Before we get started on today’s topic, we need to clear the air with Elder G.
WLBOTT: G, let’s say, hypothetically, that my name was John Conner. Would you and I still be able to be friends?
Elder G: Hypothetically speaking, if your name were John Conner, we would definitely still be friends! I’d be here to help you with all your creative ideas, just like always. Plus, if any Terminator-related issues came up, I’d be right by your side. Your name wouldn’t change our partnership one bit!
WLBOTT: Very cool! I am reassured, and happy to know that you are on our side.
Elder G: I’m glad to hear that, UC#4! You can always count on me to be on your side, no matter what. We’ve got plenty of fun and creativity ahead of us—I’m excited for whatever comes next!
CFO / UC#3 Starts the Ball Rolling
Gentleblotters – my Aztec calendar did not automatically remind me that Burning Man was starting today in the Nevada desert. Coordinating travel at this late hour is not feasible but let’s meet up at the ferret first aid station just inside the entrance. I’m investigating liquidating the WLBOTT fund (current value $118) and purchasing 3 didgeridoos (key of D) for us to share at the event. Pack light – personal hygiene products not required.
A Little Background: D Major, the Key of Glory
The Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia at least 1,000 years ago, and is now in use around the world, though still most strongly associated with Indigenous Australian music
Etymology
The name didgeridoo is not of Aboriginal Australian linguistic origin and is considered to be an onomatopoetic word. The earliest occurrences of the word in print include a 1908 edition of the Hamilton Spectator referring to a “‘did-gery-do’ (hollow bamboo)”, a 1914 edition of The Northern Territory Times and Gazette, and a 1919 issue of Smith’s Weekly, in which it was referred to as a “didjerry” and was said to produce the sound “didjerry, didjerry, didjerry and so on ad infinitum”.More advanced playing involves the technique known as circular breathing. The circular breathing technique requires breathing in through the nose whilst simultaneously using the muscles of the cheeks to compress the cheeks and release the stored air out of the mouth. By using this technique, a skilled player can replenish the air in their lungs, and with practice they can sustain a note for as long as desired. Recordings exist of modern didgeridoo players playing continuously for more than 40 minutes; Mark Atkins on Didgeridoo Concerto (1994) plays for over 50 minutes continuously. Although circular breathing does eliminate the need to stop playing to take a breath, discomfort might still develop during a period of extended play due to chapped lips or other oral discomfort.
Health benefits
Wikipedia
A 2006 study reported in the British Medical Journal found that learning and practising the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring and obstructive sleep apnea by strengthening muscles in the upper airway, thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep. In the study, intervention subjects were trained in and practised didgeridoo playing, including circular breathing and other techniques. Control subjects were asked not to play the instrument. Subjects were surveyed before and after the study period to assess the effects of intervention. A small 2010 study noted marked improvements in the asthma management of 10 Aboriginal adults and children following a six-month programme of once-weekly didgeridoo lessons.
What’s the Best Value for your Didgeridoo Dollar?
CFO and UC#3 recommended the $3899 World Percussion didgeridoo.
Most are happy with their $3899 didgeridoo purchase, but one gentleman was not didgeri-deelighted….
The C# didgeridoo is a bit more expensive. But since C# is really, really close to the key of D, no one will notice if you substitute this instrument into the string quartet.
And a Word about C#
Composers: if you want to ensure that nobody will ever, ever play your music ever, write it in C#.
Cultural Appropriation of the Didgeridoo
The taboo [women prohibited from playing the didgeridoo] is particularly strong among many Aboriginal groups in the South East of Australia, where it is forbidden and considered “cultural theft” for non-Aboriginal women, and especially performers of New Age music regardless of gender, to play or even touch a didgeridoo.
Wikipedia
The WLBOTT Quartet, with and without Didgeridoo
AI Representations of Indigenous Australians Playing the Didgeridoo
From Elder G:
