tynor@gitpyr.UUCP (Steve Tynor) (08/26/85)
Can anyone describe what a digeridu looks like and how it's played?
I think I've identified the sound (on Kate Bush's 'The Dreaming'. Gosh I
hope I'm not flamed for mentioning her! :-) ), but can't find any
info an the instrument itself. Sounds like a humongous woodwind of some
sort... I imagine it's an aboriginorial (is that a word?) instrument, but
I can't even confirm that.
many an aborigonie's mistaken for a tree
'till you near 'em on the motorway and the tree begins to breath...
Steve Tynor
--
Steve Tynor
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!tynornessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan) (08/26/85)
> From: tynor@gitpyr.UUCP (Steve Tynor) > Subject: What the heck is a Digeridu ? ? > Can anyone describe what a digeridu looks like and how it's played? > I think I've identified the sound (on Kate Bush's 'The Dreaming'. Gosh I > hope I'm not flamed for mentioning her! :-) ), but can't find any > info an the instrument itself. Sounds like a humongous woodwind of some > sort... I imagine it's an aboriginorial (is that a word?) instrument, but > I can't even confirm that. It is a humongous woodwind! I always thought it was the whistling sound though.... but now that you mention it, maybe it's the sound that continues on into "Night of The Swallow". Is that what you think it is? In any case, it's an aborigine instrument, and is basically just a long tube of wood that has been hollowed out by termites. There is a special technique for playing it, and it requires blowing through it continuously. In order to play it you have to learn how to breath in through your nose while simultaneously breathing out through your mouth (how this is done, I know not). On "The Dreaming", the digeridu is played by Rolf Harris, who is a world expert on aborigine music. He is also the person who did "Tie Me Kangeroo Down", but he's also done at least some really excellent music. The song "The Dreaming" was inspired by a song by Rolf Harris called "Sun Arise" (which was covered by Alice Cooper, though I haven't heard his version). If you ever hear the song, you will imediately recognize the similarities. Rolf gave Paddy Bush one of his digeridus and Paddy plays digeridu on Kate's new album. "Dangle devils in a bottle and push them from The Pull Of The Bush" Doug Alan nessus@mit-eddie.ARPA (or UUCP)
wjh@bonnie.UUCP (Bill Hery) (08/27/85)
A digeridu is an Australian instrument. I have no idea what it looks like, but there was a #a top 40 hit twenty odd years ago called 'Tie Me Kangeroo Down Sport' from Australia which both used one in the music and referred to it in the lyrics.
tomczak@h-sc1.UUCP (bill tomczak) (08/27/85)
From "Musical Instruments" by Sibyl Marcuse: Didjeridoo, straight trumpet of NW Australia, made of a tree trunk 120-150 cm. (4-5 ft.) long, with wax mouthpiece or rim covered with resin, the end often being inserted into a tin can resonator. I'm not sure but I believe the use of "trumpet" here implies that you play it by buzzing your lips as in the trumpet we all know and possibly love. Bill Tomczak
tomczak@h-sc1.UUCP (bill tomczak) (08/27/85)
>In order to play it you have to learn how to breath in >through your nose while simultaneously breathing out through your mouth >(how this is done, I know not). You use your cheeks as a bellows. You blow up your cheeks to get as much air in your mouth as possible then use your cheek muscles to keep up the air pressure. This gives you some 1/2 to one second to get another lungful of air. It's a very common technique in folk music all over the world (the zurna in the middle east is the one I'm most familiar with). Bill Tomczak
wjr@x.UUCP (Bill Richard) (08/29/85)
Disclaimer: Neither wjr nor frog have discussed digeridus with me. If they want to use my opinions, they can. In article <5108@mit-eddie.UUCP> nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan) writes: >> From: tynor@gitpyr.UUCP (Steve Tynor) >> Subject: What the heck is a Digeridu ? ? > >> Can anyone describe what a digeridu looks like and how it's played? > >It is a humongous woodwind! I always thought it was the whistling >sound though.... but now that you mention it, maybe it's the sound that >continues on into "Night of The Swallow". Is that what you think it is? > A digeridu makes a noise like god's own bronx cheer -- a cross between a whoopie cushion and Mt. St. Helens. Somewhere in my unindexed viddietapes I have a little digeridu piece (artist forgotten) -- maybe from Carson, maybe from D@vid Letterm@n. If you've ever played a derder, you have the general idea. (A derder is the cardboard core from a roll of paper towels -- the one three-year-olds hold to their mouths and go "der! der!" into.) >continuously. In order to play it you have to learn how to breath in >through your nose while simultaneously breathing out through your mouth >(how this is done, I know not). If there were a net.rec.drug, you could ask someone how to use a long bong and reverse the technique -- basically, you use your mouth as a reservoir to maintain the pressure and your nose (quickly) to grab air. I can't do it. STella Calvert (guest on ...!decvax!frog!wjr) Every man and every woman is a star.
nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan) (08/29/85)
> From: Stella Calvert >> [Me:] It is a humongous woodwind! I always thought it was the >> whistling sound though.... but now that you mention it, maybe it's >> the sound that continues on into "Night of The Swallow". Is that >> what you think it is? > A digeridu makes a noise like god's own bronx cheer -- a cross between a > whoopie cushion and Mt. St. Helens. Wow! That's a *PERFECT* description of the sound that continues on into "Night Of The Swallow"! Now I am completely enlightened! Before I had thought that that sound was made by some sort of heavy machinery (since digging machines are mentioned in the song "The Dreaming"). I never knew the Aborigines were into industrial music.... "Dig, dig, dig away" Doug Alan nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (or ARPA)
larry@prism.UUCP (08/30/85)
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| Can anyone describe what a digeridu looks like and how it's played?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------
Look for the movie "The Coca-Cola Kid," in which you can see a digeridu
played in a Coke commercial.
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Larry Appleman {cca, datacube, inmet, mit-eddie, wjh12}...
Mirror Systems, Inc. ...mirror!prism!larrychaiklin@umn-cs.UUCP (Seth Chaiklin) (09/03/85)
You may be able to see an Australian aborigine playing this instrument in a recent film by Werner Herzog, titled (approx.) "Where Green Ants Dream." The film is interesting beyond this instrument.