Didgereedoo

Subject: Didgereedoo
From: Bo
Date: 05 Aug 98 - 09:22 AM

I am thinking on making my first didgeridoo. Are there any didge players out there who can tell me what makes a good didge?

The first will probably be out of PVC ala some instructions on the Web. I am hoping to do a wooden didge sometime soon though.

BO

Subject: RE: Didgereedoo
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 05 Aug 98 - 01:53 PM

Dear Bo,

I recently bought a didge from a good friend and professional player (would that be "didger", "didgereedoer", "didgereedoist" "didgeree-dude" or what? Maybe some of our Down-Under Mudcatters can enlighten us?).

He plays and sells at least 3 different types: The traditional eucalyptus variety from the Outback, naturally hollowed out by "white ants" (a/k/a termites); the PVC type (which he recommends for beginners, as they're relatively easy to play); and a kind made from the tapered central stalk of the Century Plant, native to deserts of the American southwest.

I bought a Century Plant didge, about 5 1/2 feet long, beautifully tapered and with a slight bell at the bottom. My friend had purchased it from the maker who said he'd simply cut off a length of the stalk, hollowed it out to a thickness of about 3/8 inch (no mean nor swift task, so he reported), stained and varnished the exterior, then built a traditional beeswax mouthpiece.

The result is a lightweight, beautifully-voiced didgereedoo that plays easily and looks great.

Don't have any idea as to the legal or ecological ramifications of sawing down Century Plants (I'd check that out first), but I can vouch for their suitability as didgereedos!

Good luck!

Subject: RE: Didgereedoo
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 06 Aug 98 - 03:42 AM

G'day,
If you do a forum search for "didg" you'll find a discussion on this topic sometime in the last few months.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Didgereedoo
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 04:35 PM

Century plants are also called agaves. They grow for decades as a rosette of thick, thorn-tipped leaves; one summer they send up a 10-20 foot stalk with lots of big flowers along the upper part; then they die. The two in front of the community college I'm at are blooming as I write.

If didgeridoo makers use the stalk after the plant has died (or at least after it's produced seeds), there wouldn't be much harm to the environment. If they cut before the plant has had its one shot, I'd call that highly unfair.

Subject: RE: Didgereedoo
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Aug 98 - 01:30 PM

I am a member of a 'wood collectors' organization, and I just remembered and article from last year by the guy who is probably the formost wood collector in Australia about Didge making....etc. here is a link that will give you his address http://home.vicnet.net.au/~woodlink/eugene.htm

I will, if someone asks, type in some of the info from the article, or send you info on how to get it...Eugene D. may well have it on a computer...

the article also lists an email address to get more info about diges... [e-mail]

(The Annual meeting of the IWCS...(International Wood Collectors Society) will be held in Australia this year -October 21-25 -in Aldinga Beach, south of Adelaide...more info on request)

Subject: RE: Didgereedoo
From: Tinwhistler
Date: 08 Aug 98 - 08:42 PM

Where did you find the original PVC instructions on the web?