How to Play the Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is an exotic wind instrument that creates an interesting sound. The native population of Australia, the Aboriginal people, developed the instrument, but nobody knows how old it is. The Aborigines believed that the didgeridoo is an important part of creating the world.

Traditionally, Aboriginals made didgeridoos out of eucalyptus branches or bamboo stalks. Today, you can find didgeridoos in a variety of materials on the market today. The didgeridoo, which is mainly a hollow tube, is now made from such odd plants as the stalks of agave cactus and any number of tree woods as well as plastic, fiberglass and other man made materials.

The first step in learning to play the didgeridoo is to stretch your lips and mouth opening and move the jaw around. Now place your lips around the mouthpiece, creating an airlock. The didgeridoo is similar to the tuba in this regard.

Blow gently, Your diaphragm controls the effort to manage enough steady air supply to vibrate your lips. Using a soft breath will let you maintain the noise for as long as possible on a single breath. Change the pressure of your lips to create the proper sound. The sound that domes out is called a drone. Maintaining the drone effect is an important step to master before attempting more advanced variations of didgeridoo tones. With enough practice, you will be able to create a beautiful full tone.

Circular Breathing is one of the hardest parts about playing the didgeridoo, because it is so different from the natural breathing patterns. By learning to circular breathe, you make sure there is air in your lungs at all times. Blow out air through your mouth by squeezing your cheeks, and breathe in short breaths through your nose. By contracting the muscles in your cheeks, you breathe out the stored air supply, while inhaling the natural, unconscious way.

After you have the drone down pat, you can start learning special sound effects, like bird calls, grunts, screams and animal noises. However, this is a complicated process, because most beginners will be tempted to use their lips. It's important to never move your lips while playing the didgeridoo, because the lips need to vibrate around the mouthpiece at all times.

Consequently, the sound effects are created without any assistance from the lips.

These intonations are made by shaping the sounds without actually speaking them. Using the shape of your mouth and the location of your tongue is what enables you to imitate the kookaburra and the dingo, as well as many other sounds.

To create the best-known sound in the didgeridoo, which sounds like "Ooo, eee," you'll need to focus on your tongue. Place the tip of the tongue at the top of your front teeth, and slide tip backwards over your palette. This changes the shape of your mouth, and this will alter the tone and sound that the didgeridoo creates. Slipping your tongue forward will again change the tonal quality. These alternating changes added to others is what makes the didgeridoo sound complex and interesting.

Do not get frustrated, if you can not make the sound you want as soon as you like. It takes practice, like any other instrument. As you become comfortable in modulating the shape of your mouth, you will sound better and better.

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