Someone over at the tribe : didgeridoo page messaged me and asked if I could post this information, so I figured I should also post it here:
I hand-wrote these notes during the 90+ minute discussion & seminar presented by Ondrej Smeykal during the 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival. Text in quotations is basically a direct quote from Ondrej… as best as I could document it while he was speaking, anyways. Much of the philosophy and theory behind his didgeridoo practice strategies and musical exploration are simple to comprehend, yet difficult for some to put into perspective. As a classically trained musician, I completely understand that you can’t walk the walk unless you pay your dues and spend hour after endless hour woodshedding material until it becomes effortless. Only after committing yourself to the instrument will the instrument truly say what you want it to.
I wish you the best in your didgeridoo endeavors, and hope these notes help you in your artistic journey forward. – Cat
I hand-wrote these notes during the 90+ minute discussion & seminar presented by Ondrej Smeykal during the 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival. Text in quotations is basically a direct quote from Ondrej… as best as I could document it while he was speaking, anyways. Much of the philosophy and theory behind his didgeridoo practice strategies and musical exploration are simple to comprehend, yet difficult for some to put into perspective. As a classically trained musician, I completely understand that you can’t walk the walk unless you pay your dues and spend hour after endless hour woodshedding material until it becomes effortless. Only after committing yourself to the instrument will the instrument truly say what you want it to.
I wish you the best in your didgeridoo endeavors, and hope these notes help you in your artistic journey forward. – Cat
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Scranton
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Re: Smeykal Seminar: 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 6:03 PMDirection and Inspiration
Playing solo didge is all about utilizing the didge as a tool to reach the direction you want to achieve in your musical sound.
Just like a pen is a tool… do you want to write a poem? A short story? What kind of player do you want to be… a trance/dance player? A shaman/healer? A meditative sonic shaper?
Make every attempt to “catch” your own personal moments of inspiration and use that as the incentive and driving force in your creative energy.
Whatever direction you personally choose to take, accept the responsibility to learn as much about those specific techniques as possible. -
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Re: Smeykal Seminar: 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 6:03 PMContrast and Language
When reaching towards specific technical goals, be sure to also dedicate time and energy towards the contrasting technique… for example, if you want to be fast, learn to play well slow to give greater contrast to your fast playing. Same with loud/soft dynamics.
Develop your own musical language to best suit your own abilities and inspirations. Attempting to incorporate the language of another player forces you to modify and adapt your own personal style. Discovering your language from within yourself allows you to speak and communicate most effectively through your art.
(Ondrej reaches down and plucks a blade of grass from the ground near him…)
“This blade of grass can inspire you in many ways… you can taste it, you can touch it, you can observe and appreciate the lines of the blade…” -
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Re: Smeykal Seminar: 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 6:04 PMBreathing and Practice Techniques
(Oh yeah, by the way… per Ondrej’s request, we moved the folding metal chairs out of the tent. The entire time we are doing this seminar, we are sitting on the ground to optimize body posture, breathing technique, and instrument position.)
I noticed in last nights performance that Ondrej reached into his pants while seated when he first started playing?!? He was unbuttoning his pants to allow for optimal breathing and maximum diaphragm power… he just did the exact same thing a moment ago.
Be sure to practice various components of your playing SEPERATELY! Work on just drone… work on just vocals… work on just toots… only after practicing separately should you then combine these elements together.
Approximately 45 minutes a day will allow you to maintain current level of ability on the instrument. Anything above and beyond can be used for personal exploration and instrument creativity. -
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Re: Smeykal Seminar: 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 6:04 PMRhythmic Structure
(Note: I thought this was one of the most important statements he made…)
Well-designed and structured rhythms incorporated with comfortable breathing patterns is critical to your overall success for anything you attempt on your instrument.
Ondrej demonstrates the pattern of “Flamenco” without the instrument, or the “bones” (skeleton) and basics of the structure. This foundation is similar to:
“… a bus, which you are taking the audience along with you. They expect that you know how to drive, and that you will get them to their destination safely.”
“If you don’t take responsibility to drive well, people may watch your bus go by, but they may never actually get on to enjoy the ride along with you.” -
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Re: Smeykal Seminar: 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 6:04 PMVocals and Emotion
Once this foundation is grounded, you are now able to create the story, set the mood of your sound, and add emotion with your language. Is it sad? Angry? Mysterious? The rhythmic foundation allows you to develop the unique ideas within you and express these emotions while communicating to the audience. The vocals added to the foundations help add color and emotions to the piece. -
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Re: Smeykal Seminar: 2007 JT Didgeridoo Festival
Fri, September 28, 2007 - 6:04 PMConclusion
In conclusion, solo didgeridoo has the innate ability to incorporate all of the elements of typical western musical composition simultaneously… percussion, harmony, and melody all in a single hollow tube.
(Someone asks a question about mouth position and mouthpiece size…)
Mouthpiece thickness really determines playability of an instrument… Ondrej recommends thinner walls to allow adequate room to breathe through the nose, and better toot response and ability to adjust your lip embouchure while staying relaxed against the didge.
(This is the last statement he makes, and I think he saved the best for last…)
Everyone wants power in their playing. The source of power comes from deep within each one of us, and is rarely if ever found on the surface.
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