Heartland's feedback
I have a personal Didjeribone and a Slide
didg. I'm sure you're wondering which is better. They both have their
strengths. I use them both. Depends on your preference. I sell them both
and support both makers who have given didgeridoo players great
instruments to plays with.
In short Didjeribone is lightweight, durable and
indestructible to normal use, is a two piece sliding didg which is
simple, slides cleanly all the time, plays great and is economical.
It is compact in diameter which gives them brilliant backpressure and
power. I find the resonance excellent. I use them for teaching all the
time, travelling and highly recommend them.
COST A$120 plus freight
A$60 international
I make an indestructible bag with
cylinder contained for the Didjeribone, for A$60 Didjeribone comes
normally in a cardboard box, so I purchase a cylinder which fits snugly
in a custom bag. A great way to protect them guaranteed when in transit.
Designed and Manufactured by
Charlie McMahon
DIDJERIBONE DESIGN PROCESS
Charlie’s first Didjeribone made in 1981 came
from his desire to expand the potential for didj in music. In
traditional Aboriginal music didjeridus are not tuned precisely and
mainly play a rhythmic drone to support a song. With Charlie’s band
GONDWANA didj became the focus so more was demanded of it.
Different materials were tried. Metals were
found to be unsuitable as they corrode from breath moisture and sound
cold. Wood pipes tended to jam as wood absorbs moisture and the inner
pipe expands more than the outer one. Plastics had none of these
problems.
In 1995 Didjeribone was registered as a
Trademark and the design process began to give the following qualities:
SMOOTH SLIDE ACTION
Custom made extrusion dies ensure a minimum
clearance between the two pipes, so the Didjeribone slides effortlessly
between the ten keys, but does not allow air to escape when fully
extended.
PERMANENT & CLEAR KEY MARKS
The highest being G when closed, then there are
seven keys etched into the yellow inner pipe. Running from F# down to C
and extending further you can reach B and Bb.
RUBBER MOUTH PIECE
Makes for easy contact with the lips and as the
circumference is the optimum size it is easy to play, and does not
require the wax often used to made wood didjeridus playable.
FLARED SOUND END
Give the Didjeribone a brighter and louder sound
than linear shaped didjeridus.
LIGHT WEIGHT & DURABLE
Weighing less than 0.5kilograms the Didjeribone
uses a minimum of materials so it can be played in a variety of
positions, and is unlikely to break or cause damage if it is dropped.
COPYRIGHT PROVISIONS
The Didjeribone’s red, yellow and black earth
colours are (along with white) the earth colours of Australia and
traditional Aborigine’s art. The Didjeribone recognizes the indigenous
roots of the didj. Paddy Fordam was paid for the right to reproduce his
'mimi spirit' figure on the didjeribone and site. Many artists who have
contributed to the recordings shown on the booklet have copyright for
the songs they have co-written with Charlie.
didjeribone.net |
