[2] The Sardinian launeddas themselves are an ancient instrument, being traced back to at least the eighth century BCE,[3] as is testified during the Nuragic civilization by an ithyphallic bronze statuette found in Ittiri.

The launeddas are still played today during religious ceremonies and dances (su ballu in Sardinian language).

[4] Distinctively, they are played using extensive variations on a few melodic phrases, and a single piece can last over an hour, producing some of the "most elemental and resonant (sounds) in European music".

[4] Launeddas are used to play a complex style of music by circular breathing that has achieved some international attention, especially Efisio Melis, Antonio Lara, Dionigi Burranca and Luigi Lai.

In 1996, the British free jazz saxophonist Evan Parker released a double-CD collaboration with Carlo Mariani and other world musicians entitled Synergetics—Phonomanie III, which was recorded in Ulrichsberg, Austria in September 1993.