Didgeridoos can also be made from PVC pipes, non-native hard woods (which are split, hollowed and rejoined), fiberglass, metal, agave, clay, hemp (a bioplastic named zelfo), and even carbon fiber. These didgeridoos usually have an upper inside diameter of around 1.25" down to a bell end of anywhere between two to eight inches and have a length made to the needed key. The mouthpiece can be made of beeswax, hardwood or simply sanded and sized by the craftsman. In PVC, rubber stopper with a hole cut into it can be used.
Modern didgeridoo designs are different from the traditional Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo. They are recognized as being a separate instrument. Didgeridoo design changes started in the late 20th century using new materials and different shapes.
A didgeridoo is usually played sitting down because they are so long. It is played with continuously vibrating lips to make the drone while using a special way of breathing called circular breathing. This means a player breathes in through the nose at the same time as pushing air out of the mouth. A skilled player can refill the air in their lungs. With practice, the player can keep a note playing for as long as desired. There are recordings of modern didgeridoo players playing without stopping for more than 40 minutes; Mark Atkins on "Didgeridoo Concerto" (1994) plays for over 50 minutes continuously.
The rhythm of the circular breathing, gives the instrument its readily recognizable sound. Other changes in the didgeridoo's sound can be made by adding vocal sounds to the drone. Most of the sounds are related to the sounds of Australian animals, such as the dingo or the kookaburra. To make these sounds, the players simply have to use their voice to make the sounds of the animals whilst continuing to blow air through the instrument. The results range from very high-pitched sounds to very low sounds. Adding vocal sounds increases the complexity of the playing.
Anthony Baines wrote that the didgeridoo is like "...an aural kaleidoscope of timbres". He also said that the virtuoso skills used by the best performers were unlike those needed on any other instrument.
The didgeridoo was mainly played for ceremonial dancing and singing. It was also common for didgeridoos to be played for entertainment outside of ceremonial life. In northern Australia, the didgeridoo is still a very important as it plays for singers and dancers in surviving cultural ceremonies. Today, most didgeridoo playing is for entertainment in both Indigenous Australian communities and elsewhere around the world.
Pair sticks, sometimes called "clapsticks" or "bilma", set the beat for the songs during ceremonies. The rhythm of the didgeridoo and the beat of the clapsticks use patterns that have been handed down for many generations. Traditionally, only men play the didgeridoo and sing during ceremonies, but both men and women may dance. There were female didgeridoo players, but they did not play in ceremonies and it was not encouraged. Linda Barwick, an ethnomusicologist, says that traditionally women have not played the didgeridoo in ceremony, but in informal situations there is no prohibition in the Dreaming Law. On September 3, 2008, the publisher Harper Collins issued a public apology for its book "The Daring Book for Girls", scheduled to be published in October, which openly encouraged girls to play the instrument.
The didgeridoo is now often used as an instrument in the experimental and avant-garde music scene. Industrial music bands like Test Department- used sounds from this instrument in their performances, linking ecology to industry, influenced by ethnic music and culture.
It has also been an instrument used for the fusion of tribal rhythms with a black metal sound. A music project called Naakhum used the paganism of the Australian tribes and many others as an approach.
Most didgeridoos made today are for souvenir purposes. It is common to find didgeridoos made of non-native timbers, decorated incorrectly by non-indigenous artists with colourful designs or copied dot patterns. These decorations do not use traditional dreamtime stories or designs. These didgeridoos also often vary widely in size and shape, many being thinner and straighter. As a result of the inadequate wood types, shapes and lengths, souvenir didgeridoos can rarely be used as musical instruments.
Decoration of souvenir didgeridoos is often seen by Aboriginal communities as offensive, inappropriate, inadequate, inaccurate and in many cases, misleading. The copying of traditional artwork is also used to sell these didgeridoos to unsuspecting tourists.
A 2005 study in the British Medical Journal found that learning and playing the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring and sleep apnea. It does this by making muscles in the upper airway stronger, and this helps them stay open during sleep. This strengthening happens after the player has learned the circular breathing technique.
Don LaFontaine
Donald LaFontaine (August 26, 1940 – September 1, 2008) was an American voice actor. He had a deep voice. He recorded many movie trailers and television advertisements. He used the well known phrase "in a world...", which has been used in movie trailers many times.
Bungie Studios
Bungie Studios is an American video game developer. They are most famous for developing the award winning Halo series of video games. They also made Destiny.
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a device used to shoot fire. They have been used by the military since the days of Greek fire. Most modern military flamethrowers project flaming liquids.
Flamethrowers became rare in the 19th century, due to improvements in other weapons. Trench warfare made them more useful again, and the German army began using them in 1915. Flamethrowers were used during World War 2 as a bunker clearing device. Many Axis troops used pillboxes and other small fortifications in Northern France, Germany, and on Pacific Ocean islands. Small fire squads used these weapons to draw them out. Although flamethrowers project flames, burning was not the most common form of death associated with these weapons. Rather, smoke released as a byproduct of combustion presented soldiers with the grim ultimatum between death by smoke inhalation or leaving the trench and facing enemy gunfire.
Due to advancements in ballistic technologies and modern warfare tactics, flamethrowers are much less common in modern theatres. Presently, these weapons have been converted for civilian use for clearing old crops, domestic defense and even landscaping. In 2018, the Boring Company headed by Elon Musk developed a civilian flamethrower in a limited production of 20,000 units. With the prominence of Musk in contemporary culture, these flamethrowers were sold quickly yielding 10 million dollars for the Boring Company in gross revenue.
Holster
A holster is a type of clothing. It is like an extra pocket worn to hold something where it can quickly be taken out for use. Holsters have long been used to hold a firearm, especially a pistol. At the end of the 20th century many people started carrying a mobile phone in a holster.
Confetti
Confetti is a lot of small pieces of paper or other material that is thrown into the air at a celebration such as party or a wedding.
In some places, the use of confetti is banned due to health problems of people or animals, or due to the work needed to clean up the confetti afterward.
Confetti comes in a variety of colors and shapes.
Alanis Morissette: The Collection
Alanis Morissette: The Collection is the greatest hits compilation album by Alanis Morissette, released in the United States on 15 November 2005.