Name and Country |
What shape or features do you think a didgeridoo should have so it can be used for 'traditional style' playing? |
| Anonymous |
None, it just depends on the wood. |
| Anonymous from Belgium |
None |
| Andre Bakkers from Netherlands |
Over a meter long, I think small on the upside and wide at the end.. for the best sound. |
| Anonymous |
Straight shape |
| Anonymous |
I don't know. |
| Ariane from Canada |
Any natural wood shape found in the forest... |
| Anonymous |
Don't know |
| Anonymous |
Don't know yet |
| Brennan from USA |
Natural hollowing and bees wax |
| Brett Macfarlane from Canada |
It needs to have a natural feel of the tree and not be "shaped" by mans hand. |
| Brian from USA |
Any shape as long as it is made in the traditional way |
| Cheryl from USA |
A flared bell, and probably one or more bends or twists. |
| Collin Jones from USA |
So long as it can be used to create a drone I imagine it could be used for traditional style playing |
| Cynthia from Canada |
A long hollow wooden tube, of fairly consistent wall thickness. Conical shape and a slight bell at the bottom, seem to improve the sound. It should have a clear resonance and a clear drone/fundamental, some backpressure to breathe against. Overtone series produced should have at least one or two very strong partials (about a 10th or so above the fundamental), and a slight bias towards the lower partials of the rest of the series. I feel this describes a good timbre. |
| Anonymous |
Straight |
| David from United Kingdom |
I'm not sure about this. I have not yet owned a real one but experience of imitations is that they do not have any resonance or backpressure and just do not sound like a real didgeridoo and are very difficult to play. |
| David from USA |
Any didgeridoo can be played |
| Anonymous from Italy |
I don't know |
| Anonymous |
At least 140cm long. |
| Doug from USA |
I like the long ones, nice wood grain |
| Anonymous |
Depends on the tradition - there are a variety of traditional styles |
| Drew from USA |
I have no idea. |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Beeswax mouthpiece |
| Anonymous |
The mouth piece is different, and it should have authentic markings and paintings. |
| Eugene from Canada |
I have no idea, perhaps straight with a "belled" end |
| Ian from United Kingdom |
Straight with small bell end |
| James Miller from USA |
Natural growth of a tree |
| Anonymous |
Natural tree limb shape |
| Anonymous from Canada |
Bent shape, large open mouthpiece |
| Jerry from USA |
Round, cylindrical hollow maybe some bees wax for a mouthpiece. |
| John Heusler from USA |
Tapered with somewhat or strongly pronounced bell end. no wax mouthpiece |
| Jon from USA |
No knowledge |
| Anonymous |
Beeswax mouthpiece, tapered shape, eucalyptus wood or other natural material like yucca |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Sound....for healing & ceremony |
| Mark from USA |
It should be Australian Eucalyptus, and hollowed out by termites to give it a distinctive sound. Besides that, it can be short or long, and wide or thin, as long as it plays well. |
| Anonymous from Netherlands |
Indifferent. It is the sound, location or time of find, ritual used to initiate it |
| Michael Blacketer from USA |
I am not well-versed enough to hazard a guess here, but I look forward to learning. |
| Michael from USA |
What sounds good to the originators. However, in my opinion, some are easier to play and have varying musical characteristics: Very hard wood, somewhat smooth inside for quickness, small to medium bell with bore at mouth around 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" and somewhat tapered to bell. Larger bell & longer instrument creates more sound projection. Roughness adds a darker note that can also be beautiful to hear, but slows the instrument down a bit. |
| Michael Reid from USA |
Narrower at the mouth, and any form from there |
| Peter Huber from Germany |
Don't made my mind on that. Traditional style should be played by australian people. Other persons shouldn't copy that. |
| Randal Wilson from USA |
Termite ravaged branch trimmed up sanded and possibly painted with a beeswax mouthpiece and great sound quality. |
| Rene Schippers from Netherlands |
Painted in the old way and giving a strong sound for the happening |
| Richard from USA |
Larger at the bottom than the top and not smooth inside |
| Richard Martin from USA |
I think each has its own life and beauty.each craftsman puts there own personal touch to it. |
| Riley from USA |
Relatively straight, smooth, bell at the bottom, gets progressively smaller all the way up to the beeswax mouthpiece. |
| Rodney Romano from USA |
I am a beginner and do not know |
| Anonymous from USA |
A small curve and bell at the bottom.(one that fits my mouth:) |
| Anonymous from USA |
I would guess it to be a bit heavy, without an exaggerated bell, but whatever goes I guess. Not really sure about 'traditional style' playing. |
| Siddharth Agrawal from Mauritius |
Conical? |
| Stayko Staykov from Bulgaria |
I know that every didgeridoo has its own unique sound so does anything like "traditional style" exist? |
| Susan from USA |
