Facts for Kids

People in parts of northern Australia have used the didgeridoo for many hundreds to more than a thousand years. Some rock paintings in Arnhem Land show a player in a ceremony that is very old, and other rock art in the Kakadu region helps scientists know when and where the instrument was used.

Early European records also show the instrument. For example, artists drew an Aboriginal man playing at Raffles Bay in 1835, and observers later wrote about bamboo trumpets in the late 1800s. By the 1930s, the didgeridoo was mainly played in areas such as the eastern Kimberley and the northern part of the Northern Territory. It appears in songs, dances, and stories passed down through families.

The didgeridoo makes its sound when a player buzzes their lips into the mouthpiece to create a low, steady drone. You can change that single drone into many sounds by moving your mouth, tongue, and throat. A special skill called circular breathing helps players keep the drone going without stopping to breathe. With circular breathing you breathe in through your nose while squeezing air out with your cheeks. This lets musicians hold one note for a very long time — some players have kept a note sounding for over 40 minutes!

Because the instrument is simple in shape but complex in play, players use many unique techniques to make different timbres (sound colours) and fast rhythms. Some modern players, like William Barton, brought the didgeridoo into concert halls and orchestras, showing how the instrument can fit with other music.

The didgeridoo is a long wind instrument from northern Australia that makes a low, steady sound called a drone. You play it by buzzing your lips at the mouthpiece and using circular breathing — a way to keep air flowing by breathing in through your nose while using air stored in your cheeks. This lets the sound keep going without a break.

Many Aboriginal peoples developed the instrument over at least a thousand years. In different languages it has other names, such as yiḏaki, mandapul, and mako. Most didgeridoos are about 1.2 meters long, though they can be between 1 and 3 meters. Longer ones make lower notes, and a flared bell at the end can make the pitch higher than a straight tube of the same length.

Researchers studying breathing and sleep found surprising benefits from learning the didgeridoo. A 2006 medical sleep apnea study showed that regular didgeridoo playing can reduce snoring and mild sleep apnea. Scientists think this happens because the breathing and lip exercises strengthen the muscles around the throat and airway. In the study, people who learned to play improved more than those who did not.

Another study around 2010 found that a six-month didgeridoo lesson program helped some Aboriginal adults and children manage asthma better. Learning to control breath and hold steady notes seems to make breathing easier for some people.

Many Aboriginal groups have strong tradition about who plays the didgeridoo and when. In some places, the instrument is part of special ceremonies where men sing and play. In other groups, women sometimes play quietly or for fun. Rules and opinions differ across Australia, so what is okay in one community might be wrong in another.

These differences have led to arguments. For example, a book published in 2008 that encouraged girls to play was criticized as insensitive by some Aboriginal people. Some elders and communities worry when outsiders or performers use the instrument without respect, calling it cultural theft.

Since the late 1900s, people have made didgeridoos from many new materials such as exotic woods, glass, fiberglass, metal, clay, resin, PVC, and carbon fibre. Modern makers also try new shapes and decorations, which can change how the instrument looks and sounds.

Some players like modern instruments because they can be lighter, stronger, or easier to travel with. But others prefer traditional materials and methods for cultural and artistic reasons. These differences have led to conversations about respect, design choices, and the rules that protect traditional knowledge.

Traditional makers usually use hardwoods like eucalyptus that grow in northern and central Australia. They look for trees where termites have eaten out the soft centre, leaving a long hollow tube. To find a good tree, they listen by knocking on trunks and check how the sound carries.

When a suitable tree is chosen, the maker cuts the hollow section, clears out any rough bits, removes bark, and shapes the outside. The inside is smoothed so air moves easily. Many traditional players add a rim of beeswax at the mouthpiece to make it more comfortable to play.