Re: What is a digeridu?

[Doug Alan <nessus>]

Here's another article I just posted to net.music (Hi Steve!):

From: nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: What the heck is a Digeridu ? ?
Posted: Mon Aug 26 03:32:41 1985

> From: tynor@gitpyr.UUCP (Steve Tynor)
> Subject: What the heck is a Digeridu ? ?

> Can anyone describe what a digeridu looks like and how it's played?

> I think I've identified the sound (on Kate Bush's 'The Dreaming'. Gosh I
> hope I'm not flamed for mentioning her! :-) ), but can't find any
> info an the instrument itself.  Sounds like a humongous woodwind of some
> sort...  I imagine it's an aboriginorial (is that a word?) instrument, but
> I can't even confirm that.  

It is a humongous woodwind!  I  always thought it was the whistling
sound though.... but now that you mention it, maybe it's the sound that
continues on into "Night of The Swallow".  Is that what you think it is?

In any case, it's an aborigine instrument, and is basically just a long
tube of wood that has been hollowed out by termites.  There is a special
technique for playing it, and it requires blowing through it
continuously.  In order to play it you have to learn how to breath in
through your nose while simultaneously breathing out through your mouth
(how this is done, I know not).

On "The Dreaming", the digeridu is played by Rolf Harris, who is a world
expert on aborigine music.  He is also the person who did "Tie Me
Kangeroo Down", but he's also done at least some really excellent music.
The song "The Dreaming" was inspired by a song by Rolf Harris called
"Sun Arise" (which was covered by Alice Cooper, though I haven't heard
his version).  If you ever hear the song, you will imediately recognize
the similarities.

Rolf gave Paddy Bush one of his digeridus and Paddy plays digeridu on
Kate's new album.

			"Dangle devils in a bottle and push them from
			 The Pull Of The Bush"

			 Doug Alan
			  nessus@mit-eddie.ARPA (or UUCP)