CHOOSING A DIDGERIDOO

Playability

While any of the features described in this 'Choosing a didgeridoo' section can be used help assess a didgeridoo's quality, the best judge of quality for a didgeridoo, aside from its origin and ethical manufacture, will be in its playability, backpressure and sound.

Playability refers to the ease with which a basic drone can be created and maintained. A didgeridoo with good playability will allow you to get the most out of it and will reward you with its ability to make a wide range of sounds. A didgeridoo with bad playability will not offer you the ability to perform many playing techniques and will be frustrating to play.

Of course to test playability, you are going to have to play your potential didgeridoo. So to do this properly, make sure you have the mouthpiece adjusted as best to your fit as possible. Knowing the diameter that works best for you is very useful, so if you have a ruler, you can simply adjust the mouthpiece of every didge you try to these general dimensions. Make sure you read all about the mouthpiece before you move on.

Now try to play a basic drone with your cheeks puffed out, without blowing too hard. If the drone happens almost instantly and you can maintain an even drone for a good amount of time for easily longer than ten seconds or more, without expending too much energy or breath, the didge has good playability.

Now try to play a basic drone with your cheeks in. If you can do this easily, and for longer than ten seconds, this is also a good indicator of playability.

Most importantly, alternate between the 'cheeks-out' drone and and the 'cheeks-in' drone and listen to the variation in sound. You should be able to hear a noticeable difference in sound between the two drones. The cheeks-out drone should have a lower, dull tone, while the cheeks-in drone should have a higher, sharper tone. If you can hear a difference in sound, it means your didgeridoo is responsive to your mouth movements and has good playability.

Now drone with your cheeks pulled in and maintain the drone, moving your tongue back and forth as if mouthing “ee-aw-ee-aw”, as in the mouth movements lesson. You should be able to hear a higher tone when your tongue is moved forward, and a lower tone when your tongue is moved back. Alternate between the two to try and differentiate a difference in sound.

If your didge is making a clear drone, and you can hear variations in the drone between the different tongue and cheek positions, then you have a didgeridoo with good playability that will be a good choice for a beginner.

If, on the other hand, you are constantly struggling to get your lips into a position that works, you find it difficult to maintain a good drone for more than ten seconds, you easily loose the drone, you have to blow too hard to get the drone or you can't achieve a good variation in sound, the didgeridoo may not have good playability.

You can still give the didgeridoo another chance though by practicing a few more times, readjusting the mouthpiece or giving it to an experienced player. If they can make some good, fast sounds, then it is still worth considering.

However, remember that an advanced player can sometimes make poor didgeridoos sound good, at least to an untrained ear. These people have had years of experience though. With your first didgeridoo, you don’t want to be struggling, because it may frustrate you to the point of giving up.

The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with the didgeridoo, that you are not feeling you are struggling with it, and that you feel you can easily produce a good drone sound without too much initial effort. Be confident of your didgeridoos playability before you buy it. Learn more about playability by reading about backpressure below.

Backpressure

Backpressure is the resistant air pressure exerted when air is forced into a pipe or tube. In the case of a didgerioo, it is the pressure exerted on your lips as you blow into the instrument.

Different tubes have different backpressure

You will feel much more resistant pressure, or backpressure, blowing through the tube on the left.

Backpressure relates to playability because it assists the lips to vibrate. All didgeridoos need a certain amount of backpressure to keep the lips vibrating. Too much backpressure though and your lips will not be able to move. Too little backpressure and your lips will flap about too loosely.

The right amount of backpressure is key to the ‘playability’ of the didgeridoo and its ability to achieve and maintain a good drone. Backpressure is a very important characteristic of a didgeridoo and will have a huge bearing on its quality.

When you drone on the didgeridoo, your lips vibrate against one another, opening and closing very rapidly. This vibration causes sound waves, also known as compression waves. With each opening of the lips, a compression wave is generated which travels down the didgeridoo before it is then reflected back to the lips. This returning compression wave, or ‘backpressure’ forces the lips to close briefly, before the air that is being expelled from the lungs forces the lips to open again and the cycle is repeated.

A didge with good backpressure will have a resistant pressure that keeps the lips vibrating smoothly and consistently. You will find that little effort on your part is needed to make your lips vibrate.

A didge with poor backpressure will make it hard for your lips to vibrate together. You will find that you are constantly struggling with your lips to keep them vibrating. You will also find that you ‘blow out’ a lot. That is, your lips will suddenly stop vibrating for no apparent reason and they will become loose and make a ‘whooshing’ sound. This is because the backpressure is not strong enough on your lips to keep them vibrating.

While low backpressure didges are often those lower sounding ones effective in slow, meditative playing, didgeridoos with medium or strong back pressure are generally preferred. Good backpressure didges will keep your lips vibrating when you need them to and allow your lips the greatest range of movement to get the most out of your didgeridoo. It also allows advanced players to confidently play fast and complex rhythms. A didgeridoo with good back pressure is also easiest to learn circular breathing on. 

The backpressure of a didge is determined by many characteristics of the didge which are described in the next sections.

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In summary

Didgeridoo tip Choose a didgeridoo that allows you to easily start and maintain the basic drone sound, without having to struggle.

Didgeridoo tip A didgeridoo with good backpressure is one that allows your lips to vibrate easily without having to expel much air at all.

Didgeridoo tip Didgeridoos that have poor playability and backpressure will really lessen your ability to learn the instrument.

Didgeridoo tip Give yourself time to play the didgeridoo and experiment with a range of sounds and techniques to fully test its playability.