In a move that is sure to bring consternation to accomplished didgeridoo players the world over, Reuters has revealed the secret to getting the most from the enigmatic instrument.
It seems it’s all in the glottis, that little flap of skin at the back of the throat. According to a group of Australian scientists:
"We conclude that a major difference between a novice and an experienced player is a learned, but usually subconscious ability to
reduce the glottal opening…"
And all this time I thought it was all in the uvula! Ah, well… now I can take my trusty old didgeridoo out of mothballs and play my children to sleep as I have always dreamed of doing.
JIMMY ADDS: Hmmmm. . . . As a result of practicing Semitic languages like Arabic, where glottal stops are considered a consonant, I’ve been practicing closing my glottis on command rather a lot. . . . Maybe I should take up the digeridoo.
There might be a lot in the glottis, but it’ll behoove ya to care for your uvula.
We had a didgeri-do lesson once and first they have you practice with a cup of water and a straw. You should be able to blow bubbles in the water continuously through the straw while breathing through your nose. I couldn’t master it but it didn’t take long for some of the kids to get it. This is probably worth learning
so you can brag at coctail parties. Just like knowing the first 18 lines of the Canturbury Tales in Middle English.
One little quibble with the words “considered a consonant.” A consonant is a sound created by a full or partial obstruction, so something either is or isn’t a consonant. Clearly a glottal stop is consonant regardless of whether it occurs in Arabic or English (like in “uh-oh” or “Henry Higgins”).
Your gratuitous linguistic factoid for the day…
Just my opinion – always thought the Theremin was the most enigmatic musical instrument around:
http://www.thereminworld.com/learn.asp
Hey thanks for the theremin link! We saw a demo and were fascinated, but search as I might I couldn’t find anything on the web. What a crazy instrument.