didgeridoo

Yep. I do have a little experience with em. What do ya want to know? Bamboo works as long as it's sealed with no leaks. You could try a piece of PVC to get started on learning how to circular breath.
 
I have a PVC didge. I can play but have not got the circular breathing down yet. If you can get that down it could be real fun. I have a cd with some techniques for circular breathing that has helped me get to where I am.
 
thanks fr the response :)

nice video doug , thanks for sharing that

I have been trying to decide what kind to buy. I dont like the idea of the plastic/PVC , I prefer a natural made wood instrument, Ive got problems with chemical sensitivities.

The bamboo ones seem very nice. I visited my local music store today and they had Toca ones there but they seemed rather overpriced.($60) I'm on an extremely tight budget, no way I would be spending any money if it wasnt a medical need.
The ones online are selling for $30. Do you recomend I buy from the music store instead and check for leaks? how would I do that exactly? I saw a few 'travel' style ones that broke down into sections. is it hard to get a seal on those and better to have it 'one-piece' ?

gee I am getting concerned now that I am not going to be able to do this. i have a lot of throut/neck pain and muscle pain/cramps weakness and coordination problems system wide. :( is it realy that hard to play??

can anyone recomend good info on getting started playing?
 
The basic drone is pretty easy if you've ever played a tuba, but is probably not too hard to pick up after a little practice. The circular breathing is another story, but you can make some pretty cool sounds without it. Here's a web site that explains it pretty well.

http://www.didgeridoostore.com/didgeridoo.html

This is also an interesting site:

http://www.howtoplaydidgeridoo.com/

Unless the $30 ones are complete crap, they might be a good place to start so you could see if you want to pursue it further.

Good luck, and have fun!
 
Hi Wolfy,

It's understandable that you'd want a nice wooden didge. PVC is a good place to start to learn circular breathing, though. It's inexpensive and easy to work with. Bamboo is nice and eucalyptus is the traditional wood choice. Agave and Yucca work really well and there are other crafters using all types of woods out there. I have friends here in LA that ship didges all over the world and they are terrific to work with. http://www.laoutback.com/

You want to make sure that the didge is air tight, otherwise you most likely won't get a decent drone, or the back pressure needed to circular breathe. The circular breathing is what will help you with your sleep apnea. I would suggest finding a piece of PVC that is 28 - 32 mm in diameter and 48 to 60" in length. You can get exact if you want a specific key to drone in. I would suggest 30 mm to begin and get some bees wax (not parafin) to shape up a mouthpiece. You can find youtube videos to show you how to do this, I'm sure. There are also plenty of youtube videos and websites that will teach you how to get a drone. It's difficult at first, but if you allow yourself to relax and realize it's not a trumpet, you will eventually find it and the lightbulb should go on.

Circular breathing can be practiced with a straw and a glass of water. Blow into the straw continuosly and try to breath in through your nose. Let the breath fill your cheeks and take small sniffs and don't stop blowing through the straw. Don't blow too hard, just keep the bubbles moving and take a small sniff of air in through your nose every 5 to 10 seconds. You need to create backpressure.
 
I was a little worried that my inclusion of a didgeridoo in my jug band might offend jug band purists. Now I hope I don't offend some Aborigine purists.

Also check out Tristin Chanel. She doesn't seem too worried about the infertility thing.

www.tristinchanel.com
 
I was a little worried that my inclusion of a didgeridoo in my jug band might offend jug band purists. Now I hope I don't offend some Aborigine purists.

Also check out Tristin Chanel. She doesn't seem too worried about the infertility thing.

www.tristinchanel.com

thanks for the link she has a very unique style

I read on the LAoutback link that Didgeridoo2 post, the thing about women forbidden to play is just a perpetuated urban myth.

http://www.laoutback.com/Women_Playing_the_Didgeridoo_s/55.htm

great website Ill have to check it out more.
 
To check for leaks, submerge the didge in a bathtub with your hands over each end, bubbles will show you where there are leaks.
The best way I found to practice circular breathing is spitting water out of your mouth while breathing in your nose, trying to keep a constant stream of water while inhaling. This works best in the shower.
 
Hey Mike,

I didn't realize there were other didge players on here. Good to know. I was thinking if I ever made it back to Nashville, IN, or could arrange to be at the world congress, I would definitely bring a didge or 2 if I could.

