What is the purpose of a mouthpiece made of wax and what is a perfect mouthpiece of didgeridoo like?

What is the purpose of a mouthpiece made of wax and what is a perfect mouthpiece of didgeridoo like?

(All the information given below is just my own opinion and can not be regarded to be universal truth in this sphere.

Firstly, if consumers buy or see an authentic Australian instrument with a mouthpiece made of wax they will always associate didgeridoo with this wax mouthpiece. They think: If Australian natives make didgeridoo with such mouthpieces the only correct instruments are those that have mouthpieces made of wax. In addition to this, these instruments have so peculiar ethnic features. Moreover people see some salt in this. Secondly, both in Russia and abroad it is very difficult to find the knowledge source about mouthpieces of didgeridoo which could cover this field broadly, and so the best way of getting knowledge is practical work. Practice of performing + practice of experience.

Practice demonstrates the following;

White wax helps to make the end of the tube, which is supposed to be inhaled by a buyer, presentable. It is not worth inventing something labour-intensive and complicated if customers agree to buy available goods and consider them charming and attractive. To be fair we can say that a mouthpiece made of wax has one advantage, it can be shaped in any way. In other words wax helps to find your own mouthpiece. You can mould a lot of mouthpieces and finally decide which of them is suitable. It is also noticeable if a person plays the didgeridoo in the meditative genre (it is slow drone without playing quick rhythmic passages) a wax mouthpiece will meet all his needs.

But if you want to improve your skills, youll have to change soft wax for something solid. When lips start adhering to a mouthpiece it does not improve virtuosity and speed of playing. Try to speculate; it is very hot in North Australia and how a native can play during long rituals if a mouthpiece made of white wax starts melting even in our climate. It is evident that Australian natives use another sort of wax that is more heat-resisting. If you are able to make a mouthpiece of such wax it will be great. But there are some other ways of making a solid mouthpiece.

1. You can make a mouthpiece of any plastic mixture. After this mixture becoming hard it can be put in final form and so you get a long-lived solid mouthpiece.

2. You can cut a ring out of wood or plastic and glue it down at the end of a tube. Some people make such rings of silicone.

3. But strange as it may seem the perfect variant is when didg has no mouthpiece at all. In this case the end of the tube serves as a mouthpiece. It is a controversial point because it is very difficult to find eucalyptus didg (and especially bamboo or reed ones) the end of which can be turned (sharpened) into a mouthpiece without great efforts.

I believe that the advantages of such a mouthpiece are obvious enough to be discussed any more.

But I realize that true admirers of wax exotics are disappointed.