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Dirt and Bone 4:030:00/4:03
Didgeridoo FAQ
What is a didgeridoo?
Didgeridoo (also spelled didjeridu) is an instrument that comes from Australia and is the traditional ceremonial instrument of many Aboriginal tribes. The sound of the didge is often described as a long, low pitched drone sound that is very vibrational. It's considered the world's oldest wind instrument and though it's debated on how long it's been around, it's generally accepted to have been around for about 40,000 years. There are many traditional names for didgeridoo, which vary from tribe to tribe but the more common ones are yidaki, mago and yigi yigi. The word “didgeridoo” is actually an onamonapia that was coined long ago by settlers trying to describe the sound to others who hadn't heard it yet. The name stuck.
How is the didgeridoo played?
You can play the didge simply by vibrating or buzzing your lips together like a raspberry. When you do this into the didgeridoo, it amplifies the sound into a low droning sound.
What is didgeridoo made from?
Didgeridoo can be made from wood, agave, yucca, glass, crystal, steel, plastic, carbon fiber, hemp and many other materials but traditionally, it's made from stringybark eucalyptus.
How is the didgeridoo made?
There are various ways a didgeridoo is made depending on where it comes from. In Australia, traditional owners of didgeridoo use either trunks of young trees or branches that have been hollowed out by termites. The harvester will tap on young trees to see which ones are ready to be harvested. If the sound is just right, then the harvester will cut the tree down and clean out the tube from any mud or debris left by the termites. It's then taken back to camp where it will be further stripped of bark, hollowed out more as needed and then painted.In the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world, hardwood didgeridoos are often made with the split and hollow method. These are usually made from storm fallen branches or even driftwood. The branch is brought to a workshop where it's first rough shaped, split in half by a bandsaw and hollowed out using various tools. Once hollowed out to the crafter's specifications, it's then glued back together and the shape further refined before finishing it with a coating of epoxy, shellac, polyurethane or other types of finishes. Agave and yucca didges can also be made using the split and hollow method or simply drilled or even burned out using fire.
I’m a beginner, what kind of didgeridoo should I look for?
Most beginners don’t really need to jump into a $400-$500 (or more) didgeridoo (unless you have the money and really want to). A simple plastic PVC or ABS pipe didge will do until you can get the basics of playing down. Once you do get the basics, then you can graduate to a better didgeridoo. When you start to look for your next didge, playability will be the first thing to keep in mind. For this, the main things to look for are no cracks or breaks around the top end of the didge that may cause air leaks, a good strong backpressure (the amount of air that recirculates back to you making a vacuum effect to create good seal where your mouth touches the mouthpiece) and a comfortable mouthpiece. A comfortable mouthpiece is super important because if you don’t have a mouthpiece you like or is uncomfortable, you won’t be inspired to play your didgeridoo much.
Sound quality is also a factor. A nice resonance (not to be confused with bass frequencies) and nice balanced sound across your frequency spectrum (i.e. bass, mid range and treble) can inspire you to play more.
It’s best to try a didge if you can before buying it to see if you are a good fit for each other. If this is not possible the next best thing is to contact the seller by phone if you can and ask them to play it over the phone to you. Most sellers will have a sound sample to let you know what the didge sounds like and what it’s capable of.
I have a didgeridoo from Australia but I have a hard time playing it, what should I do?
This is a bit of a trick question because many, if not most, didgeridoos sold in Australia are sold as tourist didges, which means it’s a roll of the dice on what you get as far as a playable instrument. If you have didgeridoo that isn’t that playable it could be for several different reasons the most of which they simply weren’t made well. Many of these types of didges usually will have cracks around the top end of the didge where the mouthpiece is. If your didge has these cracks, they can easily be fixed by covering the crack with beeswax or if you’re not worried about aesthetics, a piece of electrical tape works well. Superglue may also work but over time, superglue can become brittle and not work in the end. Another reason why a didgeridoo may be hard to play is because the top end where the mouthpiece is may be too big. An ideal size for the inside diameter of mouthpiece is about 1 ½ inches. Two inches maximum. Anything bigger than that, you lose a lot of a backpressure and makes the didge hard to start.
Beware of cheap teak didgeridoos made to look like Australian made didges. These didgeridoos are made as quickly as possible and are usually unplayable because there has been too much material left inside the didge from drilling out or the drill has pierced the through the side of the didge and a cheap patch is used to plug the hole. If you want to bring a didgeridoo home as a souvenir from Australia, it’s best to look for a didgeridoo that is Aboriginal made. These didges are now certified meaning they are authentic and much more valuable as both an instrument and a piece of art. Plus you’ll be supporting Aboriginal artists.
What is circular breathing and how do I do it?
Circular breathing is a process where you push a reserve of air out from your cheeks using you cheeks, jaws and tongue while you take a short sniff in through your nose. This process allows you to keep the didgeridoo drone going giving the illusion of playing on one long breath. You can learn circular breathing following the link to this video.
How do I clean my didgeridoo?
Australian made didges and bamboo didges – These tend to not be finished on the inside meaning they are raw wood on the inside. So the best way to clean them is to simply wipe the mouthpiece end with a clean dry cloth after you play. Also, you can make your own fresher/disinfectant mixture with a few drops of lavender oil, a few drops of tea tree oil in about eight ounces of water in a spray bottle. Simply shake the bottle before spraying. A few spritzes will do and then wipe down with a clean damp cloth.
American and European made didgeridoos and plastic didges – These tend to be finished on the inside usually with a coating of table top epoxy or some other kind of coating. Make sure there is no raw wood exposed on the inside or you can damage your didgeridoo with this method. You can either follow the same directions for Australian didge above or if you need a deep cleaning, you can do this with e an extendable dryer hose lint brush (which can be found at hardware stores and a bottle of castile soap/water mix. You can safely pour a little of castile soap/water mix down the inside of your didge then insert the brush and swish it around. You can rinse the didge out by pouring a glass of water down through the inside. Make sure that you do all of this either outside or in a bathtub or shower stall where the water can run down the drain.
How do I do animal sounds?
To get you started, you can follow the link to this video.
I have sleep apnea, can didgeridoo help me?
Yes and no. Learning to play didgeridoo has helped some sleep apnea patients while, for some reason, it hasn’t helped others. The best thing to do is give it a try for about two to three months to learn the basic techniques and circular breathing. Circular breathing is the techniques that seems to be the most helpful for sleep apnea because it works the throat muscles and the root of the tongue to strengthen those muscles. If you do decide to give didgeridoo a try, make sure you’re ready to give it time and consistent practice because these will be the keys to a more successful outcome. You can find the results of the Swiss study of didgeridoo effects on sleep apnea by following this link
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