This tree broke in a winter storm a few years back and even though it didn't have a very large diameter I knew it HAD to become a didjeridu. In the bottom picture there it's sitting on it's own stump which is adjacent to the nearly famous Shiva Shack lounge of the first nine years of the In-Didj-In-Us gathering. When I carved into it I was disappointed by a long strip of punky wood that would result in an opening sixteen inches long and less than an inch wide. For every problem there are numerous soloutions and in keeping with the mirth and creative energy of this trees location I turned it into an art project filling the gap with a string of tickets that read "KEEP THIS COUPON", and then filled over them with a clear window. The wording fits, not only aesticly but also in the fact that it's very meditative and can be a conduit for intense power. Coupons, or tickets, allow for access or opportunities, this one is about the eternal inner journey. My first impulse is to play it slow, feeling the harmonics and having it respond to subtle changes in pressure and volume, then I'll hit it with a few diaphram slaps bringing out well matched overblowns with very little effort which tricks me into thinking that it's a power stick and I start getting distracted with the expectation that power in this world is fast and loud, but then it reminds me that real power is meditative and directable. The vocals project well as with almost every epoxy coated bore yet the overall feel is not overly bright or crisp, however, I wouldn't call it a dirty sound either. The harmonics and pressure are consistant with longer cylindrical bores and even though C# doesn't seem that low it offers opportunities to work on those low keyed techniques, which I'm assuming will become the new rage in the didge scene exemplified this summer at a didge festival near you.
. . .
Jake Duncan came over and we shot some sound sample videos for you to hear exactly what you'll sound like on my didges (if you've got mad talent and devote alot of time to practice). He also made off with that big belled G in trade for a short stack of his new CD 'Sound Triggers Memory' so I'll toss one in with each Jake sampled didge until the stack is gone. For individual copy's of his cd jump over to LAOutback.com and browse their music section.