The drone of a didgeridoo plays at one particular (dominant) key, depending on the dimensions of the instrument. The drone will also contain numerous ‘overtones’. These overtones contribute to the richness of the didj sound.

Didgeridoos generally range in key from low G (very deep sound) to high A (little screamers). The key range looks like this:

Very Low	Nominal	Very High
G, G#, A, A#, B,	C, C#, D, Eb, E,	F, F#, G, G#, A

It is generally considered easier to learn on a didgeridoo in between the key of C and E.

The G’s and A’s, both high and low, are extremes and are rarely played.

Lower key didjeridoos (e.g. B’s) have a very deep drone; they generally play slower, require more relaxed lips; and they tend to take too much air for beginners to be able to play easily.

Higher keys (e.g. F and G’s) didjes are great for faster rhythms which usually require technique beyond that of a beginner.

In some aboriginal traditions the lower keys are used for more ‘somber’ events, and the higher keys for more lighthearted events. However traditional teaching on this varies from place to place.

If you want to play with other instruments then you will likely want a key that matches those instruments (the same key), or compliments them. Complimentary keys can be determined using conventional music approaches of the instrument keys being a third or a fifth apart. However since a didj has many overtones within the drone sometimes it isn’t possible to know how didjes and other instruments will fit together without playing them together.

Another consideration in the choice of key might be metaphysical. There are numerous systems that attribute musical keys to the chakras, or other metaphysical characteristics. So you may want to match your didj to one of these.

Hopefully these ideas will help in the initial choice of a key, and through the development of your playing you will experiment with different keys to find what best fits your playing style.