Post by Blue on Dec 4, 2012 10:02:20 GMT
Encountered a store in Sydney selling digeridoo.
They are made of dead branches of the eucalyptus trees. The bore is naturally drilled by termites and the branch collapses on to the floor. The original inhabitants of Australia pick these branches up. Then they pour the juice of a certain berry into the bore, seal both sides of the bore, and then shake the branch for a very long time for this berry juice to get absorbed by the bore. This special juice can scare away termites and cockroaches according to the eccentric storekeeper who also referred to the aboriginals in a politically incorrect manner (well, she's from a previous generation, so let's try to forgive her). (I should have asked the shopkeeper if the berries might create some sort of rash like the sap of the lacquer tree) Then the original inhabitants would use naturally warm sands to further dry and cure the diggeridoo.
But I'm surprised that one could use the eucalyptus to make a wind instrument. When the US transcontinental railroad was being built, the eucalyptus was experimented to make parts of the track because it's a very straight wood. However, it was discovered that such wood was extremely combustible because of its oils and lack of density. (Actually, people used the eucalyptus outer bark as erasers in Taiwan during the old days).
Tight embouchure will definitely not work for this wind instrument and you have to use a constant action of sucking air in from your nose and blowing it into the wind instrument.
One didgeridoo costs between AUD 140-200. (Australian dollar is roughly in parity with the US dollar).
They are made of dead branches of the eucalyptus trees. The bore is naturally drilled by termites and the branch collapses on to the floor. The original inhabitants of Australia pick these branches up. Then they pour the juice of a certain berry into the bore, seal both sides of the bore, and then shake the branch for a very long time for this berry juice to get absorbed by the bore. This special juice can scare away termites and cockroaches according to the eccentric storekeeper who also referred to the aboriginals in a politically incorrect manner (well, she's from a previous generation, so let's try to forgive her). (I should have asked the shopkeeper if the berries might create some sort of rash like the sap of the lacquer tree) Then the original inhabitants would use naturally warm sands to further dry and cure the diggeridoo.
But I'm surprised that one could use the eucalyptus to make a wind instrument. When the US transcontinental railroad was being built, the eucalyptus was experimented to make parts of the track because it's a very straight wood. However, it was discovered that such wood was extremely combustible because of its oils and lack of density. (Actually, people used the eucalyptus outer bark as erasers in Taiwan during the old days).
Tight embouchure will definitely not work for this wind instrument and you have to use a constant action of sucking air in from your nose and blowing it into the wind instrument.
One didgeridoo costs between AUD 140-200. (Australian dollar is roughly in parity with the US dollar).