Mago Maningrida MN51
In short: A vintage mago from the Maningrida region, from the 1970s, in woollybutt, in F: an old style of making, impossible to find nowadays, still in playing condition.
This mago: Following my merger with AboriginalArts UK, I was able to take over the whole collection of Bear, its owner. Here is a vintage mago from the Maningrida region, dating from the 1970s.
It is a museum-worthy instrument, combining the build quality of the magos of the 70s and 80s with a genuine traditional voice more than 50 years old. An old style of making, with the mouthpiece carved into the upper part of the mago.
The wood has not been reworked on the outside, which gives it an even more vintage look. This kind of mago is impossible to find nowadays. Mouthpiece in sugarbag blackwax. It is still in playing condition!
The mago: Most didgeridoo enthusiasts know the yidaki and its place in the culture of north-east Arnhem Land. The mago is less well known: it is a variant of the didgeridoo, made and used in western Arnhem Land.
Its length is made to accompany songs in one of two styles: bunggurl, the eastern style, or kunborrk, the western tradition. The magic of this instrument is that you can also play styles other than the traditional one on it, thanks to the very fine work on the air column.
The sound is broad and rich in harmonics, while keeping an organic, "raw termite" timbre.
Good to know: These instruments are painted in ochre, with natural pigments, and are varnished neither inside nor outside. Some may have a few small cracks at the bell, but all are playable.
These are "vintage" instruments, most of them more than 40 years old: it is a real stroke of luck to be able to get one nowadays!
- Shipping is free! (France only)
- The carry bag is free!
Classification
This scale is the result of an air column/bell start ratio If we divide the diameter of the bell with that of the beginning of the air column we get a number between 1.5 and 3.5. We can classify all the didgeridoos in 4 large families. Each family groups the instruments with a similar character, simply based on the overall shape of the air column (conical/cylindrical) and on the diameter of the column (wide/narrow). The result is a simple and very reliable reading grid, making it easier to search and purchase on line.
The diameters are measured with a caliper, start of the air column after the mouthpîece. This ratio is very reliable for a didg having a air column with a 'smooth' internal work, in the case of a hollowed eucalyptus instrument it give an approach of the instrumental character.
Mago
The mago is another kind of "traditional" didgeridoo, made from a eucalyptus hollowed out by termites.
What is a mago?
The mago is a type of traditional didgeridoo from western Arnhem Land. The word is used by several language groups whose country stretches from the Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) community in the west to the Blyth River east of Maningrida, and south towards Katherine.
The word "mago" has become a generic name commonly used for the instruments played in this region. Its use even extends beyond western Arnhem Land: many didgeridoo enthusiasts use it for traditional didgeridoos made outside north-east Arnhem Land, that is, all Top End didgeridoos that are not yidakis.
The name "mago" is most often used for shorter, cylindrical traditional instruments.
This style is characterised by a drone without any "toot" (the trumpet sound), and by melodic overtones created by the player's voice over the drone. Mago-type didgeridoos also tend to have an open inner bore which, combined with the use of the vocal cords, gives their sound a melodic character.
Like other traditional instruments, the mago is used as rhythmic accompaniment for traditional songs.
Care: like the yidaki, the mago needs regular, preventive care to last a lifetime! To avoid cracks and give the wood time to return to a proper moisture level, I recommend reading the Advice and Accessories pages.