CARING FOR YOUR DIDGERIDOO

So now that you’ve found the right didgeridoo, how do you look after it? Thankfully, didgeridoos are generally pretty tough and don’t require a whole lot of work to maintain. However, there are a few things to be aware of.

Wood didgeridoos can be sensitive when moisture is involved. If your didge is non-porous, like glass or plastic, you probably will not need to do anything to except give it a bit of a clean out every now and then. Wood didges though, require a little more care because they can be susceptible to movement due to the effects of moisture.

Temperature and humidity affects the amount of moisture in the air. Hot, humid air contains lots of moisture, while cold, dry air contains much less. Constantly exposing your didgeridoo to varying temperature and humidity changes is effectively exposing your didge to varying levels of moisture which can enter or escape from its cells. This can cause the wood cells of your didgeridoo, even when dried out, to expand and contract.

This kind of movement can cause cracking or splitting in your didgeridoo. Cracks are bad because air is allowed to escape from the chamber of the didge which reduces backpressure and resonance.

Just playing the didgeridoo can also contribute to the movement of wood. With your wet, warm breath and saliva running through the didge, you are creating very wet conditions indeed.

Beyond the affect that moisture can have on your didgeridoo, transporting your didgeridoo from place to place can also contribute to the wear and tear the instrument. Your didgeridoo can get some serious knocks traveling from party to event, that over time, can cause damage and affect its quality.

With regards to all of these issues, it is best to adopt preventative measures. These will assist in maintaining the condition of your didgeridoo and reduce the likelihood of problems occurring later. These will be discussed in further sections.

Breaking in your didgeridoo

Firstly though, it is worth mentioning what you can do to help ensure the longevity of a new didgeridoo that you may have just recently acquired.

If your didge is new, not sealed and has not been played for long periods, it will be quite dry and may readily absorb moisture. Being a new didgeridoo, you will no doubt want to start blowing into it with so much enthusiasm that spit will be running out the end in no time! However, you should give it a little time to adjust to the new moisture that is being introduced by your playing.

Allow your didge to slowly adjust to this new condition by playing it for singular, short periods of time of five to ten minutes in the first few days.

Don’t play it for too long in any one sitting during this time. Your didge may absorb the moisture too rapidly, and then shrink suddenly when it dries out after you stop playing. Such movement is not good for the didge.

After a few days of gentle playing, work up to longer periods until you feel your didge has adjusted to the new conditions.

If your didge has a good waterproof finish on the inside and out, this is less of an issue. However, you still may want to introduce your playing gently to the didgeridoo at first just to be safe.

Now read the sections on storage and transport and maintaining the inside and outside of your didgeridoo to learn about other measures that will help ensure the longevity of your didgeridoo for many years.

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In summary

Didgeridoo tip Didgeridoos are pretty tough instruments but can be affected by sudden changes in temperature and exposure to moisture.

Didgeridoo tip Wood didgeridoos, like any wood product, can be subject to cracking and splitting if not looked after properly.

Didgeridoo tip If you've just got a new didgeridoo, play it for only short periods at a time at first. This will allow it to adjust to the moisture newly introduced from playing.