Didgeridoo Keys for Learners: Does the Note Really Matter?

Many new players worry that they need to understand music theory before they can choose or play a didgeridoo. You do not. In this episode of the Didgeridoo Buyers Guide, Benny from Didgeridoo Breath talks about the note, or key, of a didgeridoo and offers a refreshingly simple way to think about it. This article looks at what the key means for you as a learner.

Every didgeridoo has its own note

As Benny explains, each didgeridoo is completely unique. The way the tree grew and the way the termites hollowed it determine the instrument you end up with, and that instrument drones in a particular note. When you play the basic drone, you are playing that note. You do not choose it with your fingers the way you would on a guitar or flute; it is built into the instrument.

You can skip the theory

Benny is clear that the name of the note is optional knowledge. Whether you call it A, B, C, D or E, or think of it as do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, the label does not change how the instrument plays. If you are not familiar with musical terms, the easiest approach is to listen to someone playing the didgeridoo and decide whether you are after a deep one or a higher one.

For a learner, that is good news. Your first goal is a steady, relaxed drone, and that skill transfers to any key. Knowing the letter name becomes more useful later, if and when you start playing with other people.

Deep or high: what you feel

Benny describes the difference in physical terms. A deep didgeridoo is something you feel, and its vibration can resonate through your chest. A higher one has a different character altogether. In the video he plays a big, deep instrument and then a contrasting one, and the difference is obvious even if you have never thought about pitch before.

Neither is better. Some learners love the rumble of a low drone; others enjoy the brighter, more energetic feel of a higher instrument. Your preference is a perfectly good reason to choose one over the other.

Tips for learners

• Learn your own instrument's note. If your didgeridoo came with a key listed, remember it. If you ever play along with recorded music or other musicians, it helps to know.
• Use your ears in practice. Listen to whether your drone sounds full and steady. A wobbly or thin drone usually points to technique, not the key.
• Notice the vibration. On a deeper instrument, pay attention to how the sound feels in your body. It is useful feedback as your drone improves.
• Do not chase a key for its own sake. When buying, choose by sound and feel rather than by a letter you have read about.

More to come in the series

Benny finishes by mentioning that later videos go deeper into what sets the tone of each didgeridoo. Length is one part of that story, and it is covered in its own episode of the buyers guide.

Whatever key your instrument is in, the foundations of playing are the same. Our beginner didgeridoo lessons take you from your first drone through to the techniques that make the didgeridoo come alive, on any instrument you choose.