The
didjeridu is a
musical instrument
whose origins stem from the musical cultures of the Aboriginal peoples
of Australia. The word 'didjeridu' as commonly used today
refers to just about any drone pipe played by vibrating the player's
lips. Interestingly, 'didjeridu' is not a word in any
Aboriginal language. The term was coined by
European settlers
of Australia, probably in imitation of the sound they heard produced by
the instrument. You'll see many spellings of the word on the
web: didgeridoo, dijeridoo, didgeridu, digeridu, didj, didge, didje,
etc. We use
'didjeridu',
recognized by AIATSIS
and the Australian government as the
correct spelling, because it follows common orthographies for
Aboriginal
languages, and thus recognizes the Aboriginal origins of this very
special instrument.
Australian didjeridus are typcially made from the trunk of a eucalyptus tree that has been naturally hollowed by termites while still alive. These trees are cut down and cleaned out, and then wood is removed from the outside till the instrument is comfortable to play. Unfortunately, you can't train Illinois termites to replicate this trick, so we use power tools to make our instruments. Our process for crafting didjeridus has the advantage of giving us control over the shape of the inside bore though, letting us control many aspects of the didjeridu's sound. You can be sure that every didjeridu from Tree Thump Didj Co. is a fully-functional, quality musical instrument.
Didjeridus are played in a manner somewhat similar to brass instruments, such as trumpets, trombones, and tubas. You buzz your lips to create the basic drone sound, sort of like a baby blowing a raspberry. Once you've got the hang of the basic drone, you can color the sound of the instrument in all sorts of interesting ways by shaping your tongue and adding voice. You can also create percussive rhythms by articulating with your tongue and throat. And of course the other basic technique of didjeridu playing is keeping the sound continuous through the use of circular breathing. This involves pushing air out with your cheeks, and/or throat, while simultaneously breathing through your nose. Check out our links page for some good, internet-based resources on how to play the didjeridu!
History and Aboriginal Origins of the Didjeridu
While the didjeridu currently enjoys a measure of popularity the world over, the use of the didjeridu by non-Aboriginal people outside Australia, and indeed even by many Aboriginal groups in Australia today, is a fairly recent phenomenon. The didjeridu was probably originally played by only a few groups of Aboriginal people in the far north of Australia. Ethnomusicologist Alice Moyle traces the instrument’s origins to groups living in Arnhem Land, the far northernmost region of Australia’s Northern Territory, as well as small adjoining regions in Western Australia and Queensland, areas shown on the map at the left.
You've probably seen claims around the web that the didjeridu may be 20,000 or even 60,000 years old. The truth is that nobody really knows how old it is. Cave art evidence from western Arnhem Land indicates that it has probably been played in the region for at least 1,000 years. Many of the creation histories of the Aboriginal peoples of Arnhem Land say that the instrument was the gift of powerful ancestral beings who walked the earth during an ancient, yet timeless and ever-present, epoch which Aboriginal peoples have many names for, but is often referred to in English as the "dreaming" or "dreamtime."
The
didjeridu still plays an important role in the musical and ceremonial
lives of many Aboriginal people. Tree Thump
Didj Co. holds a deep respect for Aboriginal people, and the Aboriginal
origins of the didjeridu. We encourage you to learn
more about the Aboriginal roots of this special instrument, and
contemporary Aboriginal music and culture in general! Here are some
excellent places
to start your journey:
Yidaki Dhäwu Miwatjngurunydja Manikay.com Skinnyfish Music Australia's National Indigenous Times