Didgeridoo, Still in Fashion

Although it is considered to be the world’s oldest wind instrument, the didgeridoo gains more and more popularity these days. Many contemporary musicians and musical bands use it, as it gives an exotic, mystical note to their performance. It originates from Australia, from the Aborigine tribes. It is commonly made of eucalyptus wood filled with naturally made termite holes. Its length covers about three to four feet. In order to play the didgeridoo, one has to use a special breathing technique, called circular breathing. That means the player has to perform in a continous way, without stopping to catch his breath. So, the air is supposed to be inhaled through the nose while, at the very same time, it should be let out through the mouth with the use of cheeks and tongue. This method can enable the performer to refill his lungs with air and with enough practice he can also keep a note for as long as he desires. The highest record for such contemporary didgeridoo players is considered to be that of Mark Atkins who, in 1994, kept playing the instrument for more than fifty minutes without stopping. Others claim there are other records of more than an hour, but there are no evidence of this fact.

We cannot know for sure how old the didgeridoo is. According to archeological sources, the people from the northern part of Australia, namely the Aboriginal tribe known as Kakadu, are likely to have used this special instrument for the past 1500 years.

One of the very first mentions of didgeridoo could be found in a writing entitled 'Narrative of a Voyage Round the World.' This book appeared in the year of 1835, almost two centuries ago, and its author was T. B. Wilson. In this book we can find a drawn Aborigine who is using a didgeridoo made of bamboo in order to perform his music. It measured about three feet in length and was said to be related to a traditional native dance. Four years later, another author, Stokes mentions the people from Essington and their use of didgeridoo. The funny remark he makes is that those people seemed to play the instrument by blowing their noses.

It seems rather hard for civilized people to learn how to play the didgeridoo. At the very beginning, it sounds very funny, like the sounds of an elephant or even a piece of home electronics. In this respect, we can quote Colin Simpson, the author "Adam in Ochre" (1950): When a white man tries to play the didgeridoo most of the sounds he makes are either laughable or disgraceful or both. He cannot manage the continuity and variety of sound the crude instrument can provide, because he runs out of breath. You blow into the long hollow pipe of wood with a burbling of the lips. I know of no white man who can "pull wind" as the Aborigines do and go on and on.

But how on earth did the Aboriginal tribes get this crazy idea of making a didgeridoo? It naturally has a mythical explanation. There are many legends about the didgeridoo, and it is generally considered to symbolize the so-called Rainbow Serpent.

In the opinion of some scholars, this mythical animal has the longest continuity of belief in all history. The appearance of this Rainbow Serpent dates back up to 7000-9000 years ago. It is about when there were increasing rainfalls and the seas covered the earth. Because of those rains, the rainbow appeared, along with the creation of the myth in people’s minds. They often consider that rains appeared because of this mythical animal that the Aboriginal people used to call Yurlunggur. The didgeridoo is intended to be a copy of the Rainbow Snake, and because of that, tribal people started playing this instrument to invoke this spirit of the rain to make their crops grow.

Apart from this exotic mythical flavour, playing the didgeridoo is also said to be good for one’s health. According to a study that appeared in the British Medical Journal, playing this instrument can help fight sleep disorders like snoring or sleep apnea, or even helps reduce sleepiness during the day.