Beeswax
The makers usually use timber glue to seal the raw timber that protects the instrument from losing moisture and essential oils. If your instrument is painted, you might like to protect the artwork. On both natural timber or paint, I recommend using clear oil or water-based matt or gloss varnish.
The size of our mouthpieces is between 28mm and 36mm, mostly between 30 and 32 mm. The size depends on the size and depth of a particular instrument. The bigger and deeper it is, the bigger the mouthpiece.
Most didgeridoo players prefer to use beeswax mouthpieces. Over time your didgeridoo beeswax mouthpiece will become dirty, broken or worn down. It is very simple to change this yourself with the right mouthpiece kit and instructions.
The MEINL Didgeridoo Mouthpiece is made from 100% antiseptic beeswax that can be formed to fit all our didgeridoos. When fitted, the all-natural, hygienic beeswax mouthpiece makes it easy to hold tones and is comfortable to play, especially for extended use. Outer diameter 60mm, inner diameter 30mm.
Orange Oil has great cleaning properties and is marvellous for Didgeridoos as it both cleans and restores. Apply with a soft cloth and then buff. Orange Oil is completely plant based and food safe, contains no silicon and smells wonderful.
You can use beeswax (or any type of wax, really–beeswax is favored for many reasons) to make your mouthpiece hole a bit smaller. Note, note all didgeridoos require a mouthpiece! It's completely okay to not have one if your mouthpiece hole is the appropriate size and it's tapered so it's comfortable to play.
Whilst in theory a didgeridoo could be used indefinitely through constant repair and maintenance, the lifespan of a didgeridoo in Aboriginal society is usually 2 to 3 years.
A long straight internal column without any natural bumps and curves is usually a sign of a cheap replica (but not always). Authentic didgeridoos start out as naturally hollowed trees, hollowed out by termites.
It is significant that non-indigenous people have been given permission from many traditional owners to play the instrument although it is acknowledged that some Aboriginal communities feel allowing non-idigenous people to play the instrument is cultural theft.
"The breathing technique needed to play the didgeridoo helps strengthen lung capacity and is proven to have reduced the effects of sleep apnea and asthma.
If you are after a “don't mess with me” solution, using a light surfboard grade fiberglass and epoxy resin you can strap up a crack that will outlast the didgeridoo itself! 5. For best results mix your glue with some sawdust or color oxide to compliment or clash as you desire.
A didgeridoo is a eucalyptus trunk naturally hollowed out by termites. However, several stages separate the trunk in its natural state from the finished instrument.
It was, for them, a sacred instrument for corroborees and other private 'men's business'. (In fact, we have been told that some believe that a woman may not even touch a didgeridoo.) Nowadays this is not a strong issue, and didgeridoos are often played by women just as well as men.
Didgeridoos generally range in keys from a high "G" to a low "A". A common "C" didgeridoo will be two octaves below middle "C" of a piano. The keys of C, D and E are the easiest keys to learn how to play on the didgeridoo. Click here to see our modern didgeridoos.
They looked at a small group of people that practiced their didgeridoo for 20-30 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week. This practice resulted in decreased snoring, better sleep for bed partners and significant decreases in apnea events per hour. There was no medical intervention to achieve these results.
Both agave and yucca didgeridoos are excellent, lightweight, and great for healing work. Here at Didge Project we currently carry yucca didgeridoos made by Sam David made in the United States. You are also able to find yucca in places all around the world. Many makers in Mexico make agave didgeridoos.
1- Choosing a good didgeridoo
Things like resonance, tonal qualities,ease of play,shape,size and quality of construction are all important.
In manufacturing, yellow and white beeswax are used as thickeners, emulsifiers, and as stiffening agents in cosmetics. Beeswax absolute is used as a fragrance in soaps and perfumes. White beeswax and beeswax absolute are also used to polish pills.
Beeswax is used to make the foundation and honeycomb hexagonal cells used for raising the brood and storage of honey and pollen (Bogdanvov, 2016). The wax cells are used to cradle larvae, and are storage cells for pollen and honey, and the entire wax foundation supports the mass of working bees.
Beeswax has also long been used in this region, and continues to be used to attach stingray barbs to spears, fix handles to axes, and to waterproof water vessels carved from the wood of the bat-wing coral tree.