Dynamic Multi-Drone Didgeridoos (Yeti Technique)
Didgeridoos built to truly expand the range of what is currently possible with this instrument. these didgeridoos will make it easier for any didgeridoo player to learn a new technique i have developed which enables a player to play incredibly low notes on short/normal sized didgeridoos. most recently as of september 2009 i have been able to play drones as low as low low A. thats a whole octave below what most didgeridoo players would consider a low A that would normally requires a 6-10 foot didgeridoo to play. so on a 6-10 foot didge i am able to hit a low A that would normally require a 15-25 foot didge to generate.

I took almost all of 2008 off from selling didgeridoos to develop this technique and figure out how to build the best didge specifically for the technique. It enables a player to play pitches normally only reachable with extremely long didgeridoos on very short didgeridoos.The basic level of this technique involves dropping the fundamental drone or pitch of a didge an entire exact octave below what it normally is. So for example, a high G didge around 3-4 feet in length can be dropped down to a low G note, which would normally require a didge around 8-12 feet in size(depending on the taper) to play. this requires a mouthpiece size that is generally larger than most didge players are accustomed too. larger mouthpieces are more conducive to a large range of lip movement and although they are more difficult to master, in the end they leave you with much more control over advanced styles of playing. the inside diameter of the mouthpieces generally range in size from a little over 1 1/4 to as big as 1/1/2 inches. not only are the mouthpieces for these didgeridoos bigger, their shape is different as well. i shape the opening to be Oval and on the far ends of the oval the wood protrudes outwards so it conforms to your face for a better fit ( in other words they have a concave surface shape). one problem with big mouthpieces is that they are difficult to get a good seal on because our faces are round not flat so we have to push our faces against big mouthpieces to get the outer edges to press against our face. these mouthpieces eliminate that problem and make frontal playing overall easier. the oval shape prevents the problem of the top of the mouthpiece smashing against your nose and constricting your nostril breathe. so in general the larger the mouthpiece the more oval, and the smaller the mouthpiece the more round. i am a strong believer in playing out of the front and think it is the best way to go to master this new technique i have developed although i have seen side players play these mouthpieces comfortably. In general it is more difficult to play the low frequencies from the side because the lips are harder and less soft on the side.

as of november i have been able to play up to five different drone notes on a single didge. the regular drone, an octave below the regular and three drones in-between those two. the regular drone is in the key of D(slightly #) and the low drone is an octave lower exactly. the first extra drone besides those i discovered was a C drone between those to. this C is relative to the didges first trumpet note which sits less than an octave away from the fundamental at C. so its almost as though the C drone is like dropping this didge an octave below the first trumpet. with more practice i discovered two more drones in-between that C drone and the lower D(#ish), a low F and a Low G. the G drone is relative to the second trumpet and the F drone is close to the in key to the didges 4th trumpet which is F#, its possible though that my lips have not fully gotten comfortable in that shape so that drones a little flat still. when i first discovered the octave drop i would always play just flat of an octave below because my lips were not in shape for the technique yet but with more practice i was able to drop all the didges i was experimenting with down an exact octave.
-William Thoren

Theres a Video Example on this page of the Drop Octave, i will post again when i record the newer multiple drone technique,

http://www.williamthoren.com/www.willia ... ridoo.html