Modern didgeridoo designs
Encyclopedia
Modern didgeridoo
design
s are distinct from the traditional Australian Aboriginal
didgeridoo, and are innovation
s recognized by musicologists. Didgeridoo design innovation started in the late 20th Century using non-traditional materials and non-traditional shapes. The design changes include features that are similar to more familiar musical instruments like the trombone
and natural horn
.
The modern didgeridoo design innovations differ from traditional authentic digeridoos because they are not made by Indigenous Australians
in a traditional style and do not use Eucalyptus
branches hollowed by termites. Some didgeridoo design innovations, like the sliding didgeridoos, are also multi-tonal, unlike monotonal traditional didgeridoos. Like traditional didgeridoos, modern didgeridoo innovations produce a drone sound and are classified as aerophone
s.
, aluminium
or wood
.
Invented by didgeridoo player Charlie McMahon
, the Didjeribone design is a cross between the didgeridoo and trombone, and consists of two wooden tubes placed inside the other. The sliding inner tube creates nine different tones, similar to the trombone mechanism. This enables the pitch
to be varied mid-song, unlike traditional didgeridoos. As a result of eliminating the monotonal aspects of traditional didgeridoos, the Didjeribone can be used in horn concerto
s. The Didjeribone has a pitch range from high G to low B. The length is 65" extended, and 37.5" closed.
, and are usually monotonal.
, and instruments are monotonal in C, C#, D, E, and F. The construction method includes splitting the wood, carving, and gluing back together to form the basic instrument.
(stage name Dr. Didg) and used on his CDs Out of the Woods (1995) (in the track "Sun Tan") and Dust Devils (2002) (in the tracks "T'Boli" and "Sub-Aqua"). Wiggins built the unique and somewhat unwieldy instrument in 1990 at the physics workshop of Oxford University, from which he earlier obtained his Ph.D.
Multi drone didgeridoos have been created by William Thoren, a U.S didgeridoo player and crafter. The construction method and technique was developed in 2008 that gives a didgeridoo the possibility to produce multiple drone notes on a single didgeridoo. The lower notes that are made would require an eight to twelve foot didgeridoo, but with this technique normal size didgeridoos can be used to make low notes that were formerly unobtainable. Through the use of a larger and rounded mouth piece two or even three drone notes can be produced on a didgeridoo.
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
s are distinct from the traditional Australian Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
didgeridoo, and are innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
s recognized by musicologists. Didgeridoo design innovation started in the late 20th Century using non-traditional materials and non-traditional shapes. The design changes include features that are similar to more familiar musical instruments like the trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and natural horn
Natural horn
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
.
The modern didgeridoo design innovations differ from traditional authentic digeridoos because they are not made by Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in a traditional style and do not use Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
branches hollowed by termites. Some didgeridoo design innovations, like the sliding didgeridoos, are also multi-tonal, unlike monotonal traditional didgeridoos. Like traditional didgeridoos, modern didgeridoo innovations produce a drone sound and are classified as aerophone
Aerophone
An aerophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate, without the use of strings or membranes, and without the vibration of the instrument itself adding considerably to the sound...
s.
Sliding didgeridoos
The sliding didgeridoos use a telescopic mechanism to create a variable pitch instrument, and can be made from plasticPlastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
or wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
.
Didjeribone
Charlie McMahon
Charlie McMahon is an Australian didgeridoo player. The founder of the group Gondwanaland, McMahon was one of the first non-Aboriginal musicians to gain fame as a professional player of the instrument.He is also the inventor of the didjeribone, a sliding didgeridoo made from two lengths of...
, the Didjeribone design is a cross between the didgeridoo and trombone, and consists of two wooden tubes placed inside the other. The sliding inner tube creates nine different tones, similar to the trombone mechanism. This enables the pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
to be varied mid-song, unlike traditional didgeridoos. As a result of eliminating the monotonal aspects of traditional didgeridoos, the Didjeribone can be used in horn concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s. The Didjeribone has a pitch range from high G to low B. The length is 65" extended, and 37.5" closed.
Slide didge
Scott Dunbar independently created a version of the variable pitch didgeridoo instrument called the slide didge in the early 1990s. The slide didge was the world's first commercially sold variable pitch didgeridoo, and Scott later produced the world's first timber slide didge.Travel didgeridoos
The travel didgeridoos are also called traveller didgeridoo or compact didgeridoos, indicating the compact size originally designed for portability by folding the length of the didgeridoo. They are made from wood, plastic or resinResin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
, and are usually monotonal.
Didgebox
The original "Didjbox" was invented by Marko Johnson in 1995. The first production line didgebox was released in 1999. Since then, numerous versions of didgebox have been developed, including the traveler box, obelisk box, didj flute, meditator and mindblower. The didgebox is monotonal and made in the specific keys C,D,& E.Spiral didgeridoo
The spiral didgeridoo is also known variously as a round didgeridoo, spiral didge, spiralidoo, didgehorn or snail didgeridoo. Its spiral shape makes it more like a natural hornNatural horn
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
, and instruments are monotonal in C, C#, D, E, and F. The construction method includes splitting the wood, carving, and gluing back together to form the basic instrument.
Other modern didgeridoo types
A keyed didgeridoo (having keys somewhat like those of a saxophone, allowing the performer to play melodically) was developed in the late 20th century by the U.S. didgeridoo player Graham WigginsGraham Wiggins
Graham Wiggins is an American musician. He plays the didgeridoo, keyboards, melodica, sampler, and various percussion instruments with his group, the Boston, Massachusetts-based Dr. Didg. He holds a PhD in solid-state physics from Oxford University, where he earned his nickname while testing his...
(stage name Dr. Didg) and used on his CDs Out of the Woods (1995) (in the track "Sun Tan") and Dust Devils (2002) (in the tracks "T'Boli" and "Sub-Aqua"). Wiggins built the unique and somewhat unwieldy instrument in 1990 at the physics workshop of Oxford University, from which he earlier obtained his Ph.D.
Multi drone didgeridoos have been created by William Thoren, a U.S didgeridoo player and crafter. The construction method and technique was developed in 2008 that gives a didgeridoo the possibility to produce multiple drone notes on a single didgeridoo. The lower notes that are made would require an eight to twelve foot didgeridoo, but with this technique normal size didgeridoos can be used to make low notes that were formerly unobtainable. Through the use of a larger and rounded mouth piece two or even three drone notes can be produced on a didgeridoo.