Didgeridoo
From the heart
From the land
A soul instrument
You feel it
The sound of mother earth
The didgeridoo is one of the oldest instruments to make music in the world. It has been used in traditional Aboriginal ceremonies across the top end of Australia for tens of thousands of years. According to the myths of creation the sound of the didgeridoo helped create the world and everything in it. Originally, Aboriginal groups predominantly played the didgeridoo from the Kiberly region of Western Australia, through to the areas around current day Darwin and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
Traditionally and Aborigine would go into nature and listen intensely to animal sounds, not just voices but also the flapping of wings or the thump of feet on the ground. This is the original music.
The Aborigine would also listen to the sounds of wind, thunder, trees creaking, and water running. The essences of all thee sounds were played with as much accuracy as possible within the droning sound of the didgeridoo. For the Aborigine, the observation of nature immediately requires a state of empathy, which leads to an imitative expression. Being one with nature is the first step in meeting your soul. Just ask the Druids. Elemental experimentation.
Making music and sounds from the didgeridoo is not hard. Making didgeridoo music requires pressing your lips tight against the inside of the mouthpiece and steadily squeezing air through your lips so they vibrate. If your nose tickles, your getting it right. By tightening and widening the shape of your lips where the air flows out, you can alter the pitch of the sound called the didgeridoo drone. You should ensure that the entire mouthpiece is covered so air cannot escape.
The next step in playing the didgeridoo and getting some musical sounds out of it is adding voice to the wind you blow into the mouthpiece. This can be a high or low pitch sound which resonates inside the didgeridoo creating more varied sound. The experienced didgeridoo player can makes calls and other sounds still breathing out and vibrating the lips, mimicking animal and human sounds and noises. This gives a wide variety of calls and tones to play with.
The final and most difficult part of playing the didgeridoo is circular breathing. This is the process of breathing in through your nose while at the same time maintaining a steady outward air pressure through the mouth to keep the sound continuous. A healthy set of lungs is critical to circular breathing. It also takes plenty of practice to be able to maintain consistency and tone to the drone sound. Once you have mastered it, you should be able to create a continuous sound for many minutes. In the traditional use of the instrument the Aboriginals were able to play the didgeridoo for hours without stopping. This is important for those of you that are using the didgeridoo in order to meditate or produce trance like states. Once you can get the sound continuous, you can close your eyes and drone out similar to the yogi’s saying AHMMMMMMMM.
Learning to Circular Breath For Continuous Sound
The Water Breathing Technique
Fill your mouth with water so that your cheeks puff out.
Push your cheeks in to push the water out of your mouth and push your tongue from the back of your mouth to the front.
Take short breaths in through your nose to give you continual air.
Make sure that your tongue acts as a seal, preventing you from swallowing the water!
The effect of playing the didgeridoo and its sounds on the body happens by stimulation of the acupuncture meridians which end on the lips. As the lips vibrate from the music, the meridians are constantly activated so that the energy flows easily. Meridians are often described as channels of energy running through the body. These channels are able to assimilate CHI energy from outside, which is then distributed throughout the body.
Audrya Corbett
Art and Didgeridoo Instructor
alwaystimeforcreation@hotmail.com
On a personal note, the sounds of the didgeridoo and the time I spend alone outside in different weather situations are priceless. Didgeridoo music comes from your soul. At first the music may not sound like music but be a series of “burps and fartsâ€. That’s o.k.
It’s a reflection.
Eventually you slow down, there is no rush, and the real didgeridoo music comes through. Your skills catch up with the evolution of your soul, and your BEING comes out in the sounds at the end of the didge.
You hear the harmonics inside the chamber and watch flames and trees react to the sounds of your shared souls in conversation.
Thankyou for showing me how Audrya.
Ray Burton “Soldadoâ€
You should also check out this video demo: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2649879608229929352&q=didgeridoo
And this one to hear some differant didgeridoo sounds and music:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8634925923746710688&q=didgeridoo
