DidjeriboneTM

Adrian Tjupurrula Fabila is pleased to present the DidjeriboneTM invented by Charlie McMahon, who first put didjeridu in a contemporary music context with the GONDWANALAND band. From over 40 years as a didj player Charlie has been able to design the Didjeribone as a versatile and easy to play instrument.
DIDJERIBONE DESIGN PROCESS
Charlie’s first Didjeribone made in 1981 came from his desire to expand the potential for didj in music. In traditional Aboriginal music didjeridus are not tuned precisely and mainly play a rhythmic drone to support a song. With Charlie’s band GONDWANA didj became the focus so more was demanded of it. Different materials were tried. Metals were found to be unsuitable as they corrode from breath moisture and sound cold. Wood pipes tended to jam as wood absorbs moisture and the inner pipe expands more than the outer one. Plastics had none of these problems.
In 1995 Didjeribone was registered as a Trademark and the design process began to give the following qualities:
SMOOTH SLIDE ACTION
Custom made extrusion dies ensure a minimum clearance between the two pipes, so the Didjeribone slides effortlessly between the ten keys, but does not allow air to escape when fully extended.
PERMANENT & CLEAR KEY MARKS
The highest being G when closed, then there are seven keys etched into the yellow inner pipe. Running from F down to C and extending further you can reach B and Bb.
RUBBER MOUTH PIECE
Makes for easy contact with the lips and as the circumference is the optimum size it is easy to play, and does not require the wax often used to made wood didjeridus playable.
FLARED SOUND END
Give the Didjeribone a brighter and louder sound than linear shaped didjeridus.
LIGHT WEIGHT & DURABLE
Weighing less than 0.5kilograms the Didjeribone uses a minimum of materials so it can be played in a variety of positions, and is unlikely to break or cause damage if it is dropped.
COPYRIGHT PROVISIONS
The Didjeribone’s red, yellow and black earth colours are (along with white) the earth colours of Australia and traditional Aborigine’s art. The Didjeribone recognizes the indigenous roots of the didj. Paddy Fordam was paid for the right to reproduce his ’mimi spirit’ figure on the didjeribone and site. Many artists who have contributed to the recordings shown on the booklet have copyright for the songs they have co-written with Charlie.
SPECIFICATIONS
Bone Weight : 462 grams 16 ounces
Carton : 162 grams 6 ounces
Total weight : 624 grams 22 ounces
Length : 950mm 37½ inches
THE DIDJ PHENOMENON
Didjeridu making has grown exponentially over the past 15 years. Before the recent surge interest in the didjeridu was restricted to Aborigines of the far north and some ethnomusicologists. Now didjeridus are made all over Australia and increasingly overseas. In Indonesia didjeridus are being made from bamboo and mechanically bored wood. In America and Spain the Agave cactus is hollowed for didjeridus and Europe they are made from the swamp plant Bear Claw (it grows a hollow stem) and by hollowing out the centre of all kinds of European wood. Some didjeridus by contemporary artists and made from non eucalyptus materials are excellent instruments. The growth of didjeridu playing demonstrates that people are more interested in didjeridus as sound instruments and less as artifacts. Indeed there is an inevitability to this trend for contemporary didjeridu. Traditional and authentic didjeridus are made by Aborigines of Arnhem Land, Gulf of Carpenteria & The Kimberleys, from termite hollowed eucalyptus stems and painted with ochres in rarrk or x-ray style. If all the Arnhem Land artists were making didjeridus they could not produce enough to satisfy demand. Arnhem Land Aborigines like didj master David Blanasi are aware of this, but their main concern is for the misrepresentation of their art that happens when didjeridus are made elsewhere and sold as ‘Authentic Traditional Didjeridus.’
The rapid growth of didjeridu making in Australia is causing environmental damage in some areas as eucalyptus didjeridus are made from live trees, and only a few species in particular areas are suitable. Along the Stuart Highway north of Katherine N.T. the Yellow Woollybutt is becoming scarce, and the Salmon Gum has been declared a protected species as it has not only been a popular didj wood, but is the only nesting place of the endangered Gouldian Finch.
The quality of didjeridus fluctuates. Didjeribones are definitely superior to the many didjeridus on the market that are so carelessly made they are unplayable. For beginners a Didjeribone is an inexpensive way to get a didj that’s easy to play and to find the tone that suits. For experienced players the Didjeribone provides fresh ground for original playing, and a solution to the problem of which didj key to carry.