Didgeridoo (Fundamental)
65.00 Hz
Nearest note: C2, 11 cents below standard tuning
The didgeridoo produces a deep drone typically around 50-80 Hz.
How well is this supported?
Part of a musical, cultural or practitioner tradition. Included because people use it, not because it has been tested.
This entry gives a typical pitch for an instrument. Real instruments vary.
The button plays a plain tone. Start with the volume low. Phone and laptop speakers play low notes quietly; headphones or a speaker help.
About this number
The didgeridoo produces a deep drone typically around 50-80 Hz. It was developed by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia. Rock art suggests it has been played for roughly 1,000–1,500 years. Rich in overtones through vocal tract shaping (circular breathing).
What is said about it
What is said, not what was measured
Some players and listeners say the low drone can induce meditative or trance states. The instrument is also described as used for healing.
History
Played in Aboriginal Australian ceremony. Rock art suggests the instrument has been in use for roughly 1,000–1,500 years.
Facts
- Frequency
- 65.00 Hz
- Wavelength in air (20 °C)
- 5.28 m
- Nearest note
- C2, 11 cents below standard tuning
- Kind of statement
- Instrument
- Filed under
- Instruments & gongs
Sources
- Rock art and the age of the didgeridoo
Dating of the instrument from depictions in rock art.
D. Wesley, T. Jones and R. Whitau, chapter 2 of The Archaeology of Rock Art in Western Arnhem Land, Australia (ANU Press).
View source: Rock art and the age of the didgeridoo
More about the pitch
The same note in every octave
Each step doubles or halves the frequency. Tap one to hear it.
Entries close in pitch
Within 35 cents of this tone, in any octave. A cent is one hundredth of the step between two neighboring piano keys. Being close in pitch does not mean two things are connected.