A didgeridoo test

Tests and reviews of today’s world and what about didgeridoo?

Have you noticed how everything in this material world gets tested? It happens both in absolute and relative terms. Cars get tested for safety, but also against other cars for performance, comfort, efficiency… Household machines get tested, but also professional tools and equipment. All gets tested…
It seems these tests and reviews help people create some sort of knowledge or phantom experience in their next purchase. If it is a real and good test, this is probably true and valuable. Since many people care about where they put their money, and they are unable to check everything out for themselves, the interest in these tests and reviews is vast!

But I have never seen a didgeridoo test!
Have you?
It might be that the didgeridoo world is too young for it. Or too old. Or too didgeridoo! What would you compare in a didgeridoo test anyway? Would you like to see/hear a didgeridoo test at all?

My approach to tests and reviews…

Most of the time, I don’t believe in reviews/tests. Especially those I find on the internet. I am too well aware that anybody can write just about anything on the internet. Most of the tests I was interested in were about audio equipment. When I see only wonderful reviews at some site, I lose my interest. Also on forums, I have seen people write completely opposite experiences than what I have. I can’t say they are wrong, but I can’t connect to this, I can’t relate it in any way to my experience. So if possible I try to find A/B sound samples with documented way of recording. Nothing else. However, this is in fact extremely rare. So sometimes I take into account words from people that have some reputation and in whose lines I can sense some deeper understanding, often well beyond my reach.

Tests, tests of tests and tests of tests of tests…

But I do a LOT of tests. I have this strong desire for experience, a primordial knowledge from directness of the moment, rather than thought deduction and space reduction. Averagely I probably do a test of audio gear- microphones, preamps, compressors, eqs, mixers etc.- every week or so. It is very valuable because it teaches my mind to listen. Didgeridoos I test even more often. Usually it is just something small I want to hear, but sometimes it is a long lineup and one or two typical sound samples put on infinite loop.

Test of personal old didgeridoos

One of my recent didgeridoo tests was relatively unusual for me. I took my old didgeridoos to see what is hiding there. There were some didgeridoos from local wood I built some years ago and there were some of my old eucalyptus didgeridoos I bought some years ago… I put also some Duendes beside them just to see what happens, but I will not mention this part of test as I don’t have credibility to do tests of my own present didgeridoos with anything else. So I look to my old didgeridoos as one closed set of didgeridoos, that I can compare between themselves with no harm done.

(Not so) Surprising phenomenon!

I experienced one wonderful phenomenon! Each of the didgeridoos was “the best” for the song I used to play on it. It is a very narrow line of specialization, I know, but still I am amazed that I could find one sound/song/technique for each one of them where it excelled beyond others. Just to clear up, I see those didgeridoos as good quality instruments. All of them have some sense. So I was not comparing my first didgeridoo which I can still hardly play even now. I would add that all of the “home made” didgeridoos had easier playing and not so nice sound, whereas all the eucalyptus didgeridoos had generally nicer, more clear, more open sound, but their playability was not so great. This is especially related to toot technology.

Didgeridoo specialization and purpose

Among these didgeridoos some didgeridoos had very soft sound… this might make them ideal for quiet ambiental playing (I avoid word “healing” here deliberately), but really challenging to play “in front” of the band. Or when you just want your articulations to be heard. Some of these didgeridoos had a bit of “dirt” in the sound. This is in most cases of usage annoying. But! This “dirt” can also give you just the right character for what you want to express. So everything is relative. One great great great situation with your own didgeridoo is if you know how to use this particular instrument. One good example of that is my “Iglica” didgeridoo. Most other players don’t know what to do with it at all, but I earn my bread with it since this is my most played didgeridoo on stage these days. And of course, it could be exactly opposite with some other didgeridoo I don’t know how to use.

The sense of didgeridoo test?

So if I find every didgeridoo has its own advantage does it mean they are all the same for me? No. Not at all. Not at all-est! They are all my friends, but I do very much prefer to use some of them. I have a set of songs/sounds I need to play. So when I test a didgeridoo I see how well can it do this job. Can it do many of the songs, or just one but very well. Or it can maybe even do many songs very well… now this would be a true jewel…

If you would like to know more about how I test my didgeridoos, drop me a line here and tell me so! If you would like to share how you test your didgeridoos, drop us a line and tell us so! The lines are waiting empty just below this text!

Du

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6 comments… add one
  • Nuno Pinto de Carvalho May 30, 2011, 15:16

    Interesting… I will tell you this, based on my little experience with sound experimenting and didgeridoo playing…
    In this world almost everything is tested. If an object fails to meet the “standards” it is most likely to be thrown away. So, the question here is: What are the “standards”?

    Continuing your example, In a car factory, the Fuel Emissions Test checks if the CO2 levels, emitted by the car, are bellow the standards (or standard level). This is to prevent environmental damage from cars.

    Now…, what about the Didgeridoo? What is the “list of parameters”/”standards” that the didgeridoo should meet? I think it depends on your experience, playing style, etc. Most importantly, it depends on the way you want to use the instrument! Because most of the didgeridoos are unique, they can never be thrown away.
    Just like you said: “I am amazed that I could find one sound/song/technique for each one of them where it excelled beyond others.”

    By the way, in a previous article of yours, you had a questionnaire/Test about the most powerful didgeridoo for the Kick-Didge technique ^_^
    The didgeridoo with the “worst” performance on the “kick-didge” can be the “best” didgeridoo for a drone-based player.

    Thanks once again Du!

    Nuno

    Reply
    • Du May 30, 2011, 20:46

      Thank you Nuno!

      As always, you give valuable insights and contributions.

      I would add two observations, inspired by your words.

      I am interested in tests in a more primitive way than setting standards, For me at this point is to gain awareness about didgeridoo.

      If we set the standards, then as you say, we should set standards in the terms of the instruments and songs we already play.. So you know how well some of your songs sound on some instrument and if it can be improved. In addition, you know how your instrument is like for playing and this is your general standard. However, gaining awareness of the sound-song-instrument relation can improve your performance efficiency with everything you already own.

      I thank you Nu!

      Du

      Reply
      • Nuno Pinto de Carvalho May 31, 2011, 01:29

        By awareness you mean the knowledge of all the sounds you can produce with each didgeridoo right?
        I think understand what you mean… The “testing” is the only way to know your didgeridoo and it’s capabilities for producing certain sounds… right?

        Testing = practicing + listening 😉

        Reply
        • Du June 1, 2011, 06:47

          YES!

          Reply
  • Pamela Mortensen May 31, 2011, 08:44

    Du,

    Many thanks for writing this. I test didgeridoos much the same way as this though I must admit I don’t have any specific sound or technique in mind when I “test” any one didge for the first time. I tend to let sounds and techniques emerge according to the particular sounds the didge makes. For example, I have two B didges one of which I play a song called Horivertizonal on. I do this because the particular harmonics of that didge lends itself perfectly to that song. If I play it on the other B, which is a more meditative player, I get a very different result because the harmonics are so different. I’ve also tried this song on different pitched instruments and the vocals don’t blend nearly as well as on that particular B didge. The thing about this little story is, the first B didge inspired that song during an improvisation at a performance some time ago.

    On the flip side of that, another song I play can be played on several different instruments and sound great. So, with that said, the song itself can also be “tested” and even though it will come out differently on different instruments, the results can be pleasing (in different ways of course). I hope this makes sense.

    Many thanks again,
    Pam

    Reply
    • Du June 1, 2011, 06:49

      Hmmmmm….. 😉

      Du

      Reply

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