If you have ever heard the call of the Didgeridoo, you know it is a sound that is very distinct and one that stands out from all the rest. If you've never heard the Didgeridoo, you may actually be asking yourself, "What the heck is a Didgeridoo?" The Didgeridoo is believed to be the world's oldest wind instrument, dating back thousands of years. It originates as an instrument of the Northern Australian Aborigine. There is a great old mythical story that tells of the beginnings of this instrument. It goes like this....
Three men were camped out on a cold night in the outback. One of the men told another to put a log on the fire, because the fire was getting low and it was very cold. So, the other man turned and grabbed a log, which was awfully light to the touch, for it was hollow. As he went to drop it into the fire, he noticed the entire length was covered with termites. He did not know what to do, for he could not throw the branch into the fire, because it would kill the termites, and his friends were telling him to do so because it was cold. So, he carefully removed all the termites from the outside of the log by scooping them into his hand, and he deposited them inside the hollow branch. Then he raised the branch to his lips and blew the termites into the air. The termites blown into the air became stars, and the first Didgeridoo was created."
Didgeridoos are traditionally made from hollowed pieces of eucalyptus branches or saplings. There are many species of eucalyptus but only a few dozen species that tend to be workable for the making of Didgeridoos. The termites are quite abundant in Australia, but even numbering in the millions, it takes them almost a year to hollow out a tree. So, the timing for finding these hollowed branches has to be just right so it is not too thick and not too thin. It has to be just the right thickness to become a nice resonant instrument. The harvesting of these branches is considered an art form in itself.
After finding the right hollowed branch, the aborigine would clean out all the termites and then strip off the bark. The instrument would then be decorated with ochre paintings (a plant based paint) that symbolized things about the tribe, like their food preferences and totems, including creatures from their natural environment. Some of the earliest artwork ever found was in Australian caves using ochre paints, which has led people to believe that the aborigine were also using it on Didgeridoos around the same time.
To play the Didgeridoo, one of the first things that must be done is to have a proper mouth piece. In the making of the Didgeridoo, a rim of beeswax can be used to reduce the diameter of a large sized branch down to a more playable size aperture and allows for a proper seal to be made with the mouth so no air escapes. It also makes it more comfortable for playing versus having your lips jammed into a hollowed out branch.
To create the basic "drone" sound, you must vibrate your lips in a way similar to doing a "raspberry" when you were a kid. This is why it is also considered the first wind instrument because all of the brass family instruments (tuba, trombone, trumpet, etc.) require a similar but tighter lip vibration. The Didgeridoo is a very rhythmic instrument and there are many techniques that can be added to the basic drone sound, such as using your tongue, cheeks, voice and breathing pulses. When used in combination, all of these techniques can create a multitude of amazing sounds.
Despite its dynamic sound and rhythmic capabilities, the Didgeridoo is actually considered a "drone" instrument because it only vibrates at one specific frequency, or key. Besides the mouthpiece and the bell (bottom), there are no other holes or openings, such as in a flute, to change its pitch. The varying length of the branches that are harvested, as well as the thickness and shape of the branch, will determine what key or pitch the instrument will play in. The branch can be sawed off to get it closer to, or even tuned to a specific key. Shorter length pieces yield a higher pitch, while longer pieces have lower pitches. Didgeridoos generally range in keys from a high "G" to a low "A". A common "C" Didgeridoo will be two octaves below middle "C" on a piano. The key of C is one of the easiest keys to learn how to play on the Didgeridoo. The lower pitch Didgeridoos tend to be harder to play due to the more advanced lip control needed to start the instrument resonating. In my opinion, higher keys tend to be a little more fun to play and require a faster, more "buzzy" lip vibration that gets closer to a tuba or trombone aperture.
The Didgeridoo is traditionally played accompanied with clap sticks and/or the clapping together of boomerangs in Corroborees (ceremonial dances). Players can also tap out rhythms on the side of the Didgeridoo using fingers or sticks. The aborigine would use the Didgeridoo as a communication device across the outback, as well as to tell stories. One storytelling technique involved mimicking the sounds of their natural environment using the Didgeridoo.
On a more spiritual level, the sound of the Didgeridoo is very sacred to the aborigine and represents "Dreamtime" - all that is, all that ever was, and all that ever will be. They would also use the instrument for "vision quest" type of ceremonies and in a meditative way. The Didgeridoo is considered to be one of the oldest healing, communication and meditation tools on our planet.
Anthony Aversano is a talented musician with early interests in playing percussion, electronic music and sound engineering. Through the exploration of this passion and his personal path of spiritual discovery, Anthony was led to playing the Didgeridoo and using sound as a tool for healing.