Didgeridoos and Don'ts Sound Advice From Local DreamTime Pipe Inventor Steven Shockley. For here in the Southwestern desert, thousands of miles from its ancestral birthplace, the Australian didgeridoo, that hypnotic aboriginal humming instrument, has found a second home.
Some people use it for relaxation at the end of the day.
For other people, it's an important part of their lifestyle. Traditionally, the long resonant tubes were made from eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites. The instrument's primal sound is used ritually and helps the aboriginal culture stay in touch with the DreamTime, a shamanistic reality beyond the physical realm. The continuous tones are created by a technique called circular breathing, where air is sharply inhaled through the nose while simultaneously being expelled from the mouth. The technique typically induces an altered state of consciousness in the player, some of whom can buzz along for hours without stopping to take a regular breath.