For many people the didgeridoo is the sound of Australia and it has certainly been played there for thousands of years. Today the didgeridoo has soared in popularity and people all over the world are enjoying learning to play the instrument. It is basically a wooden tube about 1.5m long and is traditionally made from the branch of a tree that has been hollowed out by ants.
Didgeridoo and the Orchestra
Orchestras are happy to play with all instruments and didgeridoo virtuoso, William Barton has been playing didgeridoo with several orchestras. To watch a fascinating video clip of him playing and talking about his work with the Queensland Orchestra click here.
Playing the Didgeridoo
The technique for playing the instrument is very difficult to master.
To begin with, you create sound in much the same way as any orchestral brass instrument: with a buzzing of the lips as you blow. (You can listen to different brass instruments here.)
Once you can create a basic sound you need to then keep the sound going continuously by breathing in each new lung-full of air through your nose at the same time as squeezing out the last bit of air in your cheeks. This is called circular breathing: breathing in and out at the same time!
After you have learnt to circular breathe there are many more things to learn in order to make the playing rhythmic and to be able to change the tone of the sound in different ways.
Circular Breathing
As described above, the technique for blowing the didgeridoo has had an enormous impact on the other wind instruments of the orchestra. Most orchestral wind players have tried it at some time and some have learnt to do it well. It works best on certain instruments and has become particularly popular among jazz saxophone players.
