didjeridu

Dear friends of hive,
today I want to tell you about an instrument that has become my best friend for the past year. the didjeridu.
According to Australian tradition, the didjeridu is a large eucalyptus branch that has fallen to the ground and been collected, or rather, let's say it's a hollow trunk hollowed out by termites that feed on the substances present in the pith and form a vacuum inside.

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For me, playing does not only mean making more or less fascinating sounds related to nature, but actually undertaking almost astral journeys, touching other worlds, I use it a lot in mediations, I would say thanks to the Australian aborigines, we owe this invention to them, a musical instrument that comes from the lands of northern Australia. Today you can make didges out of various woods, mine for example is made of beech, but there are plastic ones made of bamboo resin and other more or less valuable woods.

Clearly in the west we don't have to wait for the termites to dig, but once the trunk or large branch has been identified, it is divided into two parts and we begin to dig with gouges and chisels, once the excavation is complete the two parts are glued together. Softer woods will give a more vibrato sound let's say sweeter, harder woods will give a drier, more marked sound.
In Australia to cut eucalyptus trees, special permits are required, the worldwide demand makes harvesting difficult and risks upsetting the balance of these trees and more.

The length of the instrument can vary from eighty cm to one metre and more, it is said that there are up to two and a half metres used for secret, esoteric dances and rituals.
On the narrower end where the lips rest, the mouthpiece is shaped and can be narrowed by applying beeswax according to one's lips.The end part called the bell plays a very important role, a sound box, according to the diameter of the bell, the more open it is, the more resonant the sound will be.
The name didjeridu is a name given by the English that originates from the very sound it emits. Often these instruments are decorated using yellow or red ochres and with designs with ornaments symbolising visions and inspirations of the artist.
From a musical point of view, the didjeridu can be classified in the category of lip-reed areophanes. Traditionally the instrument is played by a man,' and forbidden to women, but in the West there are some very good female musicians.
There is a lot of interest in this instrument, which in reality seems simple to play, but it takes commitment because there are difficulties around the corner, one of which is CIRCULAR BREATHING, which is a stumbling block to overcome. It consists in having a continuous blowing so that the sound of the didjeritu is never interrupted, to do this the air taken from the nose will be used to inflate the cheeks and while you blow at the same time the nose should take air, while you push the air out you take air from the nose. To play the didjeridu you don't necessarily have to be a musician, but you have to practise a lot, at least an hour a day...to become one with the instrument, to feel it and begin to emit the first sounds, the wind, the animals of the forest, the vowels...vibrating your lips as horses do. As far as my didjeridu is concerned, I prefer to sit, as it is a very heavy instrument, and I have also built myself a stand to rest it on. On the contrary, for light didjeridu you can also stand, I have a smaller bamboo one and I can stand or pass between the meditators when I have sessions. The player should be relaxed, sometimes there is a bit of tension and this makes it take time to enter a state of tranquillity, you can sing all the vowels inside the dijeridu and you have an almost hypnotic effect that is very fascinating.
Sometimes I use it together with Tibetan bells for sound massages, the mixture of sounds brings relaxation and balance to those who receive them, a total abandonment that regenerates, takes away stress and gives confidence, involving body and soul.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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