I recently spoke to someone who had just ordered a didgeridoo. I am fairly certain he did not really know what it was but he was intrigued by them. He had two questions. The answer to the first question was; did-ger-ri-doo or didg for short.

The answer to the second question was that there are plenty of places to read and watch how to play a didgeridoo. To get the most out of playing a didgeridoo you’ll want to learn how to circular breath. Sounds intimidating but it is not. Just requires some practice. There is a link at the bottom of this post to a very good YouTube video on how to play a didg.

If you walked into a store that did not specialize in didgeridoos, you’d probably walk out with the one that looks nicest, a good reason but there is more to it. If you are a beginner, you’ll want a didgeridoo which plays the easiest, is not too heavy and has a good sound quality.

Sound Quality

Unless you want a cheap didgeridoo to just learn on, I’d recommend a concert quality didgeridoo. These have been tested to ensure that you get a high quality sound compared to say a PVC pipe which some use as a didgeridoo. Nothing wrong with it, just lacks a little charm.

Easy Player

You can’t really tell by looking at a didg if it will be easy to play. Generally, the longer the didgeridoo, the more it will take to play. If you are a beginner, start with a shorter didg, less than 6 feet / 180cm. There is a rating system and if you purchase from a reputable company (like me), you can be certain that if you ask for an easy player, you’ll get one.

Weight

Some will overlook the weight as being a criteria for selecting a didgeridoo but if you plan an walking around with it, you are not going to want a 12 pound / 5.5 kg wooded stick to tote around. (I recently moved and when it came time for the moving company to label the boxes with the didgeridoos, they called them wooden sticks, accurate and practical.)

The other criteria I would use is to select an Australian Didgeridoo made by the Aborigines. I say this to support their work and because they know how to select the best eucalyptus and make the best didg. Their artwork is also superb.

Aside from what I mentioned, the are a few more things to consider. I’ll have more on the didgeridoos in the coming weeks including the Crystal Didgeridoos from Crystal Tones. Feel free to visit the Didgeridoo page and download a white paper on the topic.

YouTube Video on how to circular breath and play the didg.