HOW TO PLAY DIDGERIDOO

Improving the sound

You may find that after practicing these lessons, you are not satisfied with the quality of the sounds you are making. You may feel that your drone sounds muffled, or that it doesn't sound clear or have good contrast no matter how you move your mouth.

This can be a frustrating experience and it certainly was for me when I first started playing. Didgeridoo playing is all about getting as wide a range as possible of distinctly different sounds that can be played together to make rhythms. The greater variety of sounds you can make, the more interesting your rhythms will sound.

The didgeridoo can be quite a stubborn instrument because its sound cannot be easily manipulated simply by opening and closing holes such as with other instruments. This inflexibility means that all the work has to be done at the mouthpiece end. Therefore you have to work hard with your tongue and mouth movements to make the didgeridoo produce contrasting sounds.

If you want to get the best sound possible out of the techniques you have learnt, you have to emphasise each mouth movement as much as possible. I call this the ‘proper’ way as opposed to the ‘lazy’ way.

The lazy way is a weak version of the proper technique, done without any emphasis on the tongue or mouth movements. Techniques done in the lazy way will sound dull and flat and not much different from each other.

The proper way is when you emphasise the mouth movements as much as possible as you play. This will have a far greater effect on the sound of the drone and add much more contrast between sounds as you try different techniques.

This first example illustrates an alternating cheeks-out and cheeks-in drone done the lazy way.
This second example illustrates exactly the same technique but done with much more emphasis using strong mouth and cheek movements.

The second example has much more variation in sound. The proper way uses stronger mouth movements and exaggeration on the technique for best effect. It’s about not being lazy with your didgeridoo playing!

Also, take for example the vocalising technique. A lot of people are very shy when it comes to speaking or yelling into the didgeridoo. Again, you really have to emphasise the vocal effect as demonstrated below.

A vocal effect the lazy way.
A vocal effect the proper way.

So really try to emphasise your mouth, tongue and stomach movements and anything else that you use when playing didgeridoo. The effect will have so much more impact.

If all else fails...

If at the end of all this you are still not creating clear, vivid and contrasting sounds, you may want to take another look at your didgeridoo. If you have a poor quality didgeridoo it will not allow you to make these great sounds.

I’ve seen students completely unable to start learning simple didgeridoo techniques because of their poor quality didgeridoos. This ultimately ends in frustration and students are not inspired to keep practicing.

So before you give up, take a closer look at your didgeridoo and see if you can do something to make it sound better, for example, fix the mouthpiece or repair some cracks. If this doesn't help, and if you really want to keep learning, go out and find yourself a good didgeridoo that will keep you wanting to play more and more.

Check out my choosing a didgeridoo page to help you determine whether you have the right kind of didgeridoo, or to help you make the right decision when getting a new one. A good didgeridoo will do wonders to your practicing and your playing skills!

Login to PRO

Login to PRO

Tips

Didgeridoo tip You really need to exaggerate and emphasise your mouth movements to get the best sound.

Didgeridoo tip It may take a while for you to start making clear, sharp and contrasting sounds. Don’t worry, you need time to develop your cheek muscles so your mouth movements are strong and forceful. These muscles will strengthen over time as you practice.

Didgeridoo tip If you are doing everything you can but you are still having trouble making a clear and crisp sound, you might need to assess the quality of your didgeridoo. See my section on choosing a didgeridoo for more information.

Didgeridoo tip The more you practice, the more your lips and mouth will become accustomed to making strong, emphatic mouth movements. So don't forget to practice!