Lately I have been really into making didges from stalks that most would pass on. This one was so full of large cracks it almost looked impossible to make. After boring it out I was fortunately able to clamp these back together and fill. I experimented with one like this last year and was so blown away by its sound I started working on more like it. Last year I would have left these in the desert and now I have found so many new possibilities. I went to a reiki circle recently and a woman talked about how she uses her D# crystal bowl to raise energy in the body. I immediately was struck with how I love playing D# in a really rhythmic style and that this note got me out of a funk playing a few years ago. Seems this note lifts me up! This one has such a sold drone, vocals, and overtones and perfect for every level player. With its shape it takes very little breath has such nice back pressure, and a ton of volume as well. This Old Soul on top of it has a ton of sleeping beauty turquoise inlaid throughout telling many stories of years in the desert. A truly wise and awesome didge!
This and #298 were from the same 40ft flower! My dad’s neighbor sent me an email over a year ago letting me know their huge agave americana had shot up its flower and she would save it for me until it was ready to be harvested. When I went to collect the stalk I was blown away by its size and is the biggest agave I have ever harvested. I am actually also making a drum and possibly a third didge from it as well. Agave is just magical , I can’t believe it can shoot up a flower that towers over the ancient trees near it. This is one of the thickest and most dense agaves and this one plays with so much ease, power, and presence. The vocals are the real star mixed with that mesmerizing drone as they seem to project differently than on a lot of didges and seem amplified and travel so well out this didge. The same goes for #298 so must be something magical within this stalk. I would highly recommend this for meditative and sound healing style of play. Thanks Denise for keeping the stalk up for me and allowing it to live on forever!
Agaves in this shape have such explosive abilities and take such little breath to get the drone going. With the thin walls on this one it has incredible response and can really put out some volume for its size. D# has always been one of my favorites for more rhythmic play. Something about the note always inspires this kind of play and remember being in slump for a while and playing a D# brought me out of it. One interesting feature on this one is that the bell has a really interesting shape that I have rarely seen. I don’t know what caused this but love the look. #293 has a really solid drone, easy overtones, and awesome vocals that will inspire lots of new sounds and rhythms. This one is light as a feather but has a some real punch to it and would be great for every level of player!
Sold, Thanks Terry! in New Lowell, Ontario, Canada
One of my talented artist friends said that this may be the most beautiful of the ones she has seen. After all of the years of making them I have never seen this kind of coloration in an agave. I found it on a camping trip in an area far from where I usually collect. The agaves looked to be the same species but there must have been something environmental or perhaps cross pollination of different species to create this unique flower. Along both sides is a purple streak that runs the length of the stalk with many shades within the streak. It is complimented by very light wood that pops these colors and turquoise inlaid as well. I chose purpleheart as the mouthpiece as it matches it so well. Ok, enough about its physical beauty . This one is extremely sensitive to any slight movement. It takes so little breath and less is more with this one. Three easy overtones with its longer thinner bore. Nice rich bass tones in the drone and crystal clear vocals. One other interesting fact is that purple is the color associated with the crown chakra which is the key that this one is in. Seems it was meant to be. A truly unique agave didge!!
I am so amazed by this stalk. I found this ancient flower on a trail and it had been cut and left there it looked like for many years. As I picked it up I was blown away by the weight of the stalk. To this day this is the thickest most dense agave I have found. I estimate the stalk to have bloomed 3 or 4 years ago and because of this and being cut so long ago it had one of the biggest cracks I have seen. I was so mesmerized by it though that I took it with me anyway. Honestly I didn’t think it was possible to make it into a didge but knew there was something special about it. I decided to work on it when I was pretty much done for the day and the realization that it might be possible to make it work I was filled with such excitement. As I began hollowing out I realized I would be able to clamp it and seal it keeping the look of the crack and other features to show its age. In an area that was very badly split and scarred I was able to add a beautiful turquoise inlay. This one weighs more than any on the site despite its size and one reason I write in wall thickness is it gives the player an idea of its strengths. Thin walled agaves play with a bit more liveliness and in general have more volume as thinner wood projects more sound and don’t need much time to warm up. Thick walled agaves take a bit of time to warm up and have a deeper more meditative sound. I have a lot of both in my collection and tend to use the thinner walled more for performance and these thick walled more to for more trance like play. They both are so great but this one is so unusual and is so mesmerizing to play. It also has such bright overtones with these thick walls. To let you know how excited about this one I was I ended up buying some amazing(and expensive) rosewood just for this stalk. I can’t say enough about this one and might end up in my collection if it is still here for a while!
I have always loved these short big bell thin walled didgeridoos! They play with such speed and ferocity but also have such an amazing ability to play in a calm and ambient way. With its thin walls it is so responsive right off the bat and you will hear every little manipulation. I have never been much about tuning unless I am playing with other tuned musicians and this has properties of sound of both notes which is really cool. This would be great to play in drum circles as you can play with speed and be heard and the loud clear vocals and overtones will cut through the beats. A great didge that would be great for the player with a little experience to the most advanced!
Sold, Thanks again Jodi and Cameron! in LaCrosse,WI
A# has been the most popular note on here and for good reason. It is one of the most mesmerizing keys to play. This one has nice big bore which gives it a beautiful deep bass drone. I have always loved the big bores for the sound of their drone as I love to play ambient synth like music. This one has great overtones as well and the vocals are incredible as on all agaves. Playing this for the recording I realized just how amazing this didge is and was so great to hear in the headphones I just wanted to keep playing as it was so soothing. This would be and incredible didge for meditation and sound healing. It has some really great percussive qualities and can move quickly when you want it to which is so great to be able to play fast on these deep notes. Just an amazing player and highly recommend this one!
This one is an absolute rhythm machine! It has such amazing response and so many strengths. With its great size and length this one is so fun to travel sounds and has tremendous percussive abilities. The overtones are so bright and easy to reach and the vocals are magnificent. A perfect amount of back pressure on this one which requires barely any breath. It does everything well and plays like a dream. There is also quite a bit of turquoise inlaid throughout that adds so much to its beautiful shape and wood grain. In one area there is a huge inlay where a bird fed on some of the grubs living inside the flower. I also love the combination of the woods in the mouthpiece which I thought fit the stalk perfectly. If you are just starting out or the most experienced player this one is sure to inspire so many new ideas!
Amongst all these thick gnarly Old Soul agaves I found on my trip I found this sweet little gem. Stalks like these were made to play fast and have an extra gear with the thin walls and thinner neck and tapering to a 5″ bell. With the thin walls this one has a ton of volume and really loud and clear vocals. Also the shape of this stalk lends it well to overtones and percussive style of play. E is becoming more and more a favorite of mine and I have picked this one up quite a bit while making it as it is so explosive and fun to play. If you like to play quick rhythms and percussive styles this would be such a great fit while at the same time also excelling in an ambient style of play. A little powerhouse!
These thick Old Souls play with such power and have such a good feel to play and listen to. I have a ton of stalks in my shop waiting to be made but all four on the site I realize now I picked up on a recent camping trip. They were all ones I pushed to the front because I just loved having them at camp and thinking about what they would end sounding like. It is always a treat to find these older thicker stalks as their drone is just so rich. This one was has such a sweet drone and the overtones are so clear and compliment the drone so well. I felt with the really light colored wood it would be accented nicely by the purpleheart and yellow tones of the canary wood and just looks so good to top it off. D is such a great note and I have probably played it most out when I play with other musicians. This would compliment other instruments of all styles with its ambient and percussive abilities. A solid didge that is also a great size for traveling around with and so sturdy with its stout sturdy walls.
