Choosing A Didgeridoo - Some Thoughts Before You Buy

Didgeridoos these days are made out of all kinds of materials, for example: wood, fibreglass, glass, carbon fibre, hemp, plastic etc. Of course not to forget the original Australian naturally grown Eucalyptus sticks which are of termite bore. Contemporary didge makers use the many different materials, whereas the Indigenous Australians of the traditional style typically use grown Eucalyptus from the native soil.

There are certain obvious characteristics that pertain to a certain qualitative reference. For example a higher back pressure conical stick will toot well and easily, as in the NEAL tradition, whereas a large bore cylindrical stick will not toot easily. So, here, the large bore stick is not good for that style of playing and therefore lacks that tooting ability or quality and so it is not the reference you are looking for if you want to have a stick that toots easily. On the other hand, a larger bore cylindrical stick can have that quality of deep 'humming' harmonics with a bouncy or springy 'back pressure' feel. along with the ability to diaphragmatically punch with powerful yet controlled bursts of air, to get that reflex punch sound. In this case if you want those qualities, a larger bore or non conical may well be the reference to go for. The harmonics in the NEAL tradition are also different to the Mago, so both types of stick perform well with their own inherent harmonic characteristics, hence each type of stick is a reference model for that type of playing.

And of course you can have crossover sticks that have a bit of the ability to do a bit of both. You can also have a crossover stick that is a trad stick yet which also can play in a contemporary fashion. You might be wanting to play more percussive sounds, which can both be performed on longer conical sticks or certain types of larger bore sticks. There is no such thing as one style of stick being better or having a better quality than another style of stick. Yet there will be inherent qualities within all the different styles of sticks be it North East Arnhem Land traditional, Mago traditional, old school style contemporary sticks, percussive sticks, multidrone sticks, large bore, narrow bore, conical, termite natural bore and so on. The main thing is that you find a stick that will work for your style of playing or one that can maybe more of an allrounder. When you know what the reference is, its much easier to find something that will subjectively work for you.