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Alright folks! CJ Henderson here. I have recently started playing with the Wicked Tinkers and have a bit of a challenge for any of you crafters who feel you can make this happen! We play in the key of Bb+(matches the bagpipes) and have a great 7 foot long super low didge that lives on a stand (thanks Zumwalt!). We are in the market for a lightweight, portable( for romping through audiences and table dancing), good playing/sounding, and cool looking didge that plays a low Bb. It does not have to be as low as the big Zumwalt didge obviously, but we do not need it bumblebee high either. We have a great high Bb didge (thanks Chad!) and our horn. I think we are leaning more towards the hardwood or leather didges, but I am open for ideas! Let me know what you all think!
CJ
CJ
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Bakersfield
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Mon, February 16, 2009 - 3:19 PMHow about one that lights up? hee hee.. my yucca one was a Bb+ but i couldn't imagine running around the crowd with that big sucker lest you wanted to do a mouth first pole vault, doing! Couple more short sticks coming up now that i'm unemployed. i'm going down there end of march to meet up with lewis, we should meet up!
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Sun, February 22, 2009 - 12:21 PMI'd love to give it a go for ya CJ but I'll be on the road for a month and can try to put something together for you in April. Bb is pretty danged low for anything but a long didge. I can tweek my normal style a bit and open up the topend, then keep it fairly parallel until the bell flare for a bit of volume. You don't use much trumpeting on them Wicked songs do you? An open topend will make those trumpets further away from the fundamental. -
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Sun, February 22, 2009 - 8:52 PMThat's a pretty good summery of the isues with this Chad....
Not only the trumpet, but more just odd harmonics and the possiblility of a pipey sound (not that there is anything wrong with that)
A quick rough calc says that a A#/Bb would be about 58.3 hz.... a piece of pvc +- 5ft should give you that.
Any taper and bell flare and you quickly get to 6-7ft or longer......
Ok, one reason I'm interested in this is because last JTfest a friend asked me to think about making him something in the A-ish range, but still light enough and portable enough for performances.......
I'm pursuing a concept of making an internal bore in a piece of wood I have that looks like an ancient Narwhale horn or tusk.....
The internal bore I'm trying to figure out is based on an idea I have for a 3 dimensional tapered logarithmic spiral..... like a Nautilus shell or a pine cone or galactic gluster spiral.....or maybe a Golden Mean spiral..... except in a 3D tapered bore as well.
Either way, I still haven't figured out how to even carve the spiral bore........
If it could be done, I'd guess you could make a light weight, low pitch stick with plenty of volume and rich timbre with a length no more than 6 ft, maybe less :)
Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially from any math wizards out there ;)
And of course, any crafter who can use the concept should feel free to do so.
namaste,
robert
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Sun, February 22, 2009 - 11:51 PMThanks for the replies guys!!!
I like to have some trumpets available, but they aren't used extensively. Plus we have the other big didge which has several available toots when i want 'em. More or less what I need is something i can storm around with like I described, but without being so open that it demands massive quantities of air! Storming about and lugging a didge around is a bit-o-work already so i'm usually huffin' and puffin' pretty good by the time the tune is up!!! get in touch with me when you have some time and we'll give it a talk!
Chad- What is the plan for Ondrej? I know you are helping him out quite a bit with his dates and I would love to help set up some cali dates. I know of a few cool places we could look into and one especially cool spot down in hollywood that also does a studio quality live recording, video, and a live webcast that is all covered by the entrance fee if you get enough people through the door. Even if you don't it is incredibly cheap and you walk away with some good footage and recording, not to mention an international webcast. Something to think on!!! -
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Mon, February 23, 2009 - 9:50 AMHere's something that might work for.....
A light weight didj that wraps around behind your back and then has the bell out in front. Kinda like a tuba maybe.
Someone who works with gourd didjs might be able to work that up...... maybe you should drop frostman a line and see if he's interested?
namaste,
robert
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Wed, February 25, 2009 - 6:18 AMHey Cj (and all)...
To keep the weight down, you could use agave, gourd, or yucca...
To keep the size down, you could have it crafted in 3 sections. Instead of having it straight, have the sections next to each other joined with "U" shaped connectors (or some creative method for connecting the sections).
This way a 6' didge would be compacted to only 2' (or 9' into 3' etc). Plus, if you prefer wood... you could have the first section be wood, then the other two be gourd, agave, or yucca to keep the weight down.
... or the wrap around like Robert said.
... and congrats with getting full time with the Wicked Tinkers!!!
Allan
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Re: Didge crafter challenge
Sun, March 15, 2009 - 1:33 PMWell I'm new here and I doubt anyone knows me, although I met Chad and Ondrej in Lake Havasu, AZ yesterday. I live in Tucson and have been making and playing agave didjes for the last 3.5 years. I feel like I have learned alot and while my didje-making continues to improve I feel like I am putting out great quality didjes.I also happen to have an affinity for lower pitched and typically longer instruments.
I have a low Bb agave didje that stands ~5'9". It has a great bassy voice and good volume. Responds VERY well to throat singing, seems OK for higher end vocals although thats not my strength as a player so I don't feel very qualified to judge. I don't know how important high end vocals are to you. other downside is that it has some weight, walls are pretty thick all the way down for agave and generous coating of envirotex inside and out. I will get try to get ahold of a couple pics and accurate weight and I'll check out my current stalk stock and see if I might be able to whip up something similar but a bit lighter.
I do think that the 3-D tapering spiral configuration is very much on the right track. I will try to capture in the pics but this didje has exactly such a shape at the lower end as well as more curves at the top. I also have a low G didj with a spiraling bore that stands several inches shorter than the abovementioned 5'9". It has very little taper though and I think that is why it has lower volume. That didje is very light in weight and is one of my personal favorites.
cheers to all
Joe Kershner
