Termites!
For thousands of years, these tiny animals have been the most hard-working and productive didigeridoo manufacturers in the world.
A didgeridoo consists of a 1 m to 2.5 m long section of a eucalyptus tree trunk hollowed out be termites. Luckily, the light and temperature sensitive termites limit their activity to the hard and dry heartwood of the still living tree, and avoid the moisture-bearing sapwood, which also has a toxic effect on them.
So after the termites have done their wok, man comes into play. In the following video, you can watch how a didgeridoo is crafted the traditional way:
WEL
COME
In the year 1999, at a campfire in the outback of Australia near Alice Springs, I got to hear the didgeridoo for the first time in my life ... and it was love at first sound!
I know, it sounds terribly stereotypical! Can't help it, that's how it was ...
Back home, I was blessed to have Denra Dürr as my first teacher of this fascinating one-tone instrument.
And not much later, I happened to irritate people returning home late at night, while playing in the underpass of a nearby train station because of its beautiful hall and sound characteristics, as displayed on the picture on the left, taken in 2005.
Besides Denra Dürr, it has foremostly been Herman Striegnitz, Dubravko Lapaine and Stephen Kent who have gifted me with precious insights and teachings, and to whom I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks!
With this website, I intend to share some of my pieces of music and my long lasting passion with my friends and family. Should you just randomly land on this site, I do hope you enjoy some of it too.
Warm regards & best wishes
Anatol