The didgeridoo is one of oldest Wooden Brass Instruments in the world. It originated in northern Australia and is played by the Indigenous people of the land. Didgeridoos are traditionally made from eucalyptus trees that are naturally hollowed out by termites.
Traditional didgeridoos are usually made from hardwoods, especially the various eucalyptus species that are endemic to northern and central Australia. Generally the main trunk of the tree is harvested, though a substantial branch may be used instead.
didjeridu, also spelled didgeridoo or didjeridoo also called dronepipe, wind instrument in the form of a straight wooden trumpet. The instrument is made from a hollow tree branch, traditionally eucalyptus wood or ironwood, and is about 1.5 metres (5 feet) long.
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument made and used by many northern and central Australian cultural groups. It is crafted by using the main trunk of eucalyptus trees that have been hollowed out by termites. The tunnels created by the termites give the didgeridoo its unique “whirling” sound.
Eucalypt wood is also commonly used to make didgeridoos, a traditional Australian Aboriginal wind instrument. The trunk of the tree is hollowed out by termites, and then cut down if the bore is of the correct size and shape.
It is generally believed that didgeridoo where sourced from the Northern areas of the Northern Territory and the North East of the Kimberelys. These areas correspond to the distribution of two types of eucalyptus trees, the stringybark and the woollybutt.
Perhaps the most well known tree used medicinally by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is the one the Bundjalung Peoples in Northern NSW refer to as 'kallara', otherwise known as Melaleuca alternifolia – commonly known as tea tree.
Due to its size (some can measure up to over 10 feet / 3 meters in length) and club-like appearance, a didgeridoo may not fit into most airlines' musical instrument policy. In such cases, you will need to have your didgeridoo checked into the cargo hold.
The didgeridoo is an Aboriginal instrument which, traditionally, is important in Aboriginal ceremony. It is musical, and today it is used to play contemporary music, but traditionally this was not the role of the didgeridoo. The voice of the didgeridoo was part of story telling and teaching.
Yidaki is the Aboriginal word for didgeridoo in eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, among the Yolngu Matha-speaking people who call themselves Yolngu.
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.
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.
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.
A hardy legume tree, ironwood's range closely matches the boundaries of the Sonoran Desert, the only place in the world where it occurs. The only species in the genus Olneya, ironwood is notable for its slow growth rates and extremely dense wood. Its wood even sinks in water.
Clear and resonant sound
A round sound rich in harmonics (high pitched sounds) will resonate quickly. And you will be surprised to find that a bamboo can surpass the acoustic quality of an industrial wooden didgeridoo (Teak and Eucalyptus dug by the screw) !
Trying the digeridoo is something non-Aboriginal people should consider with sensitivity, as both male and female travelers are curious about how the instrument works. However, it is wise to allow the local Aboriginal elders where you are visiting to guide your actions.
Traditionally, a didgeridoo was made from a eucalyptus tree that was eaten out by termites. In the northern part of Australia, where the didgeridoo originated, the type of eucalyptus tree was usually the Wooly Butt gum, or, another kind the Stringy Box gum.
The didgeridoo is perhaps the oldest wind instrument in the world. Some argue that the didgeridoo has been in use for over 40,000 years, but the oldest verifiable records (in the form of rock and cave paintings) of Aborigines playing the instrument puts the date closer to 1500 years ago.
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.
Australian girls have been warned that playing the didgeridoo could lead to infertility as a consequence of messing with "men's business".
"We use a very small percentage of our lung capacity on a daily basis - by learning the didgeridoo we are learning to use more of our lungs. "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.
The Mongarlowe mallee, also known as the 'ice age gum', may be Australia's loneliest tree. Since its discovery in 1985, extensive searching has revealed the existence of just six trees from four sites.
Australians have chosen the river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) as their favourite native tree in ABC's national poll. “The river red gum is the perfect Australian tree.
The Huon pine is Australia's oldest living tree and is one of the oldest living organisms on earth. Individuals have been known to reach an age of 3,000 years. Fossil records from a tree found in a boggy area in the south west of Tasmania were dated at 3,462 years!