Today we're going to talk about your didgeridoo... and your didgeridont.
G’day! Today we’re gonna talk about your didgeridoo. And your didgeri-don’t. [Chuckles] Sorry. [Laughs] [Imitates didgeridoo drone] Didgeri-didgeri-doo-doo-didgeri-didgeri-didgeridoo. Sounds kinda like that.
Didgeridoo: it’s the weird-sounding aboriginal instrument you usually only hear in commercials or movies that have something to do with Australia. The Land Down Under. [Australian accent] “Down under what, mate? Makes it sound like we’re at the bottom of somethin’! The world!” It’s a pretty simple instrument: it has no keys, no vowels, no slides, reeds, or strings; it’s pretty much just a mouthpiece and a long tube. [Australian accent] “Simple – that’s the way we like it.” Some people say it’s the oldest instrument in the world, but the human voice and the drum have to have it beat, which means it slides into a comfortable third place – just where you want to be. [Laughs] The drum has it beat, didgeri-don’t! [Laughs] I quit.
Aborigines down under go for very long walks, and look for young eucalyptus trees that have been hollowed out by termites. We don’t really have enough time to do that, so we’re just gonna make ours out of a piece of PVC pipe. [Australian accent] “Crikey, mate, your didge is made out of dino!” Go to your hardware store and get some 1.5″ PVC, then come home and cut it to length. 104cm long, and you’ll be in the key of E, 118 for D, and 132 should get you a nice C. If you don’t know what any of that means, just wait; we’ll do a What You Ought to Know on music. Someday. Maybe. Don’t hold your breath.
You can make a mouthpiece out of additional PVC, or beeswax, or cut out a bit of a milk jug, like I did. The idea is just to close up the hole a little bit, and make it more manageable to play. [Buzzes] [Australian Accent] Simple, right? Cut pipe, additional mouthpiece, ready to play. We like it simple.” But simplicity doesn’t necessarily mean easy. To play the didge right, you’re supposed to be able to circular breathe, which allows you to play without stopping. What? That’s impossible. [Australian accent] “Impossible? What, like throwin’ a stick and havin’ it come back at ya?” The airflow obviously can’t go both ways at the same time, so you have to puff your cheeks, and then squeeze the air out of your cheeks as you sniff through your nose so you can keep playing. [Exhales, inhales, exhales] I’m not very good at it.
When you blow into the didgeridoo, you’ll hear something called the drone. [Plays drone] [Australian accent] “Crikey! I’ve gone native!” You only have one note, so to make it interesting, you contort your face and bend the pitch. [Sputters] I’m spitting everywhere. [Sputters] [Plays other notes] You’re also supposed to make other noises at the same time. Most of them are patterned after animals like dingoes, kangaroos, and kookaburras. So while you’re blowing into the didgeridoo, you’re supposed to growl, or bark like a dog at the same time. [Imitates animals] [Australian accent] “Sounds like a dingo! Playin’ a didgeridoo! Crikey.”
I’ve heard that the music and underlying animal noises are supposed to tell a story. [Didgeridoo in background, Australian accent] “So there I was, mate, out in the Outback, tracking down a wallabee tucker, when a dingo came and bit me arm off!” There’s so much I love about this instrument. I mean, it’s simple, it’s cheap, and it’s actually good for you. The British Medical Journal did a study in 2005 that showed practicing helped reduce snoring and sleep apnea. [Australian accent] “Hey, Bruce, quit snorin’! It’s good for your social life, mate.” Sure, go ahead and get your kid to learn the violin or the saxophone, but if you want to have real fun, paint him with spooky stripes and let him play a hollow log.
[Australian accent] “Crikey!”
Transcribed by: Justin G.
Didgeridoo Links
Performances
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC9w4KWEgJE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g592I-p-dc&feature=related
How to play it
http://laoutback.net/didgeridoo/education/SeanWolfeGuide.htm
http://www.didgeridoostore.com/soundsrhythms.html
http://www.didgeridoostore.com/howtoplay.html
How to make it
http://www.didjshop.com/shop1/make_your_own_didgeridoo.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Didgeridoo-out-of-PVC-Pipe
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-26367/pvc.htm
http://www.geocities.com/gangwise/didgeridoo
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29 Comments
Mati
Your frequency lengths per musical note are also dependent upon the diameter of the pvcMeandering {207}
I can't believe I never commented on this episode. Good thing I went back and checked or this could ...overlord
Ok I'd just like to say I am an Aussie and have been all my life...parents go back to the ...OhSoSami.
lol. I dunno why but I think this was a really funny video.:D lol lol. D!NGO!GoddessOfWisdom
So, how long do we have to wait for that show about music? Because I'm very curious what you think ...Jonah [22]
I MADE ONE. IT'S SO COOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!mjb3190
this was the first show i saw. it hooked me for sure. i'm now watching all of them... who needs ...Jonah [22]
You should do more stuff like this. stuff that really involves the audience, such as how to make a didgeridoo.fletch [22]
The Didgeridoo, my kind of of music I must pick one up.Jonah [22]
UUUUUUUMMM Im new to this [22] thing can someone tell me some stuff I should knowJennifer McKenzie
I actually found this fascinating. LOVE the Aussie accent. Now, can you do Canadian, eh? Great playing of the ...RandomGuy
Oh, wow, you guys did a show on my favorite instrument, the simplest of all non-drum, not my nagging voice, ...Soul Sister [22]
AH! That dingo noise scared me away!....dianasdarlings
I think you need to share all your band geek experience with the fans. Those were the good old ...steph {207}
I have a hand made didgeridoo. Your lips start to feel really odd after breathing into it for a while. ...Glenn [22]
What's this? A digeridoo made out of plastic. Brilliant. Maybe next time you'll tell them about all ...Nospinplease
I have a didgeridoo, in my house somewhere! haha, but I used to play it a lot as a kid ...ACE
Ha circular breathing is soo easy i play the pipes, you don't need it but it helps.emmaus
Brett you sound like a pom trying to sound like an aussie! and your "kooooookooooobarah"????? hilarious! Love the show, guys.Drecon [22]
My sister has one and I have as of yet to get one note from it. Even getting the base ...OughtToKnowTheseThings
I always loved this instrument id make the dindgeridooo with my throat though. Funny I forgot how to do it ...Teagan [22]
My brother can play the Didgeridoo. He did live in Australia for a couple of years. He has one and ...Lampworker
This one is my new favorite show! I love learning weird world instruments. I've never tried the circular breathing, ...Tae
Crikey!idiotonuni
haha we made those a church camp on eyear...i probably have it still somewhereIngrid [22]
haha, great show. I also like the digeridoo. Although I pretty much s*ck at it. Give me a piano or ...graceofbass [22]
Also, I think a musical what you ought to know would be really neat. I've been student teaching at a ...graceofbass [22]
I had no idea that the didgeridoo required circular breathing! That's awesome. You can practice circular breathing by putting a ...edthemanly
I am the first and I love the didgeridoo!