The didgeridoo is a simple and fun instrument that can be built with a plastic tube.
Steps
Step 1. Purchase a 38mm diameter PVC pipe with a length between 150 and 180cm
Length affects the tone of your didgeridoo. It is better not to save on the length, you can always shorten it so much. A length of 131cm (including mouthpiece) will tune your didgeridoo to a low key of C.
Step 2. Purchase a 38mm female-to-female joint and a 38 to 25mm bushing
With these we will build the mouthpiece.
Step 3. Refine the cut edges of the PVC pipe
Often there are filaments and debris that obstruct the flow of air. A wire brush is ideal, but a utility knife is also great for filing away excess plastic.
Step 4. Assemble your instrument
Firmly insert the joint into the end of the pipe. Insert the bushing into the joint. Done! You just built a didgeridoo!
Method 1 of 1: Alternative Solution
Step 1. Purchase a 51mm diameter PVC pipe with a length between 120 and 180cm
Buy a block of beeswax, a jar of acrylic paint, a bulb planter, a glass bottle, a round-headed bolt, and a hot air gun.
Step 2. Heat the end of the PVC tube until it melts
At this point, insert the glass bottle into the end. It is the first step in the construction of the classic 'bell' that is in the final part of the didgeridoo. Once cooled, heat the new end and insert the bulb planter with the help of some lubricant (for example Wd-40). The bell is ready.
Step 3. Heat the tube in all its parts and press the head of the bolt on the PVC, at each point
Step 4. Use some rough grit sandpaper to smooth the tube and let it dry
Step 5. Paint the didgeridoo with acrylic paint
Step 6. Shape the mouthpiece with beeswax
Step 7. Ready to play
Advice
- Tune the didgeridoo by ear. The length determines the tone.
- Customize your didgeridoo! Paint it, decorate it with objects modeled from plaster; the eye wants its part, not just the ear! An original way to decorate is to use a propane gas blowtorch to roast the didgeridoo like a marshmallow. Once hot, the tube becomes malleable, you can also bend it slightly. Then give it a wipe with a wet rag and it will look more like a piece of wood than a PVC pipe.
- More experienced didgeridoo players may choose to make a mouthpiece with beeswax to mold it to the shape of their mouth. Wax works better than plastic on lips, but plastic is fine to start with.
- You may find yourself better off using a joint that makes a small angle, say 22.5 degrees, and playing with the side of your mouth. It's a completely different technique!
- Fill the PVC pipe with sand before heating it for bending; this will prevent creases and wrinkles from forming.
Warnings
- If you use heat sources to bend and shape the PVC didgeridoo, do it outdoors! PVC releases toxic fumes when heated, and breathing them won't do your lungs any good.
- It would be best to wear a dust mask or respirator when heating the hose, although these items do not always fully protect against toxic vapors. It is worth remembering: these jobs must ALWAYS be done in open places.
- If you are using a blowtorch, read the precautions on the tank and nozzle carefully. Propane is dangerous and should be used with caution.
- Often in hardware stores you can only buy a 3 meter long PVC pipe. But if you ask for it, they can usually cut it.
- If you care about your life and especially that of your liver, DO NOT BURN THE PVC. DO NOT breathe ANY gas emitted by the heated PVC! It is carcinogenic! It's not like smoking a cigarette… it's pure poison. A 'mask' cannot protect you. Even when heating PVC to shape it you should always wear a compliant chemical respirator and always stay in an open and ventilated place!
