Didgeridoo

Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Teacher Resource Center

Didgeridoo

Country/Culture: Australia

Materials: Wood

Accession no: ED 2003.4.2

Written by: Brittani McLeod

The Didgeridoo is a musical instrument that originated in the Northern part of Australia, and has been around for more than 400,000 years. The name originated from the sound that the instrument makes. This has created variations within the spelling of the word such as didjeridu, didjeridoo, and didgeridu (IDIDJ Australia).This instrument has been, and is, a very important part of the Northern Australian aborigine’s life. It not only provides entertainment, but also teaches the history of the tribes, and is used within religious ceremonies (IDIDJ Australia).

Didgeridoos can be made from many different materials such as “… bamboo, plastic, metal, cardboard, and clay”. The didgeridoo in the teacher’s resource center is made of wood. The process of making the didgeridoo from this material is a very meticulous process (Cheal, 2007).

The artisan first searches from a selection of trees such as the native Eucalyptus. When a tree is found they remove a portion of the bark, and tap it to see if there is a hollowing within it. The hollowing is created by terminates who feed on the wood. If they believe this has occurred, and it has been confirmed by the tapping of the fingers, they extract a portion of the tree to revel the size of the hole. If the hole is either too big or small then the artisan will discard it. If the hole is acceptable then they will cut it down, and carve a rough shape of the instrument. After testing the sound of the didgeridoo they start the final process of carving and decoration (IDIDJ Australia). Just like the instrument takes some time and patience to make, so does the learning of how to play the instrument.

It is known as one of the hardest instruments to play. The musician manipulates the music by the vibrations of their lips (Romer, 2008). While playing the instrument he uses a technique called circular breathing. While blowing into the instrument with his mouth, he breathes in air through his nose and then releases it out of his mouth. This cycle of breathing helps prolong the sound when playing the instrument (Didgeridoo, 2008).The playing of the didgeridoo is also an important part of spiritual ceremonies within the community.

These ceremonies are carried out by men of the village. Before the ceremony they create a special didgeridoo that is played by an important religious figure. This specially made instrument is highly guarded from the public eye (IDIDJ Australia). Those that are seen by the public are used in ritual ceremonies that the whole community participates in (Didgeridoo, 2008)

Cheal, J. (2007). The Didjeridu: A Guide. Retrieved 2008, from http://www.gwiztraining.com/Didj%20Book.pdf

Didgeridoo. (2008). Retrieved 2008, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didgeridoo

IDIDJ Australia. (n.d.). the Didgeridoo. Retrieved 2008, from IDIDJ Australia: Australian didjeridu cultural hub: http://www.ididj.com.au/theDidjeridu/index.html

Romer, M. (2008). Didgeridoo. Retrieved 2008, from About.com:World Music: http://worldmusic.about.com/od/instruments/g/didgeridoo.htm