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