For those of you taking Zoo Train this spring, you’ll hear a
didgeridoo during the song “Drover’s Dream”. You can clearly hear it at
the beginning and the end of the piece.
The didgeridoo is an instrument played by the Aborigines of northern Australia. It is usually made from a Eucalyptus tree which has been hollowed out by termites. The average length of a didgeridoo is about 4 feet. As with other instruments, the longer the tube, the lower the pitch.
The didgeridoo is claimed to be the world’s oldest wind instrument, around for at least 1500 years. It is played by continuously vibrating (“buzzing”) your lips to produce a drone (a continuous low tone), while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing.
Circular breathing is breathing in through your nose while expelling air out of your mouth at the same time using your tongue and cheeks. So in essense, there is no pause in the music caused by taking a breath. It’s really, really hard. My tuba teacher in college could play the digeridoo this way – and circuluar breathe while playing the tuba. Not only that, but she could hum and play the tuba at the same time! This allowed her to “play” double-stops when she performed violin music on her tuba.
Here is a great YouTube video of a digeridoo performance to watch with your child:
Questions to ask your child while watching this video:
Q: Can you see the man’s cheeks move in and out while he is playing in the digeridoo? He is blowing air into the tube to make the sounds.
Q: Can you see the man’s tummy move in and out while he is playing the digeridoo? He is breathing and playing at the same time.
Q: Can you buzz your lips, too?
Questions your child might ask you:
Q: Why is the man painted?
A: People dance while the didgeridoo is played. The paintings and the dancing help tell a story. What kinds of things/patterns do you see painted on his body?
Q: Does the paint wash off?
A: Yes.
Q: Why isn’t the man wearing many clothes?A: It’s hot in Australia, where he lives. You don’t need many clothes where it is hot.