How to play the didgeridoo

There are no reliable sources stating the didgeridoo's exact age. Archaeological studies of rock art in Northern Australia suggest that the people of the Kakadu region of the Northern Territory have been using the didgeridoo for less than 1,000 years, based on the dating of paintings on cave walls and shelters from this period. A clear rock painting in Ginga Wardelirrhmeng, on the northern edge of the Arnhem Land plateau, from the freshwater period (that had begun 1500 years ago) shows a didgeridoo player and two songmen participating in an Ubarr Ceremony.

The didgeridoo is played with continuously vibrating lips to produce the drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing.This requires breathing in through the nose whilst simultaneously expelling stored air out of the mouth using the tongue and cheeks. By use of this technique, a skilled player can replenish the air in their lungs, and with practice can sustain a note for as long as desired.
Recordings exist of modern didgeridoo players playing continuously for more than 40 minutes; Mark Atkins on Didgeridoo Concerto (1994) plays for over 50 minutes continuously.

Didgeridoo culture Ididj Australia

iDIDJ Australia is Australia's unique online hub dedicated to enriching public understandings of the didgeridoo's cultural heritage roots. It seeks to engage audiences with issues vital to the preservation of the didgeridoo's cultural integrity.


They are an independent Australian non-government organisation with a global community network of iDIDJ guild members.

Its vision is a united international community that celebrates the didgeridoo and its source cultures, values Australian Indigenous peoples and traditions, respects the land and all its lifeforms, and seeks justice and equity for the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the instrument.

You can find all sorts of interesting information here about the didgeridoo and its place in Australian Aboriginal cultures.