Didgeridoo: The World's Oldest Musical Instrument

Commonly claimed to be the world's oldest wind instrument, there is no reliable way to determine how old the didgeridoo really is. Archaeological studies of rock art in Northern Australia determines that the ancient aborigines of the Kakadu region of the Northern Territory were making and using the didgeridoo at least 1500 years ago.

The didgeridoo is very important to the aboriginal dream time and thus it was probably used in ceremonies many thousands of years before recorded history. The ancient Australians learned the method of circular breathing, thus a didgeridoo can be played for 40 minutes or longer without the artist stopping for a breath.

The didgeridoo is normally made from a Eucalyptus tree that has been hollowed out by termites or decay. A typical didgeridoo is between 3 and 10 feet long, the average being about 4 feet. Generally, the longer the instrument, the lower the pitch or key of the instrument.

Gary is a travel writer and photographer living in Sarasota,Florida. He has a website featuring  more photos and articles and also markets products featuring some of his travel photos.