Didgeridoo Notation

Koumoulas, Markos

Didgeridoo Notation

dc.contributor.advisor	Rahn, D. Jay
dc.creator	Koumoulas, Markos
dc.date.accessioned	2019-05-17T12:44:05Z
dc.date.available	2019-05-17T12:44:05Z
dc.date.copyright	2018-12-04
dc.date.issued	2019-05-17
dc.date.updated	2019-05-17T12:44:05Z
dc.degree.discipline	Music
dc.degree.level	Master's
dc.degree.name	MA - Master of Arts
dc.description.abstract	The didgeridoo is a unique musical instrument considered to be one of the worlds oldest instruments. It plays an integral part in Australian Aboriginal history, spirituality, rituals and ceremonies. Didgeridoo playing is solely based on oral tradition with varying techniques and interpretations among Aboriginal communities. For non-Aboriginal musicians and composers, the didgeridoo lacks the status of a serious instrument and is often viewed as a novelty instrument. This may be why there is a lack of didgeridoo notation and its misrepresentation in the western notation world. This paper presents a Didgeridoo Notation Lexicon which will allow non-didgeridoo composers to understand a readable legend and incorporate the didgeridoo into their compositions. The need for didgeridoo notation will be discussed and analyzed in comparison to previous notation attempts of composers and musicologists such as Sean OBoyle, Liza Lim, Harold Kacanek and Wulfin Lieske. In the past, the inclusion of the didgeridoo in orchestral contexts has predominately been focussed on its associated Aboriginal imagery regarding dreamtime and spirituality. Conversely, my original composition fully integrates the didgeridoo within the orchestra as an equal instrument, not a focal point to advance a particular theme. I travelled to Cairns, Australia to interview world-renowned didgeridoo player, David Hudson. Hudsons insight, experience and knowledge of the Aboriginal community supported the creation of a Didgeridoo Notation Lexicon. This paper attempts to educate and inspire composers and musicologists to appreciate the intricacies of the didgeridoo and elevate its role in western composition.
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10315/36211
dc.language.iso	en
dc.rights	Author owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subject	Music Education
dc.subject.keywords	didgeridoo
dc.subject.keywords	aboriginal
dc.subject.keywords	australia
dc.subject.keywords	music
dc.subject.keywords	oceania
dc.subject.keywords	notation
dc.subject.keywords	performance
dc.subject.keywords	composition
dc.subject.keywords	chamber orchestra
dc.subject.keywords	instrumentation
dc.subject.keywords	orchestration
dc.subject.keywords	composers
dc.subject.keywords	musicology
dc.subject.keywords	ethnomusicology
dc.subject.keywords	dreamtime
dc.subject.keywords	david hudson
dc.subject.keywords	world music
dc.subject.keywords	music in australia
dc.subject.keywords	indigenous
dc.subject.keywords	indigenous music
dc.subject.keywords	australian music
dc.title	Didgeridoo Notation
dc.type	Electronic Thesis or Dissertation