CIRCULAR BREATHING

How to circular breathe

The next lesson details the five important steps necessary to learn circular breathing. By the time you finish the fifth step, it will only be a matter of time and practice before you are able to circular breath.

This teaching method offers a logical, easy to follow progression of steps that build upon the previous steps. You should practice each step for a good amount of time before you move onto the next.

This time will vary, but the main aim is to get comfortable with every step, until you can perform it in a relaxed and comfortable manner, and you can do this at varying speeds and on demand.

If you get stuck on a step, go back and make sure that you are entirely comfortable with the previous step. If you can't do that step comfortably, it will affect your ability to perform the current step you are working on.

If you are stuck on a step but completely comfortable with the previous step, it's time to be patient and practice. Think about it a bit and try to analyse what is happening. Make slight adjustments and constantly assess if this has helped you in any way to perform the step better.

All you need is to give your brain and body time to disseminate all the information you are giving it. You do this by having lots of practice sessions, resting, and then trying again.

I am constantly surprised at how, after a little practice, I feel an improvement in my skills the next day even though I haven’t seemed to have done much at all. It seemed like my brain thought about it overnight and came up with some suggestions for better playing the next day!

You will probably get most frustrated at step five, where the transition to uninterrupted circular breathing can be difficult to achieve for beginners. This is where practice is most important, as well as giving yourself a realistic timeframe. Give yourself days and weeks of practice to learn the skill of circular breathing.

I believe my “Five Steps to Circular Breathing Happiness” is one of the easiest and most logical methods for learning to circular breathe around. If you are patient and commit yourself to practicing these steps, you will learn to circular breathe!

Five steps to circular breathing happiness

Introduction

Basic circular breathing allows you to play the didgeridoo and breathe at the same time, so the drone continues indefinitely without a pause. It involves using stored air in the cheeks to maintain the vibration of the lips as you breathe in through your nose.

Warm-up

Begin by puffing your cheeks out. Keep them puffed out and breathe in and out normally through your nose. This demonstrates that you can store air in your cheeks and breathe at the same time, an important concept in circular breathing.

STEP 1

Fill your cheeks with air so they puff out like a big frog. Slowly squeeze all of this air out of your cheeks using only your cheek and tongue muscles. Only push out the air stored in your cheeks, not from your lungs.

STEP 2

Repeat the previous step, but this time, as you squeeze air from your cheeks, sniff air in through your nose at the same time.

NOTE

For the following steps in this lesson, don’t use the ‘watermelon spit’ tongue action to kick start the drone. Instead, just start the drone by blowing into the didgeridoo until your lips start vibrating by themselves.

STEP 3

With your cheeks in, do a basic drone on the didgeridoo. Next, in one continuous movement, puff your cheeks out then squeeze them in, maintaining the drone the whole time. Move your tongue forward as you squeeze your cheeks in. This helps you push the air past your lips to keep them vibrating.

STEP 4

Repeat the previous step, but this time, as you squeeze the air out of your cheeks, quickly sniff air into your nose at exactly the same time (as in Step 2).

STEP 5

Repeat the previous step over and over at an even tempo. Don’t use the ‘watermelon seed spit’ technique to restart the drone each time, as this will contribute to a ‘gap’ between drones. Aim to make each cycle of playing and breathing smoothly overlap so there is no gap between drones. This will take a lot of time and practice.

 

Step 1 tips

Didgeridoo tip Make sure you have control over your cheeks. Don't just let them flop closed. Push the air out in a controlled manner.

Didgeridoo tip You should try to do this at different speeds, fast and slow.

Step 2 tips

Didgeridoo tip Do this at varying speeds and practice this over and over again until you can do it without thinking and on demand.

Didgeridoo tip If you need help coordinating everything, use your fingers to push air from your cheeks while taking a breath in through your nose.

Didgeridoo tip Push your tongue to the front of your mouth as you take a breath in. This will help you in the last step.

Step 3 tips

Didgeridoo tip If you are having trouble coordinating the cheeks in and out movement, you can just start this step with your cheeks out. Then just squeeze your cheeks at the end of the drone.

Didgeridoo tip Empty your lungs before you try this technique as you will feel more naturally inclined to take a breath in (through your nose).

Didgeridoo tip Extend the drone made from the stored air in your cheeks as long as possible.

