Editing Didgeridoo (section)

===Traditional===

[[File:Didgeridoo Embout1.jpg|thumb|A wax mouthpiece can soften during play, forming a better seal.]]
Traditional didgeridoos are usually made from [[hardwood]]s, especially the various [[eucalyptus]] species that are [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] to northern and central Australia.<ref>Taylor R., Cloake J, and Forner J. (2002) Harvesting rates of a Yolgnu harvester and comparison of selection of didjeridu by the Yolngu and Jawoyn, ''Harvesting of didjeridu by Aboriginal people and their participation in the industry in the Northern Territory'' (ed. R. Taylor) pp. 25–31.  Report to AFFA Australia.  Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, Palmerston, NT.</ref> Generally the main trunk of the tree is harvested, though a substantial branch may be used instead. Traditional didgeridoo makers seek suitably hollow live trees in areas with obvious [[termite]] activity. Termites attack these living eucalyptus trees, removing only the dead heartwood of the tree, as the living sapwood contains a chemical that repels the insects.<ref>McMahon, Charlie. (2004) The Ecology of Termites and Didjeridus, ''The Didgeridoo: From Ancient Times to the Modern Age'' (ed. David Lindner) Schönau: Traumzeit-Verlag</ref> Various techniques are employed to find trees with a suitable hollow, including knowledge of landscape and termite activity patterns, and a kind of tap or knock test, in which the bark of the tree is peeled back, and a fingernail or the blunt end of a tool, such as an axe, is knocked against the wood to determine if the hollow produces the right resonance.<ref>{{cite web |title=How is a Yidaki Made? |url=http://www.yirrkala.com/yidaki/dhawu/08howmade.html |work=Yidaki Dhawu Miwatjnurunydja |publisher=Buku Larrngay Mulka Centre |access-date=14 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214193750/http://www.yirrkala.com/yidaki/dhawu/08howmade.html |archive-date=14 February 2011}}</ref> Once a suitably hollow tree is found, it is cut down and cleaned out, the bark is taken off, the ends trimmed, and the exterior is shaped; this results in a finished instrument. A rim of [[beeswax]] may be applied to the [[mouthpiece (brass)|mouthpiece]] end.