A didgeridoo¹ is basically a long tube, used as a musical instrument. Usually, it produces a low pitch, resonant sound, with complex rhythmic patterns. They were originally found in Arnhem Land, Northern Australia. Originating from Aborigine culture², the didgeridoo is possibly one of the world's oldest musical instruments. In Aboriginal culture, it is used as an accompaniment to chants and songs.

How are they Made?

Genuine didgeridoos are naturally hollowed out by termites³. Being very sensitive to light, and preferring warm and humid conditions, an ideal home for termites is inside trees.

Strong as they are, termites can't go through the living bark of the tree - they depend on finding ready-made access to the centre of a tree or sapling. Once a suitable hole has been found, the termites start eating away at the inside of the tree, hollowing it out.

Northern parts of Australia contain vast areas of trees, which are a suitable home for termites. So how can you tell if a particular tree has been hollowed? Some ignorants just take a chainsaw and start cutting hundreds and thousands of trees down to find a few hollow ones, leaving carnage behind them. Aboriginal people feel sad and resentful about that as the land and trees are sacred to them.

An aboriginal didgeridoo maker walks for miles through the bush. Some say they can smell the termites, others say they can see from the shape of the tree and its leaves which ones are well-hollowed. In any case, they cut only hollow trees and take only a few here and there without destroying the forest⁴.

A good didgeridoo maker will not use 'raw' wood. Rather, he will let it 'season' for a few months, a process which increases the quality of the wood. After seasoning, the bark is removed and the interior cleaned of the dirt the termites usually deposit in there, generally by soaking it for a few days then using a stick or hot coals. The still rough exterior has to be smoothed and sanded, and any holes in the didge need filling. Beeswax is often used for this.

What about Decoration?

A great deal of care goes into the decoration of most didgeridoos. Traditional methods of decoration use ochre⁵ and clay, and charring the surface of the didge. Alternatively, the didge may be painted using acrylic colours. But however it is decorated, the end result is almost always an intricate design of great beauty.

Can I Make a Didge?

Yes. It seems to be possible to make a didgeridoo out of practically anything that can be (or is already) hollowed out. You can use:

• Plastic pipes
• Clay
• Gourds
• Bon do (a common car repair material)
• Cedar (or practically any other wood)
• Yucca plants

Didgeridoings.com gives instructions on how to make didges from the above materials - and many more besides...

What Determines the Musical Key of a Didge?

Pitch is related to size - basically, big means lower, small means higher. So a long, wide didge will have a lower pitch than a shorter, narrower didge. However, the actual shape of the inner cavity also has an influence - widenings near the top mean lower keys while widenings near the bottom mean higher ones. This is only a general guideline as each didge is individual.

How do I Play It?

Place the end of the didge over your mouth firmly (but not really hard) and buzz your lips somewhat the way that a note is sounded on a trumpet, but with your lips a lot looser. It can be quite a difficult idea to get first time, as when you get it going, your lips rarely touch. You need to relax the muscles that are in your face (ie jaws and cheeks) and just loosely have your lips on the didge. Some people get it almost immediately and others have to experiment for a while before they do. Anyone can learn it with a little effort. A steady drone is the sort of sound you should be aiming for. Initially it will probably be quite difficult to maintain the sound. However, with enough practise, you'll soon be able to keep the sound going for as long as you can make a single breath last.

When you start, you'll want to experiment with what you're doing. You may want to vary the size of the mouthpiece - find the size that suits you best. You may want to experiment with the position of the didge on your mouth. Some people find it more comfortable to have the didge central on the lips, while some prefer it to one side, by varying amounts.

To play the didgeridoo properly you'll eventually need to be able to keep the basic tone going all the time. To do this you need to learn a technique called circular breathing, whereby you occasionally keep the didge tone going with air in your cheeks being pushed out with pressure from your tongue and cheek muscles at the same time that you're breathing in through your nose. Before attempting this you should get very steady and efficient with the basic tone.

Once you have mastered the basic tone, it's time to add some variety. To do this, you project vocal sounds through the didge, whilst maintaining the basic tone. The first sound (and probably the easiest) is the owl sound. First try making the sound without the didge, but still having your lips vibrating.

Next up is the kookaburra sound. Start off by just saying 'kook' repeatedly. Then increase the pitch and speed, and add in the lip vibrations. This will probably take a while to get used to, as you are actually speaking.

The last sound is the kangaroo. To do this, you need to incorporate your tongue. Whilst blowing through the didge, you need to flick your tongue from the roof of your mouth to the back of your bottom set of teeth.

Other than that, it's mostly a question of lips, tongue, and breath pressure. You can hum while blowing to get strange noises, scream, use your tongue to go 'ta-ta-ta'⁶ or double tongue - 'ta-ka-ta-ka'⁷ (twice as fast). The harmonics of the didge change as you puff or squeeze your cheeks as that's one of the main ways you can change the note. Also, you can make a sudden puff of air, as if you are coughing without the sound of the cough. This gives a 'huh!' kind of noise. You can also use this to get higher notes.

Aboriginalart.com has audio samples which will allow you hear the sounds you should be making.