The didgeridoo is the wind instrument made from a hollow branch and traditionally played by Aboriginal Australians.
A didgeridoo is a long wooden tube, often naturally hollowed by termites, although modern instruments may be made using other methods. Players produce a low drone by buzzing their lips into the mouthpiece. Skilled performers use circular breathing, a technique that keeps air moving through the instrument while the player inhales through the nose.
The instrument has been played by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia for at least 1,500 years, based on archaeological and artistic evidence. In many communities it is connected with ceremony, storytelling, dance, and traditional law. The word “didgeridoo” is an English imitation of the instrument’s sound rather than a universal Aboriginal name.
Names and playing traditions differ among language groups. The instrument is therefore better understood as a family of regional traditions than as a single standardized design. Contemporary musicians also use it in jazz, world music, and experimental performance.