Uploaded May 2011 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Don Wurralkbanganya Murrungun talks a little about his background.
I'd never met him before, he is a 23 year old lambirlpil player from Numbulwar, south-east Arnhem Land. Lambirlpirl is the name for the didgeridoo in the Nunggubuyu language, in creole which is widely spoken in Numbulwar, it is called bambu.
In this brief overview of Don' background, Don speaks in the local Numbulwar creole.
His apitja, his uncle (mother's brother) taught him to play the didgeridoo and he is also proud to reveal that he has had teachings from Nicky Yunupingu and other Yothu Yindi yirdaki players. Its noteworthy that knowledge of rhythms and techniques are freely shared in Arnhem Land among family and extended relations, there are no secrets that are jealously guarded for a competitive edge.
He started to play the didgeridoo as an 11 year old so what that means is that its taken him 12 years of training and practice to get to his current level of expertise. Bill Gates once said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice of a certain activity to become a master of it. This translates to 30 minutes of didgeridoo playing every day without fail to master it in 55 years. Two hours of practise would make you a master in 14 years, and 5 hours of practise every day would drive your neighbours crazy but give you mastery powers in a short 5 and a half years.
I can imagine Yolngu kids practising 5 hours a day, someone like Mikey Guyanya Gurruwiwi who is almost never seen without an instrument in hand.
Don Wurralkbanganya Murrungun talks a little about his background.
I'd never met him before, he is a 23 year old lambirlpil player from Numbulwar, south-east Arnhem Land. Lambirlpirl is the name for the didgeridoo in the Nunggubuyu language, in creole which is widely spoken in Numbulwar, it is called bambu.
In this brief overview of Don' background, Don speaks in the local Numbulwar creole.
His apitja, his uncle (mother's brother) taught him to play the didgeridoo and he is also proud to reveal that he has had teachings from Nicky Yunupingu and other Yothu Yindi yirdaki players. Its noteworthy that knowledge of rhythms and techniques are freely shared in Arnhem Land among family and extended relations, there are no secrets that are jealously guarded for a competitive edge.
He started to play the didgeridoo as an 11 year old so what that means is that its taken him 12 years of training and practice to get to his current level of expertise. Bill Gates once said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice of a certain activity to become a master of it. This translates to 30 minutes of didgeridoo playing every day without fail to master it in 55 years. Two hours of practise would make you a master in 14 years, and 5 hours of practise every day would drive your neighbours crazy but give you mastery powers in a short 5 and a half years.
I can imagine Yolngu kids practising 5 hours a day, someone like Mikey Guyanya Gurruwiwi who is almost never seen without an instrument in hand.
