Name and Country |
Do you talk with your friends and audience about how a didj is made? |
What do you tell people about how a didj is made? |
| Anonymous |
Sometimes |
It is made from a small tree that has been hollowed out by termites |
| Anonymous from France |
Mostly |
I talk about the kind of wood the bush the bugs the carving |
| Alejandro Nan from Belgium |
Only if asked |
Hollowed out trees or also made from PVC or different types of canes. |
| Alessandro Ardovini from Canada |
Always |
I tell them that an original didgeridoo is made by termites that eat the soft part of a branch/tree creating a tube. Then I explain them that there are A LOT of fake didgeridoos made with a lot of different techniques PVC didgeridoos and so on |
| Ana Ilijanic from Croatia/Hrvatska |
Mostly |
I tell people that didgeridoo is made of fine wood like eucalyptus or some some other wood but important is that the wood have good resonance and can product good vibrations. I tell them that the wood inside was eaten by termites and that is what that instrument make so unique. Every didgeridoo produce a different sound and that is important because I feel that every didgeridoo singer have to be one with his didgeridoo and they have to be close like lovers like best friends they have to love each other. ( I'm sorry on my bad english when I speak on croatian I do much much better) |
| Andrea Ballin from Italy |
Only if asked |
Gli spiego che per creare un didgeridoo (non quelli di plastica) sono necessarie l'esperienza e le mani di un vero artigiano |
| Anonymous |
Always |
A part of a tree falls to the ground and then the termites eat the insides. |
| Anssi from Finland |
Sometimes |
That didj is mostly product of nature as termites hollow the eucalypt trees. Tree is then cut down and finished into an instrument after they are dried. |
| Anthony Kubiak from USA |
Always |
That they are hollowed out by termites (in the case of "real" didj's) and then painted shaped and finished by indigenous artists |
| Anonymous |
Never |
N/A |
| Anonymous from USA |
Sometimes |
I mention the termites doing the job. |
| Anonymous |
Always |
I tell them that there are many ways to make a didj but the only "fair" method is the one that the aborigines use (termite-eaten eucalypt wood). |
| Brantley from USA |
Sometimes |
Termites |
| Brent from USA |
Sometimes |
How the termites hollow them and the Aboriginal people harvest and make it |
| Anonymous from USA |
Rarely |
I'm not really sure. |
| Brittany Stresing from USA |
Mostly |
Made of tree trunks or branches hollowed out to the desired diameter by termites. |
| Caelin from Australia |
Always |
You have to find a tree trunk that has been hollowed out by termites. You hit the trunk to hear if it is hollow. |
| Capi from USA |
Never |
From hollowed out eucalyptus logs branches...done by termites. The selection process by the maker is quite intense. |
| Chad from USA |
Mostly |
That it comes from termite hollowed out eucalyptus. And that true Didjes are one constructed by aboriginals. |
| Charles from USA |
Always |
Termites and traditional harvest and fashioning. |
| Cj from USA |
Sometimes |
Natural process where termites hollow aboriginal peoples select cut and prepare |
| Cody from USA |
Sometimes |
Actually that question always came to me |
| Daniel Allison from United Kingdom |
Mostly |
It is hollowed out by termites from eucalyptus trees and is made by aboriginal craftsmen. |
| Anonymous |
Rarely |
I don't know enough about it to give them useful detail. |
| David Cross from USA |
Always |
I explain how termites eat the inside of trees leaving the center part hollow. The process is totally natural. |
| David from USA |
Sometimes |
The most interesting fact for most people is that the branch/trunk is hollowed out by termites. |
| Donat from Belgium |
Only if asked |
You find a termite hollowed eucalyptus tree and chop of a branch. Then there is lot of work to do on it and afterwards you may play it. |
| Drew from USA |
Mostly |
It is a tree hollowed by termites. |
| Eero Enqvist from Finland |
Always |
Termites eats eucalyptus trees hollow and rest is handcraft's skill. Here in Finland we don't have termites and eucalyptus so we use e.g. aspen and cut it half cave both side and glue it one piece again. Painted as original as possible. |
| Elisa from USA |
Never |
A didj is made from hollowed wood or bamboo |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Only if asked |
I tell them about the termite hollowed branches and how important they are for quality of sound. |
| Enoch from USA |
Always |
Hollowed by termites cleaned up tuned and painted by aboriginal dude. |
| Erik from USA |
Sometimes |
The didge comes from a plant or piece of timber that has been naturally hollowed out by termites. This serves as the base material from which further carving and shaping continues. (this is all I know):) |
| Fabian Kuiper from Netherlands |
Sometimes |
That the traditional didges are hollowed out trees by termites. And that these are found all over Australia |
| Felicia from Sweden |
Only if asked |
That they are made by termites |
| Fred from United Kingdom |
Mostly |
Termites with a taste for Eucalyptus lay their eggs at the base of a tree and the larvae eat the wood from the inside working their way up. Experienced didge makers come along and "tap" the tree and can tell if the tree has been sufficiently hollowed just by the sound made by the tap. The tree is harvested stripped of bark cleaned out trimmed and decorated. Traditionally with paint made from natural ochres. If the top of the didge is very wide then a mouthpiece is made using beeswax. There are other products used for making Didgeridoos but these are probably later developments |
