Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques

Subject: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: GUEST,Dunc
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 05:00 AM

I'm thinking about investing in a didgeridoo.
Are there any didgeridooers out there who can advise me on how difficult these things are to play?
I have been told there is a technique called 'cirular breathing'.
Sounds painful - What does it involve?

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 05:06 AM

Dunc, I built my digeridoo out of PVC. I figured I wouldn't have a huge investment if I couldn't figure out the circular breathing technique. Suffice it to say I haven't yet but I will take up the quest again some day. Maybe this thread will help.

I remember finding a website that included lessons with short movies. I down loaded the movies and lessons but haven't done anything with them yet. Let me do some research and see what I can find.

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 05:09 AM

The movies are RealAudio clips and total about 400 KB. I can email them to you if you send me your email address. You can do that by PM (Personal Message) and retain some pivacy if you join the Mudcat.

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: GUEST,Dunc
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 05:10 AM

I will wait with baited, if not circular breath.

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Dunc
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 05:27 AM

Naemanson
I tried sending you a PM but it didn't recognise your name.
What am I doing wrong?

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 08:06 AM

G'day Dunc,

One tip that was passed on to me by a didge player who uses the didge in school shows - and gets schoolkids to play - is to start by filling your cheeks and starting the drone then, as you are breathing IN through your nose, press your cheeks in with your fingers to expel air fort he circular drone.

I gave this advice to another inquirer and he found that it worked for him. I can't vouch for it personally, because circular breathing works for me when I play around with didge ... but I can't remember when I learnt to do it ... or how!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 09:24 AM

Perhaps you misspelled my name. Try again.

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: The Dane
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 12:18 PM

As Bob Bolton points out, the idea of circular breathing is to fill your cheeks with air and then, using the muscles in your cheeks, squeeze out the air while your breathe in through the nose. However, one thing is the theory, another is practice.

When I started playing the didge I got a tip from a friend of mine. Go down to McDonalds and get a straw. Put the straw into a glass of water and practise the tecnique by blowing bubles. When you can keep up a steady strean of bubles while breathing through the nose, you've got the technique right. Then start using the technique on the didge. Step one takes about a day to learn, but using the technique on the didge takes a bit longer.

Good luck, Jacob

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 07:46 AM

G'day again,

The Dane: My dodgy typing may have obscured my point - using the external pressure of fingers to 'cue' the cheek muscles into expressing air at the right time to achieve 'circular breathing'.

I must say (since I have not needed the technique) that I presume that you need to steady the didge with something else (posibly your toes) while using your fingers to train your cheeks in expelling on cue.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Privateer
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 08:20 AM

It's not difficult unless you have sinus problems. it is, however not something you pick up overnight. If you smoke, that wil slow you down, also. The process requires one to use their cheek & throat muscles to steadily force air out of the mouth cavity while at the same time breathing air into the sinus cavity. One practice technique I was told of ( and this may sound silly), is to fill your mouth completely with water until your cheeks are bulging, lay on a couch or bed with your head hanging upside down and practice breathing into your sinus. Another is to fill a glass with water, and practice the technique by exhaling through a straw in the water. The idea is to get a steady stream of bubbles without breaking your rythm. while your learning, the process takes alot wind out of you....good luck.

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: menzze
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 08:50 AM

Dunc, circular breathing is not really a problem. The prove for that is I've learned it within three days with each day about an hour of trying and I can't handle any breathing instrument. Mine is the guitar.

Before I started with the didge I knew about the theory of circular breathing all these things mentioned above. I tryed it "dry" before trying on the tube, means during the day,anytime I wanted, on work or whereever,I filled my cheeks with air as well as my belly, breathed out and tryed to stop the air from the lungs from time to time only using the air in my mouth. After that changing went along suffisantly I added the try of breathing in through the nose while still "breathing" out my mouth. You'll find that will work within two or three days.

Now you can try the same on the didge if you arrive to make it sound at all, which to me was a bigger problem than the cicular thing.

A friend of mine, an excellent trumpet player, explained it to me as the following: try to sort of "hang" your lips into the didge with no tension at all and than do like children who are playing cars : blrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Make your lips vibrate with as little air as possible.

Hope this can help a bit but I'm shure if I could learn it anybody can.

all the best menzze

Subject: RE: Didgeridoo Breathing Techniques
From: Dunc
Date: 17 Mar 01 - 05:40 PM

Thanks for all the comments. I shot off to the Island of Skye for a week the day after posting this thread.
I've just returned home tonight and got on line for the first time in 7 days!
I had hoped to do some climbing in the big, steep and jaggy mountains of Skye and expand areas of my lungs that have been dormant over the winter months.
Sadly due to the foot & mouth problem, walking / climbing was not allowed and I was forced to spend the week eating favourite foods and drinking lots of single malt whisky.
End result: Expanded waist line rather than expanded lungs.
My partner says I might have to wait until Christmas so she can get me a Didgeridoo as a gift - so I'll have plenty of time to practice the circular breathing.
Thanks once again to all out there daft enough to have tried it in the first place and then pass on their skills.