Didgeridoo tip Practice getting a good drone with the air coming just from your cheeks.

Didgeridoo tip You may suddenly lose the drone when you try expelling air from your cheeks. This is because the cheek movement alters the tension of your lips and they stop vibrating. Try to isolate your vibrating lips from your cheek movements so they are not disrupted.

Didgeridoo tip If you lose the drone and make a tooting noise when you squeeze air out, your lips become too tight. If you make a whooshing noise, your lips become too loose.

Didgeridoo tip Try Step 3 at varying speeds to get comfortable with the technique.

Didgeridoo tip Make sure your mouthpiece is adjusted correctly and your didgeridoo is a good quality one.

Didgeridoo tip Don’t use the watermelon spit technique in Steps 3, 4 or 5, in this lesson only. It will help you eliminate the ‘gap’ between circular breaths later on.

Step 4 tips

Didgeridoo tip Sniff air IN at the same time you push air OUT with your cheek muscles.

Didgeridoo tip You need to give your nose plenty of time to take a breath in, so your lips need to make a good drone just from the air in your cheeks.

Didgeridoo tip Concentrate on making a good and long drone just using the air in your cheeks, as in Step 3.

Didgeridoo tip Again, empty your lungs before you try this technique. You will feel more like taking a breath in through your nose when you attempt the action.

Didgeridoo tip Make your breath in a little shorter than the squeeze out if you can, especially if your lungs get too full.

Step 5 tips

Didgeridoo tip After taking each breath, avoid tapping your tongue against the front of your teeth to get your lips vibrating again. This is fine in normal practice; however in this case, it only accentuates the break between each cycle. Your lips need to be smoothly vibrating without being interrupted by this tongue action.

Didgeridoo tip Even if you are not circular breathing properly, make sure you breathe in through your nose whenever you take a breath. This will help you get accustomed to the action.

Didgeridoo tip Slow the process down by concentrating on prolonging the squeezing of air from your cheeks. Alternatively, speed up the tempo between cycles, so you are forced to reduce the gap time. Try different tempos to see which works for you.

Didgeridoo tip Don't fill up your lungs too much. Keep them comfortably full. If they get too full, just take a shorter breath, wait longer between breaths, or skip a breath.

Didgeridoo tip Move your tongue forward to help push air out of your cheeks as you breathe in.

Didgeridoo tip To help reduce the gap between circular breaths, try to stop breathing air in just a moment before your cheeks stop pushing air out. This will allow air from your lungs to ‘overtake’ the remaining air being pushed from your cheeks and continue the drone without pause.

Didgeridoo tip Circular breathing can be done fast or slow. The speed of your breathing will be determined by the tempo of your rhythms.

Didgeridoo tip Circular breathing always creates a ‘pulsing’ sound as air is pushed through the cheeks. This is integral to rhythm making so make sure to incorporate this pulsing sound into any rhythm you play.

Didgeridoo tip If your lungs get too full of air and you don’t need to take a breath, you will still need to imitate the pulse sound of the breath so the rhythm continues seamlessly.

Didgeridoo tip As you improve your circular breathing, you will be able to expel air from your nose during a circular breath to adjust the level of air in your lungs. You will learn this subconsciously without trying.

Now PRACTICE!

Practice the steps above over and over. If you get stuck, go back to the previous step. There are no easy secrets to getting this technique, but with some dedicate practice you will be able to circular breathe in no time.

If you want to learn the technique for really fast circular breathing to push your didge playing to whole new levels, consider my online video tutorials (available now!) for some great tuition on advanced didgeridoo techniques.

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In summary

Didgeridoo tip This technique for learning to circular breathe offers a simple, logical step-by-step process that doesn't require any accessories beyond the didgeridoo.

Didgeridoo tip Everyone can do the warm-up and first step, so congratulations! You are well on your way to learning how to circular breathe!

Didgeridoo tip If you get stuck on a step, go back to the previous step until you are really comfortable with it.

Didgeridoo tip If you are really stuck on a step, keep practicing! You will be surprised to find how much you have improved the next day. Thank you brain!

Didgeridoo tip Remember, you don't have to know how to circular breathe to do the other playing techniques taught on this web site. If you get frustrated with circular breathing, just go back and have fun practicing other things. Then come back to circular breathing when you are refreshed.