This stunning yiḏaki is a collaborative work of two artists: Larry Gurruwiwi (I don’t think I need to introduce him) and Marrnyula Munuŋgurr, who painted an exceptional artwork on the hollow log. Marrnyula is a senior artist from Yirrkala; her artworks travelled Australia wide and were displayed on several exhibitions. The design you can see on this instrument is a traditional Djapu clan miny’tji (design or colour), painted with natural ochre.
The yiḏaki is a quite slow instrument, the mouthpiece is unusually big, especially from Larry, who usually makes didgeridoos with tight aperture along the top section, therefore his instruments come with high backpressure – not this one. I would suggest to apply some wax to reduce the opening, it will make this yiḏaki easier to play. It is sometimes tricky to start the drone on instrument with low backpressure, it is not the case with this one; the sound is warm, has a good bass, a little bit sluggish, and rich in overtones as it warms up. The trumpets are fairly easy to play, and sound great.
I recommend this traditional didgeridoo for those, who are looking for a great yiḏaki to relax their mind and body, and/or would like to buy a top quality, detailed traditional Yolŋu artwork from Northeast Arnhem Land.
Listen to this yiḏaki here:
