Next week I am getting a Didgeridoo!

reply to post by halfoldman


Easy-ish to learn, difficult to master.

As you said, it is like making a kind of "fart" sound (sorry, don't really know how else to word it ), and it is sustained, so requires a good set of lungs. Learning to create a rythym with it and the different sounds is difficult, but like anything it just takes patience and practice.

I can be honest, I haven't practiced that much, but found it harder to learn than a guitar.

It still gives me a buzz to hear. OP hope you are a male, If you are female it is taboo and not permitted

reply to post by 74Templar

Well there's also some unplayable instruments out there, and just because it looks good doesn't mean it's playable.
I have one that nobody can really play properly (I saved it from a closing down sale at a New Age shop - just paint and image).
In my day it was still a novelty, but nowadays I'd take someone who can play, or ask the salesperson to play the instrument.
I'd go as far as to say that a good salesperson should have you get a drone or sound from an instrument before you buy.
It can be an inexpensive bamboo instrument, but if they show you how to vibrate and let you try a few, one will usually choose you.

reply to post by zazzafrazz

I think that's mainly folklore, and only true in some aboriginal cultures.
They say it doesn't apply to Western women, so it's probably just where the tradition applies within a whole cosmology.
No disrespect to the cultures that believe in the gender taboo, but they said the same thing about many Western instruments once, and we accept that times can change.
Besides, popular playing these days is not the same as playing sacred songs in a tribal setting.
In northern Australia the instrument was also used in hunting, and apparently boys would be dropped off in the bush and told not to return until they could copy the sounds of all the animals with a didge.
Not sure if that's true, but I firmly believe the sound of almost any bird and animal (alive or extinct) can be copied with a didge.
But in modern terms it's not used for those purposes.

This woman from Paris certainly plays!

Didgeridoo lesson with typical sounds that are based on Australian wildlife:



So enjoy OP, with most instruments today it's embarking on an incredible journey.
And it is almost instantly rewarding.

Originally posted by zazzafrazz
It still gives me a buzz to hear. OP hope you are a male, If you are female it is taboo and not permitted

I am in fact, a male. I wasn't aware it was taboo for women to play, I assume that is an Aboriginal custom? There is a French woman that plays amazingly (I assume she is French). I still need to do more research on the Aboriginees, fascinating culture and history. Australia itself is completely fascinating to me...plus you guys have some of the scariest insects and arachnids I've ever seen :p (I love bugs)

I want to visit Australia one day, and not the tourist type places but to actually spend some time with the locals, fascinating country.

Originally posted by halfoldman
Didgeridoo lesson with typical sounds that are based on Australian wildlife:

So enjoy OP, with most instruments today it's embarking on an incredible journey.
And it is almost instantly rewarding.

edit on 25-6-2012 by halfoldman because: (no reason given)

Thank you kindly Halfoldman, I have been watching him for a couple days now, he also has a video on how they make them. Great videos. I see you're from South Africa, what is it like to live there? I always ask people from around the world about bugs (weird interest of mine). The climate is too cold here in Rhode Island for many of the more exotic creatures that you can find in Africa or Australia. If I am ever fortunate to visit either, I would love to go on a small hike looking for bugs and spiders etc...

reply to post by BS_Slayer

I can't really say what it's like to live in SA in a short reply.
We have high unemployment, a high crime rate and political problems based on race that seem to be increasingly exploited by politicians who are often corrupt and incompetent.
On the other hand, we threw a very successful Football World Cup (2010) with no major disasters, and we remain a popular tourist destination.

We have a variety of ecosystems, so a tourist looking for specific critters to observe can really choose from deserts along the western coast, to sub-tropical forests in the east.
We're best known for the big five (elephant, rhino, leopards, lion and buffalo) in national parks like the Kruger Park, and numerous private game reserves.
These reserves tend to be more exclusive, and some also cater to trophy hunting.
I suppose a lot of snakes and insects here would be the same as in the neighboring countries (and some of the parks now cut across borders), like dung beetles, scorpions and huge millipedes.
I'm not very familiar with snakes or insects, but there's lots of sites and Youtube clips to learn more, and we do see people getting caught trying to smuggle out endangered reptiles and insects, so we probably have a few special species.
In fact, I was bitten by a spider last year (which is still bruised). www.abovetopsecret.com...
In some provinces and black cultures Mopane worms and locusts are a popular food.
vivekananda.hubpages.com...

However, we also have unique areas, like the Fynbos vegetation around Table Mountain (a world heritage site), the dense indigenous forests in Tsitsikama and Knysna, and the arid areas of the Karoo and Namaqualand (which turns into floral wonderland every year after the seasonal rains).
These are often home to very unique sub-species of butterflies and insects.
They all have popular trails, and there's fantastic and scenic hiking in the Western and Northern Cape.

I actually find the "arid" areas from Cape Town up to Namibia very fascinating, because a lot of the insects and reptiles are uniquely adapted to live in the sand.
They're also the least populated and well run areas, but that's a matter of choice.
Considering the exchange rate, SA is a cheaper option and simply being based around Cape Town, for example, will provide a range of tours and hiking opportunities, from just outside the city to trips into the interior, or along the scenic Garden Route.
There's good lodges and guesthouses everywhere, and connecting flights between the provinces.

Some hikes I'd recommend (although for a more stereotypical African bush experience, I'd recommend the game parks):
Table Mountain, virtually just outside the city:
www.sanparks.org...
The Cederberg Wilderness Area (has both day and overnight hiking trails). Known for the armadillo lizard and an array of historic rock art:
www.capenature.co.za...
Tsitsikamma:
www.mtoecotourism.co.za...
Northern Cape/Namaqualand:
www.linx.co.za...
For a more tropical climate:
stlucia.org.za...

(PS. Hope you get a nice sling carrying bag with the didge, because that really helps to enjoy the instrument outdoors!)

reply to post by halfoldman


Awesome post Halfoldman, thank you for that tremendously helpful amount of information. I read your previous thread as well about the spider bite. I'm sorry about being HIV positive, though to my understanding it is not as difficult to treat as it used to be, is that correct?

In any event, I would never try to smuggle anything out, in fact I'd prefer a dog as a pet over a creepy crawly lol. For some reason, perhaps because there are few critters in comparison between Africa, and the colder parts of the United States, I'm fascinated with insects, arachnids, etc that have the potential to kill you. We simply don't have things like that here, except for the Black Widow, which isn't half as dangerous as people believe.

I'm often in awe of tribal societies in that they live side by side with some of the most hideous looking and potentially creatures lol...That is truly being one with the earth I suppose. I'm not sure if you have them in South Africa (would be surprized if you don't), but in the southern United States, we have the brown recluse spider. The venom seems to be able to just break down flesh for weeks after the bite, and people end up needing skin graffing to repair it. Kind of crazy, but reality is often stranger than fiction.