk/travel-di ... -1467.html



I've never heard of any indiginous tribes that claim women cannot play the Didjeridu, and believe me I am sensitive to their cultural ways. I've only been playing Didje for 6 years so do not claim to be an authority on the matter but this conversation has come up countless times on the various Didje fourms I frequent and people that have direct contact with the indiginous tribes of Australia and they have always accepted women to play the Didjeridu. Only during ceremonial activites are women usually forbidden to play the Yidaki.

Most cultural divides are caused by Western society trying to over protect these indiginous cultures and making claims on their behalf, most of which are untrue and only lead to a greater divide.

Hi,

very interesting Links you have posted. There are also explainings about the playing technic. Great.

@Kelly. I told my wife about your offer to give a first lesson at the Hangout. She said: "Yes, i want it, if i have time."
I said: "Time? It is the Hangout. You have all the time you want..."

I am happy to meet you at the Hangout. A good idea to test out the didge girl in my wife there.
But first she must go swimming.

Greetings
Frank

Hi Badger Boy, that one you've posted is different from what I have seen, though interesting to hear they are getting around - like I said, I've never seen one. I have a photo of the one my friend has, but I don't know how to add it to the post, so let me see if I can work it out and add it later. Otherwise I could email it directly to your email addy.

You can upload the photo in a directory of the webspace of your website and link it here.

For example if you have the domain xyz.com:

• Create a new directory in the main directory of your website with your FTP program, for example: pictures
• Then upload the photo (abc.jpg) in this directory
• Now you can link to the photo in your post:
  Code:
  [img]http://www.xyz.com/pictures/abc.jpg[/img]

If you are not able to upload the photo to your webspace you can send it to me. I can upload it to my webspace and tell you the URL for the link.

Ix

Well, far be it for me to council you in regards to the Digderidoo, but for you to consider, for a moment even, not to get a proper instrument is interesting. Why the double standard?

Hi,

the idea is only to make my wife curious about didge playing. If she like it, i look for a good instrument to play. That is , why i ask the question. If didge players tell me, my idea is not good, because you cant test it out on a PVC didge, i dont want it. Than it is better to buy a good didgeridoo, or let it be. I have no experience with didgeridoo.

Greetings
Frank

I just wanted to make the connection.

=)

This is the spirit with which I'd love to approach the Helmholtz Resonating Hand Activated Steel Pan Based instrument set.

Your connection to the Hang is personal and deep, and many people that you've met have an echo of that connection. That is wonderful. But there are billions of others out there, thousands of which may be moved to get a PVC Didge or a Halo. Similar shape and function, different depth of connection.

Is it wrong? Not if you're approaching it the way you're approaching the Didge.

=)

If you're approaching it the way you approach the Hang you will not settle for a Halo. That's fine too, but it doesn't seem fine to indicate that it is unacceptable for others.

Okay, here is the link to the travel didge I mentioned...I will only leave it on my site for a little while (the site is way over the size limit already!)

http://www.inspirationunlimited.com.au/didge.html

I have put two photos to show different angles.