Si Mullumby has dedicated his life to playing the Yidaki (didgeridoo). His career has spanned many countries and he has performed countless concerts and performances as well as taught workshops on Yidaki playing.
The Tzolkin Trilogy is the maturation of Si’s playing. It uses the primal sounds of the Yidaki to explore the universal processes of creation and consciousness as represented in the Tzolkin, or Mayan Calendar, and the nourishing and healing aspect of the sound of this instrument.
In this exclusive extract from the work, Si Mullumby discusses the therapeutic potential of the Yidaki:
Firstly there is the breath. The Didgeridoo uses a rhythmic breathing method known as circular breathing. It’s a way of pushing air out of the lips using the cheeks as bellows, while snatching quick breaths of air through the nostrils into the lungs, keeping the sound droning continuously. When playing the didgeridoo, the breath moves in rhythmic cycles, and these cycles alter consciousness.
Secondly there is the element of catharsis. An aspect of the expanding awareness that this rhythmic breath creates is that it opens a channel for any unexpressed emotions lingering in the zone between the conscious and unconscious mind. These feeling may be expressed by voice and expressed from the body as sound.
Thirdly there is the drone. Unlike the human voice, which stops and starts while chanting AUM, the didgeridoo sounds this syllable continuously without interruption producing very powerful low-pitch frequencies and undertones. This instrument is the ultimate tool for meditating on the vibrational essence of AUM.
And finally it is music. With capacity of the entire vocal spectrum, plus the infinite range of rhythm, the didgeridoo combines all these incredible spiritual tools within the warm embrace of music.
It’s a great tool for self-transformation, and for transmitting truth to the world in sound. It inspires people who hear it to come along for the journey – the inner journey guided by the Dream Drone. And those who listen lend the light of their awareness to that of the player, adding the dynamic force of collective consciousness to steer the journey to deeper levels.
Copyright © Singing Dragon 2012.