Wolfy,

I wouldn't be concerned about the taboos that some Aboriginal clans have against women playing. Quite frankly, some clans believe any westerner playing didgeridoo is a taboo and a theft of their culture. But, that's not the thinking of all aboriginal people. While you may think that the didge is part of the culture of all aboriginal people, the true custodians of this ancient instrument are located in the northern territory of Australia. In those communities, man's work would be to hunt and harvest the right eucalyptus trees to craft instruments. The women may paint them and some will slyly play them for fun. Only the men will play them for ceremony. There are people in these communities that are strict about the didgeridoo (or yidaki, or mago), but if you were to ask Djalu Gurruwiwi, the true custodian of the didgeridoo, he would suggest you play it, but respect his culture. They've been playing it for thousands of years.

There are clans all over Australia that play it and craft them, but some do it because they can make money doing it. Unfortunately, not all do it with cultural integrity. The Sydney olympics made the didgeridoo popular with the world and that isn't necessaarily a good thing. Like Native Americans, the Aboriginal people struggle with identity and have had real problems with the theft of their culture. When you see someone painting circles and stripes on an instrument, or a boomerang to make it look "Austalian", you may not realize that these symbols tell a story of the land or clan to some Aboriginal people.

If you're curious about any of this check out a hub run by a friend of mine http://www.ididj.com.au/.
He's an anthropologist and ethno-musicologist and has spent most of his adult life with communities in northern Australia.
 
well after much debating, reasearch and your helpful tips , I bought a lovely Toca bamboo didge from the local music store and checked them for cracks etc. the poor salesman i had him take them all out so I coudl look through them lol ,good thing too because I did see one with a crack and another missing part of the wax mouthpiece. but i picked out a nice one with a bit of curve.

http://www.tocapercussion.com/product/effects/digeridoos.html

I got one wiht a sun, I love the sun, it helps with my pain and is very healign to me like hopefully this will be.
I watched quite a few videos and gave it a try and it is difficult! A little bit of blowing and I was very dizy and had a headache. Mabee it is because I am already so ill. I am also going to chalk it up to being a total noob. But i can see it is going to be a real challenge for me. I tryed the circular breathing and cant do it at all. I am going to try those tips of spiting water and the straw things , thanks.

thanks for the perspective on the culture Didgeridoo2. Its alwasy somethign I've very aware of and curious about when learning an instrument. I love to learn about the origins of instruments and music.
Like when I first discovered Hawaiian music , I didnt want to just play it , I felt a deep connection and am compelled to learn all about the islands and am also studying the Hawaiian language and culture as an on going thing.

I totaly repect the sacred aspect many of these instruments have for people too , especialy as they are used for ceremoniy and realy I feel that way bout my own music and intruments having an important spirital meaning and vibe for me. Even the silly stuff I do for my videos in a sort of heyokha way (native american 'jester shaman')

I am not just learnign this instrument on a whim , I have been led to it, and something else amazing I discovered, I have been studying the use of sound vibrations and resonance for healing , and one of my goals has been to create special music for this purpose, and apperently the didge is used for that too because of its special tonal range and vibration. This fits perfectly with what Ive been wanting to create. I know it may sound corny, but I feel like this the next thing I am being divinely inspired to persue as difficault and daughting it may be for me and mabee help me heal in the process so I can heal others.

thanks for the link Ill check that out :)

Aside from people just blatantly using some aspect of a culture wrongly to strickly make a profit and dupe tourists or something, I realy dont see it as cultural theft, more of a sharing in the culture and celebrating it. We ultimately all come from the same ancestors somewhere along the line in human history. I don't see such lines of separation with people. Atleast I don't think there should be. Ultimately all life springs from the same source.
 
well after one night of use I slept for 6 hours strait last night and woke without a headache!! I hope it isn't just coincidence and a sign of good results to come! :cool: I am going to have to be careful thugh not to practice too much too soon and over do it in my enthusiasm ;)
 
The headache may be a result of too much pressure. Create a seal with your lips and relax. Let them hang forward as you release air instead of blowing air. Keep at it. Once you get it, you'll be hooked.
It's not nearly as forceful as a trumpet or a trombone.

Also, how wide is your mouthpiece? If it's too big, you may have trouble creating a seal, but you don't want it to be too small. You can manipulate the wax to size it.
 
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The headache may be a result of too much pressure. Create a seal with your lips and relax. Let them hang forward as you release air instead of blowing air. Keep at it. Once you get it, you'll be hooked.
It's not nearly as forceful as a trumpet or a trombone.

Also, how wide is your mouthpiece? If it's too big, you may have trouble creating a seal, but you don't want it to be too small. You can manipulate the wax to size it.

thanks for the advice

the mouthpiece looks to be about 1 1/2 inch wide and encicles my whole mouth.if I just relax my lips nothing happens air just blows them open and right through , no vibratopn or sound is produced, Im just blowing air. the wax is very hard and looks like it is just coating the bamboo that is there. Ive looked around for lessons or something in my area and found nothing. mabee it is too big? Ive got a small mouth I guess. I have nothign to judge by, Ive not seen any references to mouthpiece size anywhere or when buying them they dont realy offer that.

as far as headaches I have them all the time , certain things I do prettty much any kind of pphysical exerssion make everything worse for me. I have fibromyalgia and terrible pain througout my face neck and shoulders all the time, I also have bad stomache probs so use of my diaphram and breathing is very difficult. :(
 
You have to be able to relax and have your lips vibrate. You have to find that sweet spot.

