Didgeridoo: Australian musical instrument

The didgeridoo which can also be called “didjeridu” is a wind instrument that is developed by the natural people of Australia of northern Australia about 1,500 years ago. The musical instrument is still spreading today both in the originating country and many other places around the world. It is said to be a natural wooden trumpet or drone pipe. There are no reliable sources that has stated the actual age of the musical instrument.  The study of ancient past rock arts in the Northern Australia opined in guess that the people of Kakadu region of the Northern side have been using the musical instrument for more than 1,000 years because of the dates found on the paintings on the cave walls and shelters from this period.

source of picture: www.daphnesclub.com

There has been many names that was given to the musical instrument among the Aboriginal people of the Northern Australia of which none of them is related to the main name didgeridoo; Arrente people call it “ilpirra”, Anindilyakwa people call it “ngarriralkpwina”, Gupapuygu people call it “yiraka” and many more.  The didgeridoo is believed to be an onomatopoetic word of the western invention.

The original didgeridoos are produced in the traditionally oriented communities in the Northern part of Australia, and the maker do travel to the central and northern Australia to collect the raw material used for the production. The musical instrument is normally made of hardwoods, specifically the eucalyptus species that are endemic to the region. Generally the main stem of the tree is harvested. The craftsmen of didgeridoos hunt for the live trees that might have termite activities. The termites remove only the dead heartwood of the tree as the living sapwood that is remaining contains chemical that kills the insects. There are so many ways of finding the desired tree that is suitable for this activity which includes; knowledge of landscape and termite activity ways and a kind of knock and tap test. Once the suitable tree is discovered, it is cut down and cleaned, the bark is removed and the ends will be trimmed, the exterior will be shaped and this will give you a finished instrument. A rim of beeswax could be used on the mouthpiece end. Non-traditional didgeridoo can as well be made from PVP piping, non-native woods, glass, fiberglass, clay, carbon fibre and even hemp and the mouthpiece can be constructed from beeswax or hardwood.

This musical instrument can be played by continuously vibrating the lips to give out the sound using the special breathing pattern called circular breathing. This demands breathing in through the nose while you easily bring out the stored air using your tongue and your cheeks. With this technique, a player can continuously play the instrument for as long as he wished.

Many didgeridoos are designed using traditional paints or even the modern paints by the artists or the producers. It is common to retain the natural wood grain with a little or no decoration and some makers of this instrument deliberately avoid decorating the instrument.