ML-WD II

Marco's Leather ML-WDII	Blondeenya Hamdidj BH-WDII	Chad Butler's CB-WDII
Steve Petree's SP-WDII	Wandering Didge Sound Files

This is a spin-off project inspired by the original Wandering Didge (WD) Project that started many years ago that shared a common instrument among didge players around the globe in an effort to hear how language, cultural and personal differences influence didj playing in general. Information on the original WD project can be found at... www.brandichase.com/didjeridu/wander.htm

Currently there is a new movement growing that is being referred to as the "Wandering Didge II" (WD II) project which involves a number of American didge makers that have volunteered to donate several didges to a "new" wandering didj project to help carry on the spirit of the original missing WD. What is happening is that several didges are going to begin making the rounds to those that sign up to participate and we're going to start them off from different locations so that a greater number of people can participate in a shorter period of time. Didges are schedule to begin their journey in the east, west and central US. I am really excited about creating a web of Wandering Didges sponsored by a web-based didjeridu group... seems very appropriate to me. For me the project is more about community and sharing than anything else and the generosity of those supporting the new wave is very inspiring. Here are the first....

ML-WD II - Marko's Leather Wandering Didge II - "The Meditator"

On January 31, 2003 I recieved Marko Johnoson's Leather Wandering Didge

This is what Marko has to say about this didge and the proceedure for participating in this project... The Didj I will be sending out is made of Sole Leather, leather that is very thick and dense and actually goes through a compressing process. It is primarily used for the soles of boots and shoes. The resonance of this material is the best I have found of the leathers I have experimented with. This didj is 58" long with a straight taper to a 4 inch bell. It has a wax mouthpiece and is tuned to a perfect D and it weighs exactly 4 lbs. It’s a fairly plain didj with 31 grip notches on the top end that resemble a rat tail.

Each person should keep the didj for 2 weeks or less and send it to the next person. There are currently 20 people on the list to receive the didj. The last name on the list is Marko Johnson. The didj must be returned after the 19th or last person on the list has had a chance to play, record and comment

REQUIRED FROM EACH PERSON RECEIVING THE WANDERING DIDJ

Posting Comments: Required to keep in contact with the Mills didjlist to reveal the current location of the didj and letting everyone know when it arrives and leaves each person as well as posting your comments about the instrument.

Shipping to next recipient: A commitment to paying shipping charges, approximately $10.00, to send it to the next person on the list if handing it off in person is not a reasonable or timely option.

Recording: Preferred but optional. It’s best to send it to the next person rather than wait for the perfect circumstances to record. For now, send your digital files or CD to Marko Johnson... I will also try to post audio files here on this site as well.

PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS:

DAVID: 2-2-03 - Well the WD II project is now officially underway as Marko's Leather Wandering Didj has completed the first leg of it's journey and has arrived here in Northern California. I've actually had the WDII-ML for a couple of days but I've been putting in 16 hour days doing some grant writing for arts education in our local school district so I haven't been able to give it much attention until today.

The WDII-ML has a deeper pitch than the original but it's simplicity of design and shape reminds me a bit of our first WD. Because of the dense leather material used, this instrument is both resilient and durable so I think that Marko's didj will make an excellent WD in that it should hold up to the rigors of life on the road without having to worry about cracking or breaking. The leather is stained in a deep reddish brown which matches it's rich deep tone and this didj is capable of hitting two trumpet tones quite easily. It has a nicely shaped oval beeswax mouthpiece and I find it quite easy to play straight-on but I'm having a little difficulty in playing it side-saddle but that's probably because I've only just started to experiment with side-saddle playing in the last year or so and usually prefer straight-ahead playing.

While the ML-WDII is here I'm going to grab a cheap and cheesy computer mic and experiment with some recording to see if I can come up with some techniques that will get adequate results for creating audio files to document our playing techniques without having to invest in expensive equipment. I'm optimistic that it can be done satisfactorily although don't expect studio quality results. I'll post the results of my efforts along with a studio recording on my web site so that we can all hear the difference and be able to take that into account when hearing future submissions.