Album Notes

Exercises in Northeast Arnhem Land Yidaki Style

note/soapbox: Milkay sadly passed away in 2007, but his wish was that his son Buyu, pictured on the CD with him, benefit from any future income from the CD. Please respect his wishes and the Aboriginal organization that produced and continues to sell the CD. Do not steal from Aboriginal knowledge and copy this material, but please purchase copies for yourself! /end soapbox

Yolngu people of Northeast Arnhem Land, Australia, call the didgeridoo 'yidaki'. Their ngänarr-däl, or hard tongue, style has been called the hardest didge playing to learn.

On this CD, ceremonial and original Yothu Yindi player Milkayngu Mununggurr distills yidaki playing to the basics. Spoken and detailed written instructions & diagrams accompany the exercises. The instructions included in the CD are in English, but we are developing translations on our website. Rhythms are recorded at various speeds, with both the sound of the yidaki and the breathing audible.

This is the first recording of a Yolngu player explaining the fundamental techniques clearly in terms we can all understand. With it you will be able to understand and learn from other recordings much easier. This CD is produced by this art centre, with an unprecedented amount of the proceeds going to the artist, and the rest towards maintenance of this Yolngu-owned business.

If you play didgeridoo and have struggled to learn the Yolngu yidaki playing style, this is the primer you need. If you want to learn from Yolngu and buy a didjeridu CD that supports them directly, this is the one.