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| Try making a didgeridoo out of outer cove molding. Outer cove molding is similar to inner corner molding but is larger in size and different in shape. Outer cove molding is curved on one side. Four pieces, assembled, form an eight-sided tube with a circular opening of about one and five eighths inches in diameter. The wood comes in sixteen foot lengths. You can purchase this material at a Home Improvement store, such as Home Depot.With four pieces, cut to length, you get a didgeridoo about four feet long. I used Titebond II (TM) glue to assemble my didgeridoo. This glue is waterproof when dry. The most difficult aspect of working with molding is making sure the four pieces don't fall apart after gluing. I used rubber bands to keep the sections aligned. I also reinforced the seams with extra glue. Then I wrapped the wood with duct tape, masking tape, electrician's tape and clear packaging tape. Then I formed the mouthpiece the way I described it early in this article. Before, I used to dip the mouthpiece end into a saucepan of warmed beeswax--dipping twice in succcession as if I was making actual candles. However, the pinchball or snake method (forming several balls or one or two "snakes of beeswax) are probably much safer and certainly quicker. |
| Didgeridoos can be also made from metal and glass (especially pyrex). But I leave those methods to people in the know. Let's now briefly consider how to play the didgeridoo. Once again you can either hold the instrument so you are blowing directly into the mouthpiece or at an angle so you are blowing toward one side. Puff out your cheeks and buzz your lips. An anology I once heard to describe circular breathing refers to chewing a steak. You are inhaling through your noese, keeping your cheeks puffed out, while exhaling through your mouth, all the while chewing the piece of meat. Only this time, there is no food to consider, just a mouthful of air. When you inhale, you sniff a small amount, while slowly letting air out from between your lips. This takes considerable practice. Some people learn this procedure by blowing bubbles into a glass of water through a straw. |
| You can probably find websites or other resources, including CDs and audio cassettes, which include music featuring didgeridoos. Listen for the drone. Also, listen for various vocal effects, including animal sounds. Try animal sounds of your own, without the didgeridoo initially and then with the instrument. Also, try talking and singing into the instrument, as well as "droning" and making other sounds in different rhythms. Note the didgeridoo is often used as a "percussion"/rhythm instrument, as well as a solo or background one. |
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