Saturday, September 3, 2011

Didgeridoos - Obviously Distinct

By Claudia Kasen


There isn't any mistaking the distinctive sound of a didgeridoo, the ancient woodwind instrument associated for hundreds of years with the aborigines of Australia. They've been made and used from long ago and are valued today as amongst the finest symbols of aboriginal culture, music and custom. Most times made from the wood of the eucalyptus tree, which has been hollowed out, they're decorated with decorative inscriptions and pictures, all of which are meaningful and symbolic to people who make and play them. It is often said that a didgeridoo isn't legitimate unless it has been manufactured by someone that himself has been steeped in this long line of custom and history and whose ancestors similarly made and used these instruments.

Succeeding generations have utilised the didgeridoo in ceremonies, civil and religious, at celebrations and on special occasions. It is regarded nearly as something holy, like totem poles to the Indians, and is believed to be a potent way of perpetuating the traditional aboriginal custom, culture and way of life, currently under threat. They come mainly from the Yolgnu peoples of northerly Australia and occasionally the didgeridoo is commonly known as a Yidaki. Some are made now in plastic as they are claimed to be more hygienic. There are long didgeridoos, bell didgeridoos, and forked didgeridoos. Nobody exactly knows the origins of the word didgeridoo, although many views and hypotheses have been propounded.

The Unmistakeable Characteristics Of The Australian Didgeridoo

They come in all shapes and sizes although basically they are a long hollow pipe but you should buy didgeridoos that make low sounds and others that produce high notes. The material they are made from impacts on the sound they make and they need a strong pair of lungs if they are going to be really effective. Due to this there are some health benefits to be derived from playing this ancient instrument and it could be wise to peruse sites that focus on the best way to properly play the didge.

Though the didgeridoo is extremely popular and many are sold across the world, there is not any guarantee that these are real, in the way I have described and therefore the north Australian clans who still make them and rely heavily on their sales for earnings, are seeing little by way of profit and their technique of life and very existence is in grave danger. We can do something to help by insisting on purchasing really real aboriginal didgeridoos and getting some kind of evidence or proof that the instrument you are buying is genuine.




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