Didjeridu Production

Aboriginal people of northern Australia have been making didjeridus for a long time and today are recognised as master craftsmen of the instrument. In Arnhem Land, the process of making a didjeridu typically starts with the selection of a suitable living tree - usually one of a number of eucalyptus species - that has been partially eaten out by termites. This is the most important step in the process of making a didjeridu because the condition of the tree and the size and shape of the hole that has been created by the termites will determine whether the finished product will be a good instrument or not.

A skilled Aboriginal craftsman is able to select the right sort of tree through a combination of knowledge of 'country' and an intimate understanding of termite-tree interactions. When a suitable-looking tree is found, a piece of bark is removed from the tree at about chest height to reveal the wood underneath. This exposed wood is tapped lightly, either with a finger or the back of an axe, and the sound produced tells an experienced didjeridu maker the extent of the hollow in the tree trunk. If the craftsman thinks the tree is suitable material, he will start cutting at the base of the tree with an axe at a height anywhere between his ankle and his knee. If during this process the tree does not appear to have a sufficient hollow, the tree is left standing and is abandoned, and a new search for another tree commences.

When a suitable-looking tree with a potentially good hollow is cut down, the Aboriginal craftsman will visually inspect the termite-eaten hollow of the felled trunk to assess the size and shape of the chamber. If this chamber is judged to be too big or too small the tree will be discarded, and again, a new search begins. However, if the chamber looks to have the correct dimensions, a portion of the felled trunk is cut off to produce a log that is anywhere from 4 to 6 feet long depending on the instrument pitch desired. The termite-eaten chamber of this log is inspected again at both ends, and particular attention is given to the size and shape of the hollow at the smaller end, which will become the mouthpiece in the finished instrument. Ideally, this opening should be about 3 cm in diameter as this gives the most comfortable and effective mouthpiece size, though anywhere from 2 to 4 cm is also acceptable depending on the individual preferences of the didjeridu craftsman. At this stage, if the craftsman is satisfied with the outward appearance of the log, he will test its potential sound quality by playing into the log just as he would a didjeridu. If the acoustics does not meet his expectations, the log is discarded and he embarks on searching for a new tree.

When an ideal log with good sound properties is located and cut down, a curing process may be necessary to ensure the resultant didjeridu that is produced is stable and does not develop cracks. Curing may involved soaking the termite-hollowed log in a freshwater billabong for a number of days and up to several weeks. Saltwater curing is sometimes used by coastal Aboriginal groups, and rapid-dry curing under a mound of hot sand and burning embers - a less conventional form of curing - may also be used. Air curing, where a termite-hollowed log is allowed to dry naturally over a number of days or weeks, is probably the most common method of curing in contemporary times.

After sufficient curing, the process of transforming the raw log into a didjeridu commences. This involves stripping the bark from the log and giving shape to the emerging instrument. Sometimes, the shape and wall thickness of the de-barked raw log is already ideal, in which case little else is required to finish the instrument apart from trimming both ends of the instrument. More often than not, the raw log requires excess layers of wood to be removed in order to reduce the thickness of the walls of the sound chamber. In addition, some rasping and cleaning out of the bore at the larger end of the log may also be required to remove internal obstructions and to 'amplify' the sound of the instrument.

Lastly, a rim of native beeswax may be applied to the mouthpiece for comfort or to reduce the size of the mouthpiece opening, and the instrument may be painted with various totemic and other designs specific to the group that the craftsman identifies with.