Watch this video on how to replace your mouthpiece, wolf. You may be able to just use the one you have. Warm it and reshape. If you try to fix another, use plain beeswax. Try to get it down to 29 or 30 mm in diameter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3y9gnbswic&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
Try making an old fashioned "raspberry" with your lips, that's what you want to do when you play the didge, relax and vibrate your lips.

One funny thing I remember when I was learning didge, is while sitting in my room and practicing, I glanced at the clock radio and noticed the numbers vibrating and then figuring out it was my eyeballs doing the vibrating not the clock.
 
i used to play ALOT and build my own outta 2 or 1 1/2 PVC ...which actually makes a realllly resonant, if not slightly robotic, tone. Playing out of the side of your mouth also, i think is the best form. That way the center of your lips is availble later to help you make some of the noises. For me, circular breathing was tough, but i got it in one reallllllly long night of practice. One method i saw that works is to take a coffee stirrer or straw (bend and twist the straw to make the hole tighter so less air gets through) and put it in a glass of water. Blow bubbles in the glass just normal...breath normal....its okay to take breaks....and do that for 10 minutes. Then blow bubbles but stop and inhale through your nose without taking your mouth off the straw (10 min) Then blow bubbles but puff your cheeks out like a bullfrog and only inhale through you nose when you break for 10 minutes. THEN puff your cheeks and only use cheek air to blow bubbles not lungs do this over and over for 10 minutes. THEN puff up your cheeks and and use cheek air, as controlled and slowly as you can to still get bubbles and try inhaling through you nose WHILE you are still making bubbles. After this you are getting ready to put all those skills together...it likely goes without saying but a circular breath is playing normally with your lungs...once you JUST START (don't wait too long) to feel like its time to breath let your cheeks puff up (or always have them puffed) and gently you use face muscles to squeeze that slowly out while your lungs, connected to your nose, breath in....then just repeat that process. At first you'll screw up and there will be a break in the sound when you take a breath. but the more your practice (AND DO IT AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN) the shorter that will get until it all sounds like one tone. You may still hear the volume get quieter when you breath, but keep at it and you'll be a pro. (its not as hard as it sounds, this method just breaks it allll the way down. If at anypoint you screw up, try going back a step) Once you have it, pop on the TV and play as long a continuous note as youcan...i did 2 hours once (but 15 or 20 minutes is a feat in itself!) one last thing (i'm very long winded, with all the circular breathing and all) The didge makes a big difference in how easy it is, and easy to learn circular breathing. The key is back pressure...smaller diameter and longer didges generally create more back pressure, as do those with lots of wiggles and rough insides. back pressure is the air staying in the pipe, resistance if you will. If you have a very short didge (i've seen silly ones only 3 feet long) or a larger professional 2 inch or larger size one (while they sound great) they are very difficult to learn circular breathing on. You can find instructions on line to build your own...which is as simple as buying a 4 dollar piece of PVC and some beeswax at the local farmers market, craft, or health food store...(candle and other waxes work too, don't use scented you'll puke, and the softer the hard wax the better) Lots of instructions online about how to mold the mouthpiece. you can also get out your uke tuner and cut little pieces off the didge pvc you bought which would tune it higher...My D didge which is 1 1/2 inch is the easiest to play. if you have a paint stripper heat gun, you can heat the plastic (outside) carefully to avoid burning it and put bends in it...which can help create back pressure...Wow...i typed to much...good luck and enjoy
 
thanks for the advice. Im having a realy hard tiem of things :( a few days ago my face became very sore an painful and all the glands around my mouth and jaw swelled up and i havent been able to play or do any practice since. I still not any better and done know if this will go away now or if its from the didge playing that did this to me or what.

I did try the straw thing and spitting and watched many videos, but i realy dont understand at all how it is possible to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth at the same time. :( I was sort of able to make a rasbury before (not now -too painful) but as soon as I putt my mouth in the dige I couldnt any more. I bought wax and tryed putting a new mouth piece chanign the size, it didnt help. I tryed with the side of my mouth too. the only time I could get vibration was when I put my lips close to the top and stuck my lower lip way out. Mabee I just dont have the lips for it. Im very discouraged at this point. *sigh*
 
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