The Didgeridoo is one of the worlds oldest wind instruments and has been dated back to 20,000 B.C. It is an important part of the aboriginal heritage with its use ranging from musical and healing to ceremonial heritage.

A Didgeridoo is played by blowing air into the mouthpiece while at the same time, creating a vibration with the lips. This sound is usually accompanied by soft tapping on the side of the Didgeridoo, and the sound of 'clapping' 2 sticks together.

As the Didgeridoo existed before the rise of western musical notation, there is no standard keys for Didgeridoos. The width and length of the Didgeridoo determines the key that the instrument will be in and there is quite a variation of lengths. Music stores commonly stock Didgeridoos with a length of 1 metre to 1.2 metres.

According to one aboriginal legend, the very first man wanted to make the sky happy. His efforts led him to put a hollow branch to his mouth and play. The force of his breath expelled all the termites that lived in the hollow branch, out the open end. These termites became the stars.

Making a Didgeridoo

Although many of todays cheaper Didgeridoo are made out of plastic, authentic Didgeridoos are made from eucalyptus branches. Even though there are many eucalyptus species, only a few can be used to make a Didgeridoo. The species of eucalyptus that are used, grow with a fleshy centre. When a small hole is made in the outer bark of a branch, termites are able to move in. After about a year, the branch is hollowed out, leaving the dense outer layer of the eucalyptus intact. Once this hollowed branch is cut, it is left to season for a few months.

After it has been 'seasoned', the bark is stripped, the inside is cleaned and any holes are filled. A beeswax mouthpiece is added, the Didgeridoo is ready to play.

As Didgeridoos are becoming more popular around the world, many Didgeridoo makers just cut all the branches and saplings in an area to find enough hollow ones. This is leaving a large impact on Australian forests. It is for this reason that Didgeridoos are made from a number of natural and synthetic materials.

Playing the Didgeridoo

A Didgeridoo is played by blowing air into the mouthpiece while at the same time, creating a vibration with the lips.

1. Practice first by making the lowest pitch buzzing noise you can.

2. Stick out your bottom lip just a little beyond your upper lip.

3. Keeping your lips loose, make the buzzing noise as if you are giving someone a 'raspberry'. Your loose lips will help them vibrate and create the buzzing sound.

4. Now try to make this low buzzing sound in the Didgeridoo.

The long hollow chamber in the Didgeridoo amplifies the sound. With practice you should be able to create a drone sound. It is important to keep your lips relaxed and loose. Trying too hard often causes beginners to tighten their lips.

Once the drone has been mastered, the pitch of the drone can be changed by slightly tightening your lips. If you over tighten you lips, the sound will stop. Rhythm can be added to the drone by varying when you take each breath.

The next step would be to learn to circular breath.