How to Play the Didgeridoo

Learning to play the didgeridoo is NOT hard. Within only a couple of minutes You will be able to produce the amazing sounds that can only come from an instrument like this, the didgeridoo.
The first thing you will need to learn is the BASIC DRONE.

If you can not play MP3 files Click here to listen to a wav file.
To play the didgeridoo your lips need to be loose & vibrating, very similar to what a baby does when it blows bubbles. It is a good idea to practice this a couple of times away from the didgeridoo & unlike the baby try not to spit to much.

This is what it should sound like!

If you can not play MP3 files Click here to listen to a wav file.

Lets try it now. Don't worry if you think you sound funny..... Ok now it is time to move onto the didgeridoo. Place Your mouth against the bee's wax mouth piece. Make sure you have an airtight seal around the mouthpiece & gently blow into the didgeridoo with your lips loosely vibrating.

If it does not seem to work properly, try varying the pressure when you blow. Some beginners make the mistake of blowing to hard or to soft when they are learning. Hopefully You are now playing the basic drone, if so it should sound something like this

Click here to listen to a wav file.

Once you have mastered the basic drone it is quite simple to add other sound effects, but we will look at that a little later, because I feel it is important to start learning circular breathing now before you pick up any bad habits.

As a new player You will naturally get very excited when you get the basic drone working properly. However one mistake that is common to new players is that they use ALL the air in their lungs as they try to keep the sound going for as long as possible.

I know you will want to do the same thing but it is a bad habit, because one of the secrets to circular breathing is to keep plenty of air in your lungs at all times. Much like a bag pipe player keeps air in the bag when he plays the bag pipes.

You have probably been told that circular breathing is hard to learn but once you get the hang of it, it's like riding a bike - you'll never forget how to do it.

Ok, let's start. To circular breath you will need to use your mouth like an air bag, squeezing air out of your mouth by using your cheeks & tongue, but at the same time taking Short breaths of air through your nose.

There are several ways of learning the technique of circular breathing, lets discuss two if them.

1. I found this one easiest to practice in the shower, as it can get messy. What you need to do is fill your mouth with water. Now using your cheeks and tongue, squeeze the water out of your mouth.

Click here to listen to a sample. Don't blow the water out with the air that is in your lungs, make sure you only use your cheeks & tongue to push the water out.

Try this a couple of times. Once you are confident that you are squeezing the water & not blowing, we can move onto the next step. What we do next is exactly the same as before but now we take short breaths in through your nose at the same time.
If you can do this you have mastered the basic principle of circular breathing.

This is what it should sound like.

Click here to listen to a sample.

The second method is this:
2. Get a drinking straw, twist the end of it so that it is hard to blow air out of it, but not too hard.

Fill a glass of water, place the straw in the glass, and proceed to blow the air out of the straw by squeezing the cheeks and whilst using the tongue to push the air out of your mouth.
Again you must make sure that you do not blow the air out but you push it out with your cheeks.

It should sound like this!

Click here to listen to a sample.

Once you are confident in pushing the air out you can move onto quickly taking a short breath in through the nose.

Click here to listen to a sample.

A glass of water is used so that you can see by the air bubbles how constant your breathing is. Remember the skill is to mechanically expel the air out of your mouth, as it is impossible to breathe in through your nose while blowing out through your mouth. It takes quite a bit of concentration so take your time and think about what you are doing.

Circular breathing can be used at any time to keep the lungs filled with air whilst the instrument is being played.
Once circular breathing has been accomplished other playing techniques can be introduced.

Now that you have learnt the basics for circular breathing we can look at some of the other sound effects. Lets now try some of the popular sound effects Birdcalls (kookaburra), animal sounds (dingo, dogs, kangaroo hopping), growling sounds and croaking sounds.

Using a technique similar to that of ventriloquists who can talk without apparently moving their lips, many types of talking sounds can be produced whilst playing the didjeridu.
Remember the lips must be kept vibrating whilst mimicking sounds. Many good didjeridu players can mimic almost any sound.

The sound of a Kookaburra

With out the didgeridoo
click here to listen in wav format. With the didgeridoo
click here to listen in wav format.

The sound of a Dingo:

Without the didgeridoo

click here to listen in wav format.
With the didgeridoo

click here to listen in wav format.




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