| Anonymous from Hungary |
Always |
It is made with an eucalyptus branch dug by termites craft and artwork beeswax mouthpiece |
| Gary from USA |
Always |
A wooden trunk hollowed out by termites. |
| Hervé Vaudan from Switzerland |
Always |
Termite's job... |
| Anonymous |
Rarely |
Created using termites. |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Always |
You cut them from the box tree trim your bark off it sand it all down to make it smooth put it over the coals inside because it makes the notes come out better. |
| Jason from USA |
Always |
They are made by termites burrowing through the soft inner core of the branches of eucalyptus trees. After the termites evacuate the tree the aboriginal player walks in search of the perfect sizes which are then carefully selected cut to size shaven down sometimes painted and then topped off with a beeswax mouthpiece. |
| Jason Wither from New Zealand |
Always |
Didge's are made from eucalyptus trees which are naturally hollowed by termites and then carefully and selectively harvested by aboriginal elders once they have been abandoned by the termites. |
| Jody from USA |
Rarely |
Once again I referred them to this site. |
| Joel from USA |
Sometimes |
That it takes a long time and a lot of effort to make it. |
| Joel from USA |
Always |
That it was made by an Australian aboriginal using wood that was hollowed out by termites instead of a reamer. |
| John Fisher from USA |
Sometimes |
True didjes are carved by termites in the bush country. |
| John from USA |
Mostly |
I usually explain about how termites naturally hollow the wood used for the didj. |
| Jon from USA |
Mostly |
It's a wooden branch traditionally eucalyptus hollowed out by termites. One can also be made by heating and forming plastic pipe using bamboo or by hollowing out your own piece of wood. |
| Jonathan Turton from USA |
Always |
Bored out by termites then harvested. |
| Joseph Burke from USA |
Sometimes |
I tell them that it's harvested more than made. That it's been hollowed out by termites then cut by Aborigines then played usually less than an hour later. |
| Ka Hermet from USA |
Mostly |
If I'm asked I tell 'em 'bout the termites! I've explained it quite thoroughly to my family.... |
| Katarina from Serbia |
Never |
Nothing.We don't talk about it. |
| Kevin from USA |
Rarely |
Termites |
| Kyle from USA |
Only if asked |
I think that termites hollow tree branches and people just clean them up. |
| Anonymous |
Always |
It"s done by termites.... |
| Anonymous from USA |
Rarely |
I'm not entirely sure how a didj is made. |
| Maciek from Ireland |
Only if asked |
Is created natural by worms;termites |
| Marcelo Sarra Nicolino from Brazil |
Mostly |
I tell about the termites process the bee wax etc... |
| Mario from Italy |
Always |
I say that the didj is made from an eucalypt tree branch that is eaten internally by australian termites and that when an aboriginal is looking for a didj and finds that it is quarry he firstly percuote it to see if sounds and then if he likes it he cuts the branch and work it to finally obtain the instrument. |
| Martyn from United Kingdom |
Mostly |
Made from eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites eating the inside the finished off by man and decorated. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Sometimes |
It is hollowed out by termites |
| Matteo B from Italy |
Mostly |
They usually don't know so much about. Many think didjes are hollowed with some tools and in effect the ones you usually find here in Italy aren't genuine aboriginal instruments. None of the persons I talked with knew the traditional Didgeridoos are hollowed by termites. |
| Matthew from Australia |
Mostly |
How its hollowed out by termites from Eucalypts hot coals to clear the inside about different shapes and sizes altering the sound it makes |
| Anonymous from Finland |
Mostly |
That it is made by nature and found and finished by humans. (My english ain't so good:) |
| Maurice from Australia |
Only if asked |
The didj is made from timber taken from the bush which has been hollowed out by termites |
| Michael Pechous from USA |
Mostly |
How upon a spirit walk a piece of wood will call to your soul. When you know it is the right one it will reveal itself to you when you cure and burn it just right. |
| Michele from USA |
Always |
That traditionally it is created of termite cleared wood. The didges I play are primarily produced in my own culture and so are hollowed by gifted carpenters but are different than those that are created naturally. |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Sometimes |
Termite made holes |
| Mike from USA |
Always |
That a real didj is a natural piece of equipment made by termites. |
| Neil Wakeling from United Kingdom |
Mostly |
I explain about how mine was made (Bruce R.) - we communicated an waited until he felt he had the right piece of wood for me which he them worked on. The extraordinary energy that is in this didj. |
| Nick Buckley from USA |
Always |
I tell them how they are naturally hollowed out by termites so they are produced and played just as they were thousands of years ago. |
| Orlend from USA |
Only if asked |
Depends on the type of didj. |
| Ossi from Finland |
Sometimes |
