The Didgeridoo: A Powerful Instrument For Health And Wellness

By Victor O

Music is one beautiful art that transcends all cultures and traditions worldwide. While we might be familiar with popular musical instruments like the guitar and piano, several cultures have specific instruments they use to produce sonorous tunes.

Source: Limelight Magazine

In this case, the Didgeridoo is a long-age musical instrument stemming from the Aboriginal peoples of Northern Australia. Despite the region’s changes over the years, the instrument has survived decades of change and played to date.

The Didgeridoo is a type of wind instrument that can have a cylindrical or conical shape and its length can range from 3 to 10 feet. Its pitch tends to be lower with increasing length. Interestingly, this is not the most fun fact about this fascinating instrument.

One of the eye-catching facts is that, according to some studies, playing the Didgeridoo can cure sleep complications like Apnea Syndrome. Popular ex-footballer Colin McKinnon-Dodd has said the instrument helped him breathe smoother after his lung cancer therapy.

Further research has revealed that using this particular instrument can enhance mood. It also helps relieve mental stress and strengthens the autonomic nervous system.

Source: Tomer T / CC BY 2.0 / Wiki Commons

According to the natives, the players adopt a circular breathing method to play the Didgeridoo.

To produce sound on the Didgeridoo, the player inhales through their nostrils and exhales the air through their mouth. Employing this method, as Kenny G did, helped him set the world record for the longest sustained note ever played on a wind instrument. Despite its size, the Didgeridoo is relatively easy to play.

The circular method can be learned within an hour, which is probably the best part about this.