Thursday, August 11, 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 utilized the didgeridoo in ceremonies, civil and religious, at celebrations and on memorable occasions. It is regarded almost as something holy, like totem poles to the Indians, and is considered to be a powerful way of perpetuating the traditional aboriginal practice, culture and manner of living, currently under threat. They come principally from the Yolgnu peoples of northerly Australia and at times the didgeridoo is known as a Yidaki. Some are made now in plastic as they are said to be more hygienic. There are long didgeridoos, bell didgeridoos, and forked didgeridoos. Nobody exactly knows the origins of the word didgeridoo, although many proposals and theories have been propounded.

The Distinct Features Of The Australian Didgeridoo

They come in all sizes and styles although essentially they're a long hollow pipe but you can purchase 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 robust pair of lungs if they are going to be actually effective. Due to this there are some health benefits to be obtained from playing this ancient instrument and it may be smart to scan sites that focus on how to properly play the didge.

Though the didgeridoo is fashionable and many are sold all around the world, there is no guarantee that these are authentic, in the way I have described and therefore the north Australian clans who still make them and rely heavily on their sales for revenue, are seeing little by way of profit and their method of life and terribly existence is in grave danger. We will do something to help by insisting on purchasing actually authentic aboriginal didgeridoos and getting some form of proof or proof that the instrument you are buying is real.




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