CIRCULAR BREATHING

Introduction to circular breathing

Circular breathing is the technique used to breathe and play the didgeridoo at the same time so the sound of the didgeridoo can continue indefinitely without a pause.

While the didgeridoo can still be played without circular breathing, the technique allows for continuous playing that is more flowing, complex and engaging.

Circular breathing involves using stored air in the cheeks to very briefly continue the vibration of the lips and the drone sound while the nose takes a quick sniff of air.

The cheek muscles are used to push the stored air out through the lips to keep them vibrating. At the same time, a quick sniff of air is taken in through the nose to fill the lungs. The normal drone is then resumed with air expelled from the lungs. This is illustrated in the diagram below.

Circular breathing steps

The paths of airflow that occur when circular breathing and playing didgeridoo. The 'circular breath' is shown in the middle.

Circular breathing allows players to continue their playing indefinitely without the need to stop and take a breath away from the didgeridoo. This allows complex rhythms to be played without disruption.

Circular breathing is an important part of rhythm making, the essence of didgeridoo playing. The sound and timing of breaths can be very naturally incorporated into didgeridoo playing and this provides a solid structure for rhythms.

However, when beginners first learn circular breathing, they find that it 'gets in the way' of playing didgeridoo rhythms. The circular breath may not be smooth at first and in the first attempts to properly circular breathe, it can disrupt the flow of things.

It can be frustrating that an action meant to be incorporated seamlessly into didgeridoo playing actually hinders playing at first. After a while though, the circular breath will gradually start to integrate with, and become part of, your didgeridoo playing.

This will only come about through lots of practice and getting comfortable with the sound and 'feel' of the circular breath and how it contributes to the structure of the didgeridoo rhythm. Eventually, your circular breathing will become a seamless process, a highly engaging and powerful sound effect, and the foundation for your rhythm making.

The process of learning to circular breathe

There are all kinds of teaching methods out there on circular breathing, some of which advocate using straws, glasses, water, showers, baths, swimming pools and all kinds of additional props to aid the learning process.

I believe that learning with these aids is actually a hindrance to learning the technique. If you rely on these aids to much, you may find you are only comfortable with learning the technique if you have these aids available. You might never get comfortable with learning on a real didgeridoo!

My experience with teaching many students how to circular breath has led me to develop a five step process, which I call the "Five Steps to Circular Breathing Happiness”.

A tacky name, I agree, but it has stuck ever since I posted my video tutorial of the same name on YouTube. After getting over fifteen thousand hits in a year, I couldn’t bring myself to call it anything else.

The five step process, which I describe on the next page, has been designed to allow even the most novice beginner to learn the technique in a progressive, step-by-step manner. Each step moves logically onto the next, and everybody can do the first step. Once you have completed the first step, you will be well on your way to learning the technique.

Also, an advantage of this style is that the first two steps don't even require you to have a didgeridoo; they just require – you. This means that at any place, at any time, even without the didgeridoo, you could be practicing the important steps required to learn to circular breathe.

Before you start practicing though, don't expect that you will instantly start circular breathing after the first attempt at my five step process. You need to practice the steps many times over.

People often think that they have not yet learnt to circular breathe because they haven't yet been told some crucial piece of information. They think that if they know exactly how to do it in theory, they will instantly be able to do it in practice.

Unfortunately, there is no magic technique that I can reveal that will make you instantly begin to circular breath without practice. Like any new skill, your brain and body require a lot of time and practice to get accustomed to the act. The act of circular breathing is quite unnatural, so it can be difficult to learn. However as with everything, your body and brain will take on the new skill if you give it time to get accustomed to and perfect the technique.

The time it will take you to learn circular breathing all depends on your commitment to learning and practicing the technique. Based on my experience with teaching students to circular breathe, if you practice half an hour every day or every second day for about four weeks, you should soon be learning to circular breath.

If you already know how to circular breathe, please vote in the poll to the right and let me know how long it took you to learn. This will give all those aspiring circular breathers out there a good indication of how long it might take them, which may help in the setting of goals.

The most important thing to remember is that the more you practice, the quicker you will learn. If you practice continuously and commit yourself to learning the technique, you will learn how to circular breath.

When students tell me they can't circular breathe yet, I ask them how long they they have been practicing for. The answer is almost inevitably, "I haven't had the time to practice". So the moral to the story? Practice!

Eventually, you will realise that you are circular breathing. However, it will come gradually and you may not even know it at first. Once you are fully circular breathing though, you will have an immense feeling of satisfaction that will only increase your confidence in didgeridoo playing. It will also greatly expand your opportunities for more complex and interesting didgeridoo playing.

Now spend less time readin' and more time doin', and learn how to circular breathe using my five step process!

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In summary

Didgeridoo tip Circular breathing allows didgeridoo players to breathe while playing, which allows the sound of the didgeridoo to continue without pause.

Didgeridoo tip Circular breathing involves taking a breath of air in through the nose, while at the same time stored air in the cheeks briefly keeps the lips vibrating to continue the sound.

Didgeridoo tip Eventually, circular breathing becomes an integral part of didgeridoo playing and rhythm making.

Didgeridoo tip Abandon straws, glasses of water, swimming pools and showers when trying to learn circular breathing. All you need is you and the didgeridoo.

Didgeridoo tip My "Five Steps to Circular Breathing Happiness" will tell you everything you need to know about how to circular breathe.

Didgeridoo tip The more you practice, the quicker you will learn. It should take you about four weeks to learn to circular breathe if you practice regularly.

Didgeridoo tip Learning how to circular breathe can be immensely satisfying, so don't give up! If you practice enough, you WILL learn to circular breathe and then you will be able to fully explore the potential of the didgeridoo.

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