Alcvin playing yidaki on a mountain top in

Yanai, Yamaguchi, Japan

The Yidaki (a.k.a. didgeridoo)

The Sound of the Earth

The yidaki is a testament to the organic beauty of the Australian Aborigines and their relationship with the earth. No more than a hollow tube, its aesthetic is simple yet, profound. When played properly, it can produce a vast array of intricate rhythms and otherworldly tone colors. Playing the yidaki immediately taps one into the mysterious wellspring of creativity and bespeaks the wonders of nature. Body, mind, and spirit are stimulated as the unforgettable and primordial sound of the the yidaki connects us with our friends, our environment, and to the earth on which we live.

Origins and History

In traditional Aboriginal music, the yidaki is the primary wind instrument used in rituals and mythic song cycles often accompanied by clicking sticks, singing, and dancing. One who is skilled in playing is called a "puller".

When the first Europeans made contact with the Aborigines for the first time in Australia, the sound they heard being played on the instrument was, "di-ger-ee-doo" hence the onomatopoeic word DIDGERIDOO was created to refer to the yidaki. There are many Aboriginal names fo the instrument including yiraki, yullungul, julungul, symbolizing the mythic rainbow serpent.

The origin of the yidaki is cloaked in mystery. One theory is that it originated over 40,000 years ago in the Northern Arnhem Land penninsula and spread to Northern Queensland to the east. It wasn't until recently did is spread to other tribes of the south and west.

Traditionally they are made out of termite-hollowed branches and tree trunks of various eucalyptus, as well as bamboo. Today materials such as PVC plastic have been used as well as agave and yucca which grows wild in the south and north western area of the United States.

Finished yidaki in Katherine

The instrument may vary in length from 3 feet to 15 feet. The blowing end is fitted with a rim of beeswax to make it easier to blow. Yidaki are also often decorated with ochre and clay designs depicted animals, people, magical and spiritual beings, plants, and land formations.

In recent years, Australian aboriginal culture has received unprecedented international interest. Along with it, the visceral sound of the yidaki has touched millions of people all over the world. It has been used in modern music ensembles, rock groups, orchestras, as well as in a solo capacity as ambient music for seminars and workshops. The timeless and haunting sound of the yidaki sustains the ancestral sounds fo the Dreamtime and reminds us of our spiritual connection to our environment, the earth, and the mystery of the universe.

Aborigine man playing yidaki

Alcvin with Alan Dargin in Bali

BOOKING & INFO: Diana Stewart-Imbert • (1) 604-253-6292 • en_tour@shaw.ca • www.entourmusic.com