Bruce practice routines

BRUCE’S DIDGE JOURNEY

PRACTICE ROUTINES

  • Tongue roll through overtone levels with different notes.
  • Lip slapping through overtone levels with different notes.
  • Rolling plus lip slapping through overtone levels with different notes.
  • Clear overtones on both simultaneously.
  • Air sounds on both.
  • Speaking with 1 and 2 didges.
  • Sounding quickly with 2, 3 and 4 notes and concentrating on clarity of each note – also doing this very softly and changing sound volume.
  • Graduations of 2, 3 and 4 notes.
  • Speed work – vocal assistance and through various notes.
  • Staccato sounds – 1 and 2 didges. – different notes
  • Tongue roll through various notes.
  • Combination of lip slap, tongue roll, vocals, overtones and note changes.
  • Whisper rhythms – 1 and 2 didges.
  • Vocal overtones – combined with didge overtones.
  • Whistles with other sounds.
  • Hold clean higher notes on both didges with graduations.
  • Singing plus didge overtones simultaneously.
  • Quick start with 2 didges in B note.
  • Getting comfortable with moving and playing 2 didges on full extension.
  • Quick start 2 didges with 1 octave note difference.
  • From breath to air flow to soft sound.
  • Vocal range and experimentation.
  • Rapid overtone changes with vocal background/hum which is also changing.
  • Tractor OOOH sounds
  • High note combinations
  • Hand puppet with sounds
  • Mongolian vocals with whistling
  • Didge voice (no fundamental) into drone
  • Mongolian drone with hetrodyne overtones
  • From very low to very high vocals – short and sharp and staccato
  • Changing mouth positions with variety of notes
  • Side mouth playing and vocal sounding with other side of mouth – separately and together
  • Sounding the inhalations while playing normally
  • Quick note changes while retaining the overtone sounds
  • Wavering overtones through graduated notes
  • Emphasis and clear holding throughout overtone range with various notes
  • Gargle throat rattle – combined with tongue rattle and vocal
  • Ta ta, dad dad dam dam played rapidly up and down the scale
  • Going through scale using tongue, throat and tongue/throat rattles
  • Lip slapping into different notes and overtones that are held and accentuated
    B. Wind/breath sounds with whistling that lead into very soft drones – do with various notes and dual didge
  • Deep throated vocals with simultaneous whistling of FREIRA JACQUES
  • Move between nasal, mouth and throat vocals/overtones with CONSTANT and CHANGING fundamental
  • Kookaburra call – background fundamental with simultaneous high vocal staccato of varying pitches. Focus on changes in pitch, volume, frequency, echo and projection to various sections of the didge
  • Loud whisper staccato and explosive whispers
  • Very high vocals with overtones plus drone in the background
  • AH WHAT TI AHEE WAA sounding with mouthing and swallowing of the vocal sounds
  • Long sisal in 2nd note C# use matched vocal and then sing songs. Play with note changes ensuring vocal and fundamental are matched without hetrodynes
  • With whisper sing high songs and also talk in whisper sounds
    Note: In creating high notes the LIPS only or LIPS and TONGUE can be used to change the pitch
  • Bagpipe sound using C# and then high vocal variations and hetrodynes
  • Start with TUNES using only STACATTO and then increase length of notes … vary VOLUME.
  • With soft drone go through entire wind sound range
  • Very soft OVERTONES with drone tone just audible
  • MONGOLIAN OVERTONES with drone – keep fundamental constant and vary overtones – change fundamental and overtones
  • Create wonderful ECHOES by playing dual didge in D# and varying overtones
  • Snapping quickly into various notes low to high and vice versa

 

DIDGE TECHNIQUES

TONGUE RATTLE AND ROLL

  • On various notes, whisper included
  • Up and down through full scale
  • Through fundamental overtones
  • Through overtones on high notes
  • With 2 didges
  • While moving
  • Linked to hand, arm, finger and whole body gestures and movements
  • Done with vocals from Mongolian to highest
  • With staccato notes/effects
  • Using the sound to create steam train effects

 

WHISPER

  • Variety of whisper sounds, tones, volumes and rhythms
  • Used to start and end playing sequences
  • Staccato bursts
  • With whistling (different types) in background
  • Storytelling
  • Incorporated into higher notes
  • With 2 didges – especially full length

 

THINGS TO TRY FROM STEFANO

  • Yee-too-tah with shriek on tah
  • Yew-too-tah
  • Whack-a-doo-wha-doo-doo
  • Tah-tah-tata
  • Tap-po tap-po
  • Boy – deedeeboy – deedeeboy – deeboy
  • Ohdeedee – deedeeboy – deedeeboy – deeboy – ohdeedee

NEW DIDGE RHYTHMS

SANDY BLY (9 beats) 4 – 5

I   I   I   I     I I    I I I

BUTTERFLY (9 beats) 3 – 1 – 5

I I I  — I I I I I

STALKING (7 beats) 3 – 1 – 3

I   I   I  —  I I   I

ANOTHER DAY TITTI (6 beats) 4 – 2

I I I I      I I

EMU (9 beats) 2   2   2   3

I I    I I    I I    I I I

GILA GILA (12 beats) 4   1   2   2   3

I   I   I I   I   I I   I I    I    I   I

MIRIAM MAKEBA (BREATH RHYTHM) (8 beats)

woo   we   aah   hi   ho   ha   ha   ha

I    I    —    I   I   I   I   I