March 2006
Just Didgeridoo It!
Steve Young Is Not Your Average Oompah Musician
Australian Steve Young first came to Munich on a backpacking tour with DM100 in his pocket and a plan to stay in the city for ten days. Little did he know that he’d end up dressed in Lederhosen, playing in a traditional oompah band, before going on to develop far stranger musical talents. We catch up with one of the region’s best-loved didgeridoo teachers.
G’day Steve. Or should that be “servus”?
Good question. I learned German when I played clarinet in a Bavarian band, so I do speak a real mishmash of German and Bavarian.
How did you get involved in that?
I started my musical career here studying classical clarinet at the city’s Richard-Strauss-Konservatorium. It was after that, that I joined a Bavarian brass band, which of course meant dressing up in Lederhosen.
So having participated in German musical traditions, you then thought you’d try something closer to home?
I actually brought back a didgeridoo to Munich following a holiday in Australia. I started learning to play it, and soon became a real fan. I now have 11 different didgeridoos.
What do you find so special about the instrument?
The didgeridoo has an earthy, guttural sound that lends itself to myths and legends of any culture. It has a very calming influence and I love to see people relax when I play it. Playing the didgeridoo is almost meditative.
So you perform in public?
Absolutely. I was in a band that performed in Bavaria and toured around Germany. One of my biggest performing moments was to play a solo of “Waltzing Matilda” on the didgeridoo in Munich’s Hofgarten with the Philharmonic Big Band. Quite an experience. I’ve also played for various Australian events, and theater pieces, such as Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. I’m currently planning a number of other projects, such as recording didgeridoo music for an audio book.
How do Bavarians react to the didgeridoo?
They love it! It’s funny, because they often think the instrument is like an alphorn. I have to explain to them that you blow slower with the lips and need to use circular breathing with your cheeks, unlike with the alphorn.
Which brings us to teaching. How do you go about giving didgeridoo lessons?
I teach music to children aged eight to 18 at the Munich International School in Starnberg. I start teaching the very young ones by asking them to hop around the room like kangaroos in time to the didgeridoo. I also teach them about the history of Australia and explain the rich, Aboriginal culture to pupils. The didgeridoo is essentially Aboriginal and is a very special, sacred instrument. I’ve a lot of Aboriginal friends and have learned Aboriginal stories from them, which the students are always interested in hearing.
Is there life beyond the didgeridoo?
Oh, I play a lot of other things, including the saxophone, the sitar—an Indian string instrument—and the tabla—Indian drums. I also compose my own music.
Why the Indian influence?
I’ve done quite a bit of traveling there. In fact, I even took my didgeridoo there to practice, thinking that no one would mess with me if I had a big stick in my hand! I actually ended up giving away the instrument to a lovely Indian man whom I taught to play. He philosophized that music is mathematics plus spirituality, which I have adopted as a maxim.
You’ve been in Munich for ten years now, despite planning to stay for only ten days. What keeps you here?
Basically, music. The audiences in Munich and Bavaria are receptive to many different types of music. I also love elements of my life here. A friend, whom I call a Bavarian bush woman, takes me horse riding—I love galloping through the snow. I love the mountains, too. And I’ve made some very good German friends since I’ve been here.
What are your plans for the future?
I’d like to combine some of my instruments. I’ve been learning Indian traditional rhythms and I want to use these on the didgeridoo, bass clarinet and saxophone. One plan is to record myself playing the didgeridoo and play the sitar and tabla alongside it.
A sort of Austro-Indian one-man band?
Yeh, in a way. Ideally, I’d like to start a group that combines music of the didgeridoo, sitar and tabla. My first priority right now, however, is to get back to India and spend two months there learning more about sitar and tabla music.
Any blatant plugs before we go?
I give private lessons—contact me at
steve_youngie04@yahoo.com.au. You can catch me in concert with the Munich Swing Orchestra at the Holiday Inn on March 25 and 31.
