I just got my Authentic Aboriginal Art digeridoo! (it arrived Monday) A friend currently in Australia bought it for me, shipped it and even sent a booklet. All for $75 US (that’s something like $18,000.46 Aus/lyra/dmark or whatever.)
I’ve made it sound like a water buffalo fart.
That’s about it.
I’m working on the circular breating part, but that’s gonna take some time.
The circular breating part can wait until I can get something resembling an appropriate sound first. The “how to play” booklet is sort of helpful, but not so much so that I sound like Dr. Didge - at least, not yet.
Even if I never get a real pleasant sound out of it, it is absofuckinglutely beautiful!
I got my didge about 3 years ago in Oz and still can’t do the circular breathing thing, but can make a fair racket from it when I want to. But to begin with the seal at your mouth is the key.
(BTW, If you have any facial hair it will be much harder to begin with to create the seal).
Play with you mouth half off-centre (I prefer to the right) and blow lightly until the note sounds i.e. Only have half your mouth over the opening and make part of the seal with your cheek.
Then practice. Moving your tongue around your mouth will change the note, as will cheek movement, breathing faster/ slower to create the rhythm.
What key did you get your didge in? Handy to know for playing along with others…
I got my didge about 3 years ago in Oz and still can’t do the circular breathing thing, but can make a fair racket from it when I want to. But the seal is the key.
(BTW, If you have any facial hair it will be much harder to begin with to create the seal).
Play with you mouth half off-centre (I prefer to the right) and blow lightly until the note sounds i.e. Only have half your mouth over the opening and make the seal with your cheek.
Then practice. Moving your tongue around your mouth will change the note, as will cheek movement, breathing faster/ slower to create the rhythm.
What key did you get your didge in? Handy to know for playing along with other instruments…
I would guess that you need to relax your lips more if you’re getting the classic “farting water buffalo” noise. The whole area around your mouth should be totally slack. It helps to be a little bit drunk when you start out.
If you want a simple neat thing to do once you’ve managed a steady tone out of it, try humming into it–it produces a really neat growly beat pattern.
I call mine “the didgerrdon’t” because I’ve never been able to do a thing with it but get incredibly frustrated. It makes a nice conversation piece, though.
I should have added this to my list of Instruments I Hate in another thread. The sound of this makes me nervous. Like something is gonna explode or something.
I’ve had a little luck playing on friends’ digis. What I’ve found is that your entire cheeks have to be relaxed, as Balance said. Think of a trumpet players lips–they are totally loose and resonate when air pressure is applied. Your cheeks/mouth have to be the same–the sound is produced mainly by your mouth resonating and causing the barrel of the digi to resonate along with it.
I am a former trumpet player, so the cheek thing ain’t no biggie. It’s the incredibly loose lips. I’m so good at keeping secrets that I may never be able to play the didge!
Balance nailed it. The only time I’ve ever been able to sound like I know what I’m doing on the didgeridoo is when I’m drunk. Strange, but true. I guess your mouth is just more relaxed or something after you’ve had a few.
You and me both, Spritle. I’m so used to keeping my lips tense at the edges that having the equivalent of a whole-face embrasure (sp?) throws me off.
I can only circular breathe on the didge for about 45 seconds before I realize that I’m not getting enough air and burn out.
Practice on a drinking straw in a cup of water - you can easily see if you’re getting a continuous stream of air going through it. Playing the instrument is harder due to the amount of air being moved, but the basic “blow air, store in cheek, push out while breathing in” feel is the same.
Odd though - for every cat or crow I scare away while playing mine, I seem to attract two neighborhood children wondering what that sound is.
My mom visited Australia and all I got was three bottles of bheer. She forgot I wanted a didgeridoo and only bought one, which was for her secretary. Odd thing was, Beth asked me if I knew how to play it today as she was leaving the office, had to admit that I didn’t, but I gave it a try…a got a sound out of it, but not the one I wanted, guess that is what comes of thinking of it as just a very large kazoo.
Practiced last night. Tried to do the Michael Johnson relaxed face thing. No go.
I tried the the blow out of the side of the mouth suggested by Aro though not as much to the side as mentioned. It worked better.
I did a sort of lower lip pout thing, sticking my lower lip out further than my upper lip, which seemed to work best of all. I got a good resonating sound out of the didge.
Tried the circular breathing and it sounded like I was sputtering (I was.)
Tried the kangaroo, owl and kookabura sound in the website suggested by Arp. My wife laughed.
Sad thing is, The Littlest Doper[sup]TM[/sup] who is all of 20 months can play the thing about as well as I!
