Didjeridu  (Page 3/3)

The typical sound of a didjeridu is a low, buzzing drone. Some playing styles stay on this low pitch most of the time; other styles alternate between the low pitch and an overtone which sounds a tenth (an octave and a third; see Interval for more information) higher than the basic drone pitch.

In order to keep up the rhythm pattern effectively, didjeridu players use a technique called circular breathing , which allows them to breathe in through the nose while they are still blowing through theinstrument with their mouth. This allows the player to produce a continuous sound. Some players of other low brass instruments also learn circularbreathing, but the technique is somewhat tricky to master and physically strenuous, and didjeridu is the only instrument which uses it as a matter ofcourse.

Practical information for composers and arrangers

Composers and arrangers who want to add a "world music" component to their sound may be interested in the didjeridu. In spite ofits low range, the sound of the didjeridu is very noticeable because of the buzzing timbre and percussive playing style.

Note that most didjeridus cannot be tuned. A serious didjeriduist will have several instruments of different pitches, but donot expect the didjeridu to be able to produce a particular pitch, or play anything resembling a melody, unless you are familiar with the instrumentavailable. If the other instruments, in the group that you are writing for, are easily tunable (guitar and bass, for example), you may be able to ask them totune to the didjeridu.

Didjeridu can be used very effectively as a bass drone, particularly if the other instruments in the groupcan adjust their tuning. The fact that the player does not need to stop playing to breathe can be used to create interest and build tension. Although this is awind instrument, an accomplished player may best be thought of as a very usefuladdition to an ensemble's "rhythm section" (somewhat as a string bass player in a jazz rhythm section), providing both the bass note and a steady, interestingrhythmic pattern, as well as producing surprising variations on the pattern. To the Western listener, the standout timbre and unique "wind percussion" effectsof the didjeridu are strongly evocative of the "exotic" in general, and Australia in particular, and can be used to suggest a surprisingly wide array ofmoods, from "primitive" to "world-music modern", and from "earthy" to "atmospheric".

Acknowledgements and further reading

The author is grateful for the cooperation of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) School of Music and the Robert E. Brown Center for World Music , and particularly for the assistance of Phil Clark. A graduate student in ethnomusicology at UIUC, specializing inAustralian music, Mr. Clark provided information as well as playing didjeridu for the video and audio recordings in the lesson, and allowing his instrumentsto be photographed.

This lesson is just an introductory overview. As of this writing, the following sites included much more in-depth information onthe didjeridu:

• Didjeridu Story from Far Northeast Arnhem Land
• Manikay.com
• iDIDJ Australia

Neville Fletcher's journal article, "The Didjeridu", in Acoustics Australia, Vol 24, pp 11-15 (1996) (available on-line here ) is only one report from numerous investigations into the acoustics of the instrument.