It should be made from termite hollowed Eucalyptus trees of which there are many different species/types. I suppose there are many shapes as well as sizes used in traditional styles of playing. "Traditional style'' varies from tribe to tribe. There has been considerable "modernization'' of style in the past few years. I prefer the style of David Blanasi. |
| Tim from USA |
Natural wood finish, un-painted. |
| Toby from Australia |
Shaped naturally in a tree and hollowed by termites |
| Anonymous from Canada |
Whatever shape nature has made |
| Tucker from USA |
A certain length and naturally hollowed out by termites |
| Anonymous |
Which traditional style of playing |
| Alan from Australia |
Straight or curved.. |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Unsure |
| Anonymous |
Usually the straight is all that is necessary. But now the conical is a big hit. |
| Andre from USA |
Depends on the particular traditional style your talking about. WAL? NEAL? Magos are traditionally played differently from yidakis. |
| Anonymous |
It must have dreamtime symbols on it. d |
| Bob from USA |
Mago-shorter than most,open bore, and higher musical key. Yirrdaki-longer,tighter bore and musical key usually "D" and above. |
| Bryan from USA |
Tapered shape, with or without bends (follow natural flow of the branch) with 1-12 inch to 2 inch opening at mouthpiece and proportional flare at bell |
| Cary from USA |
I don't know that there are any specific traits or features, other than being hollow, tube-shaped, and of indigenous materials. |
| Charles from USA |
Flared out end tapered to a such smaller mouth hole for good backpressure |
| Cheryl from USA |
Ask the instrument itself. |
| Anonymous |
Long and horn like |
| Dana Doliber from USA |
Beeswax mouthpiece gradually increasing in size to about 3 1/2 to 4 feet in length, properly hollowed out by termites with good tonal quality |
| David from USA |
Idk |
| Anonymous from United Kingdom |
It should be shaped as a tree branch. |
| Anonymous |
I think it should have a long, somewhat uniform, hollow shaft shape, with a small mouthpiece opening on one end. |
| Dillon Whitaker from USA |
The only features I would assume to be universal in traditional style playing would be that the didgeridoo is made from wood and there are no cracks or holes that aren't meant to be there. |
| Douglas Hannay from New Zealand |
Length average 1.3meters long & a hollow tube |
| Jared from Australia |
Medium size...straight with bit of a twist for unique sound.. |
| Jeffrey Williams from USA |
Long wind pipe. |
| Jerome from France |
Eucalyptus wood, no specific shape |
| John Brady from United Kingdom |
Longish or wider, for slower playing |
| Josh from USA |
Well, it should be made by an actual Aborigine and not made out of bamboo or some other cheap wood. |
| Kathee from USA |
Just long like the trunk of a tree. Nothing fancy. |
| Anonymous |
Thin,straight,and colourful |
| Anonymous from USA |
The body of the instrument has some curves to it. |
| Marianna from USA |
Not sure |
| Anonymous from USA |
Made from Eucalyptus. |
| Matthew Brewster from Guernsey |
Length, depth and big bell |
| Matthew from USA |
I think there is no true "traditional" one since all are unique |
| Nicolas from Chile |
Snake |
| Anonymous from United Kingdom |
Yidaki = narrow neck(internal) smallish mouthpiece(to enable easy toots) with a steady flair down to the bell Mago= more parallel flair not important. But most didges can be used for all styles |
| Randy Mccormick from Canada |
Long hollow wooden tube |
| Ricky Simpson from Us Minor Outlying Islands |
Long |
| Anonymous from Brazil |
I think it could have any shape and features, but made by traditional techniques. |
| Rune from Norway |
Like a long pipe, tube |
| Anonymous |
I have absolutely no idea haha. |
| Anonymous |
A bees wax mouthpiece that is shaped, a slight bell shape and different lengths and girths to change the deepness of the sound. Also, twisting the neck of the didge ('I've heard) makes it easier to play because it causes more resistance and the player has to force less air. |
| Shishir Agrawal from India |
Long |
| Simon from Australia |
No idea |
| Anonymous from Canada |
Well it has to be hollowed out by termites for one and it does not have to be a perfect shape (straight) natural features help with the unique sound |
| Tanya from Canada |
Made from local hardwoods especially Eucalyptus or local bamboo, mouthpiece is softened with bees wax |
| Tim from Canada |
Beeswax mouthpiece - other than that I'm not aware of what an actual "traditional" didj has in the way of extras. I'm a sucker for the classics, really. |
| Trevor Briggs from USA |
Smaller towards the mouthpiece and larger towards the bell |
| Anonymous from USA |
Long, hollow, smooth |
| Anonymous |
Cylindrical from 1 to 3 metros |
| Wayne from Australia |
A modern didgeridoo is usually cylindrical or conical, and can measure anywhere from 1 to 3 m long. Most are around 1.2 m. The length is directly related to the 1/2 sound wavelength of the keynote. Generally, the longer the instrument, the lower the pitch or key of the instrument. one end traditionally looks better if a bell is at the sound end, with or without traditional art work. |
