How to Make a Didgeridoo at Home

Australian people love playing didgeridoo, a musical instrument that requires a blow of air to produce enchanting musical notes. Traditionally, Australian people built it out of wood, but now it is available in other materials as well. This wind instrument is traditionally played by men in Australia, but lately it has become quite popular among children.

Small kids love to own a didgeridoo to try their hands on it. It is not always possible to buy this pricey instrument for kids, therefore, making one at home can be an inexpensive option.

• Hot air blower
• PVC pipe
• Soft beeswax
• A bolt
• Glass bottle
• Bulb planter

• Take a 2 inch wide PVC pipe and cut it down to a length of 6 feet. The length of the didgeridoo alters its pitch, so decide on the length beforehand. Length of the instrument should be such that it can be easily handled while playing.

• Use a hot air blower to heat one end of the PVC pipe and heat till the end becomes loose.
• Fix a glass bottle onto the loose end. Let the pipe cool for sometime so that it holds grip on the glass bottle.

• Heat the same end of the pipe again and fix a bulb planter on it firmly.
• The next step is to form depressions on other areas of the pipe. To attain this, heat specific areas of the pipe using the hot air gun and press a bolt on the heated area to form a depression. This will give a nice look to the didgeridoo.

• To smoothen the rough areas on the PVC pipe, gently scrub them using a grained sandpaper. After all the rough areas are smoothened, apply a coat of primer on the tube and keep it aside for drying.

• You can paint your didgeridoo according to your choice. Acrylic colors are best for painting the instrument as they are resistant to water.

• To make a mouthpiece at the other end of the tube, take a small quantity of soft beeswax and knead it to form a strip. Stick this strip on the inner side of the pipe. Make another strip and place it on the outer side of the pipe's end.

• Keep applying strips till the mouth of the pipe is less than an inch in size. A small opening facilitates proper blowing of air in the instrument.
• Keep the instrument aside for some time so that all the individual pieces are strongly bound to each other, and once this is done, the didgeridoo is ready for use.

• If you wish to bend your didgeridoo to give it an innovative shape, you can apply direct heat to it, but do this outside and not in a closed room as PVC releases toxic fumes on heating which can be very harmful, if inhaled.

• Wearing a mask can prevent dangerous fumes from entering into the body, but does not guarantee complete protection.
• When an empty PVC pipe is heated, wrinkles appear on its surface which hampers its appearance. This can be prevented by filling the pipe completely with sand prior to the application of heat.

Traditional didgeridoos are made using hardwoods. Hardwood obtained from eucalyptus tree is generally used for making this instrument. Instrument makers search for tree trunks that are infected by termites, as termite activity makes the tree trunk hollow from the inside. Wood collectors tap the tree to find out if it is termite infected or not.

After identification, the tree is cut down, bark is removed, cleaned from the inside and outside, and trimmed to get a finished didgeridoo. Making this instrument at home can be a fun activity in which kids can also play a part. 

They can color their instrument according to their taste and once it is ready, they can learn how to play a didgeridoo and showcase their talent to gain a lot of appreciation.