Didgeridoos

Didgeridoos from Groove Masters Percussion and REMO, in slide, box, PVC and harp forms.

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument of Aboriginal Australia, played by buzzing the lips into one end of a long tube. It produces a single continuous drone with a shifting harmonic texture over it, shaped by the mouth and tongue rather than by fingering.

The technique that makes it work is circular breathing, drawing air in through the nose while pushing the last of a breath out with the cheeks, so the drone never stops. It takes practice, but a beginner gets a drone out of one within a few tries and can work up to circular breathing later.

The GMP tuneable slide didgeridoo has a sliding section that changes the length of the tube, so the drone pitch can be set to match a group rather than being fixed. The PVC model is robust and light for classroom handling.

The GMP Didj-Box is a folded didgeridoo in a compact body, which gives a full-length drone in something that fits on a shelf. The REMO Didgeharp combines a didgeridoo drone with a set of tuned tongues, so one player produces both the drone and a melodic part.