Well I usually start with stating that didj can be made out of virtually anything - have fun with it! This is usually followed with a note about the "original" Didjes made out of termite-hollowed eucalyptus somewhere in Australia and further cultivated with traditional Aboriginal techniques. |
| Anonymous |
Never |
I don't. |
| Peter from United Kingdom |
Sometimes |
How the centre is rotted and eaten out by insects. |
| Peter Seidenberg from USA |
Only if asked |
I say that a didj is traditionally made out of select pieces of termite hollowed eucalyptus by Australian Aborigines. |
| Peter Steyvers from Belgium |
Always |
I tell that he is made with termite. And I tell the story from the first didgeridoo. The story about the fire and the aborigine who he is blowing in the didge the safe the termite. And then there are stares and beautiful music. |
| Peter from United Kingdom |
Only if asked |
Termites! |
| Reg from Australia |
Always |
In most cases eucalyptus / malee trees in the Kalgoorlie region are eaten out buy white ants. The ends are cut of the eaten core removed and a bees wax or some places other natural resin mouthpiece put on one end. I always ponder how the first person got the idea make a sound and how that has developed. |
| Richard Bird from USA |
Always |
I enjoy telling them about the use of termites to create a traditional didj although I'm just as fascinated with all of the new materials used in the making of didj's - plastics glass bamboo etc. |
| Rik Van Luijn from Netherlands |
Sometimes |
I let them look in to the bottom of an originally termite hollowed didj and one that was drilled out by a machine and let them hear the difference. When someone is interested I tel them about how its traditionally harvested they usually sort of are but mostly in what a didj can do and how its played. Most people are surprised and interested when I tell them they are properly keyed and coated inside and out. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Always |
Termites hollow out eucalyptus plants which are then harvested. |
| Anonymous |
Always |
A piece of wood which is eaten out by termites |
| Roel from Belgium |
Always |
That most australian didges ar eucalypt branches hollowed out by termites and harvested by aboriginals who paint beautiful artwork on them which tell whole stories often derived from their 'dreamworld'. I also tell about restrictions on harvesting certain types of wood to protect the existence of these trees. And how some didges are simply drilled out and made out of lower quality wood (i have to tell this because I happen to own some of these cheaper didges...simply cause I don't have the money) I also tell them the cheaper (european) didges work fine too so there is a better chance they start didging themselves. I also tell them that the difference in price/quality is comparable with buying a squire guitar versus a fender or a gibson. (then they understand better) |
| Rolando Rojas from Chile |
Sometimes |
That termites do the work eating and making the hole at the center of the wood |
| Ros from Australia |
Only if asked |
That a true didj is hollowed out by termites. Other than that I don't know enough yet. |
| Scott from Australia |
Only if asked |
Find the stick you want and put it on a termites nest until ready then decorate |
| Scott from USA |
Mostly |
That they're made from trees hollowed out by ants |
| Anonymous |
Sometimes |
Out of wood special wood...that's all I know yet! |
| Shane Dye from USA |
Always |
Termites eat it from the inside and hollows out the tree branches or limbs |
| Anonymous |
Sometimes |
That the better ones are hollowed out by termites. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Mostly |
Hollowed by termites |
| Stephen from USA |
Only if asked |
Historically the didgeridoos were made from trees (or branches) hollowed out by termites at just the right pattern. The wood was then harvested and the final processes were then used to make the instrument complete |
| Anonymous from New Zealand |
Only if asked |
Termites eat the middle of the didge and hollow it out. |
| Anonymous |
Rarely |
They are hollowed out naturally by termites |
| Tal from Israel |
Mostly |
That an Australian didj is made of dead eucalyptus tree branches that have been eaten on the inside by termites and collected in the bush. cleaned cut shaped and painted |
| Taylor Ballou from USA |
Always |
That a eucalypt tree branch is grown for years and when the branch is long enough to be cut they harvest the branches. Since the branches middle is a pulpy soft substance they release termites to eat the inside pulp and then when hollowed out they wax the top end so as to allow the didge to be played |
| Thom from USA |
Mostly |
A natural didj is created by termites hollowing out the center of a tree or branch. Man made didj is created out of composites various woods yucca agave and even leather. |
| Anonymous |
Sometimes |
I tell the people its termite work |
| Todd from USA |
Never |
By termites hollowing out the trees |
| Tom from USA |
Only if asked |
Made from termite hollowed out eucalyptus branch |
| Tonia from USA |
Never |
I would tell them I don't really know and would refer them to your site. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Only if asked |
I tell them about the termites but explain that I'm not yet privileged to own one of those yet. |
| Anonymous |
Never |
It hasn't come up |
| Willy Brandt from Belgium |
Always |
It's made by nature-termites and people working together |
| Anonymous from USA |
Only if asked |
I believe they were originally made from old pieces of wood that had been hollowed by termites. |
