MANILA, Philippines - Imagine nature sounds, the call of the wild, the thump of kangaroos hopping through Australia's parched or verdant plains. These are the scenes virtuoso William Barton sets to vibrant music thru his didgeridoo.

Traditionally known as yirdaki in Western society, the didgeridoo is an instrument fashioned by nature out of Australia's local wood.

With its hollowed-out tube produced over time by termites, and a mouthpiece covered with beeswax, it mimics the low notes on the trombone.

Considered a sacred instrument, it is traditionally broken when its owner passes away, although some tribes have opted to pass on the instrument from one generation to another like a revered heirloom.

Long after being relegated to being played in traditional ceremonies like death and marriage, today, it continues to be used as a tool for telling stories.

And this is just how Barton chooses to tell his.

Didgeridoo Rap

One of Australia's leading didgeridoo players and composers, 28-year-old William Barton has been playing the instrument for more than 20 years.

He first learned to play from his uncle, an elder of the Kalkadunga tribe of western Queensland, and was influenced by the classical music his mother played.

He has also worked with some of Australia's finest composers and toured Germany with the Queensland ballet and performed with a number of orchestras.

New treatment for asthma: the didgeridoo

Playing the didgeridoo and singing can help alleviate the symptoms of asthma, new research suggests

A study by Australian scientists found that regularly playing the wind instrument can lead to improved breathing and better overall health.

Robert Eley, from the University of Southern Queensland, gave 10 Aboriginal boys weekly didgeridoo lessons for six months and found that their “respiratory function had improved significantly”.

Girls were excluded from the lessons because it against the culture of many Aboriginal groups for females to play the instrument.

However, Dr Eley found that both boys and girls reported a general improvement in well-being after singing lessons and he suggested that could be a new way to help relieve the symptoms of asthma.

More than five million people in the UK suffer from the condition which currently costs the NHS £950m a year.

The research was published in The Journal of Rural Health.