Darryl playing Blanasi style

This mago was made by the late Ambrose Cameron, a talented craftsman who made some of the best mago in Western Arnhem Land before his untimely passing. This instrument is now for sale. For further details, see:

http://www.ididj.com.au/store/fine_didjeridus.html

In this clip, Darryl Dikarrna - mago player for the White Cockatoo group - gives this mago a blast. I asked Darryl to try to emulate the style of his grandfather, the late David Blanasi, and got this footage as a result.

Darryl said that the two styles were quite different, that his grandfather played a 'rough' style. He also commented on the bird calls that Blanasi was noted for, in his virtuoso free-form style.

The first clip here has Darryl using those bird and animal calls. In the second clip here I specifically requested Darryl to drop the calls. The third clip is a side shot to show Darryl's facial movements... the cheeks, throat, the breath etc.

Western Arnhem Land is a large and culturally diverse area. Some of the tribes of this region are the Maung, Iwaidja, Gunwinggu, Gunbalang, Nakara, Gunavidji, Gundangbon, and Gundjehmi, among others.

The didgeridoo is commonly known as mago in Western Arnhem Land. Mago are typically shorter than - and acoustically different to - the yirdaki of north-east Arnhem Land. In terms of sound characteristics, mago are somewhat richer and more full-bodied than yirdaki. Also, the overtone note is not a feature of Western Arnhem Land playing and most mago do not play this note easily.

The following are other Indigenous names for the didgeridoo in Western Arnhem Land: wuna-bobanja (Nakara); jarluppu, littungh and morlu (Rembarrnga); giyanggiyang (large didgeridoo in Rembarrnga language); and morlu (Dalabon).

The first didgeridoos seen and collected by Westerners are from the Western Arnhem Land region. Most of these are Bambusa arnhemica specimens collected from the Coburg Peninsular area where the first European settlements were established in the 1800s.

See the following for more information on Western Arnhem Land didgeridoos:

http://www.ididj.com.au/exhibitions/wal.html

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• didgeridoo
• didjeridu
• mago
• darryl
• dikarrna
• yolngu
• brown
• yidaki
• culture
• white
• cockatoo
• david
• blanasi
• bininy

[johnscottartist]

sounds like "blanasi the bomb" cool ha haaaaaa

[ididjaustralia]

@johnscottartist he sure does! hey how did u know about blanasi? just added u as a friend :)

[johnscottartist]

@ididjaustralia

I spent time "listening" to certain areas of our country, places rarely seen, his music found its way into my own collection during that period, so I saw a connection like a synchronicity, the land "is" music it's just people can't hear it. His yirdaki talks as yours does. I spent many years just walking the bush and re connecting to something very, very, ancient. David's playing was unique as yours is, and I felt that he "knew" more than people are saying.

[ididjaustralia]

@johnscottartist cool story buddy, thanks for sharing! all the best n peace!

[Gendolff]

Reboo RithmBroo Reboo RithmBroo RithmBroo Reboo...!!! :)))

[horrormonger]

@RobSchneeberger....well, for one, the oxygen deprivation from playing long periods is a natural high!

[RobSchneeberger]

don't see how playing one of these could be fun, someone please enlighten me...

[PerrisJettison]

sounds like a drunk robot

[Fronitat]

Yadaki, I am not familiar with tis term, a didgeridoo? I am all ears this is beautiful.

I have just starting playing, and this 'growl' you speak of, is definitely new to to these ears... Thank you for sharing!

-Much love,

`Habitat Shaman

[ngarti81]

is this the tour mago of 2007 ?