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HOW TO PLAY DIDGERIDOO
Cries and animal sounds
‘Vocalizing’ is when you add your voice to the drone. Vocalising adds harmonic elements and layers of sound to your playing. All kinds of vocal sounds can be made while droning, including cries and animal sounds.
Your vocalizing can be in any form, such as speaking, singing or yelling; all of these vocal sounds can be done while droning. Just remember that you have to keep your lips vibrating at the same time.
All kinds of subtle or powerful vocal effects are used to add a harmonic element to your playing. Vocal effects are frequently interspersed into contemporary didgeridoo rhythms to add elements of surprise and colour.
The range of vocal sounds you can create through vocalizing is only limited by your imagination! Experiment with this technique to see how you can diversify the sound of your playing even further.
How to do cries and animal sounds
STEP 1
Without the didgeridoo, flap or vibrate your lips. As you do this, make any kind of animal cry with your voice.
STEP 2
Now do this as you drone on the didgeridoo. Your lips should continue to vibrate and make the drone as you vocalize the sound. You should hear the sound of your voice mixed in with the drone of the didgeridoo.
STEP 3
You can add any vocal effect to the drone. Explore the range of screams, yelps and animal sounds that you can make while droning. Try high and low sounds, fast or slow. The sounds you can make all depend on you, so get creative!
Rhythm practice
Practice the rhythm ‘ee ow! aw Oh’. Breathe on the ‘Oh’ and give a strong cry on the second beat. Give yourself time to coordinate the cry within the rhythm, which can be a little difficult at first.
Tips
This technique can be confusing at first, but don’t give up. Eventually you will realize that you can make a vocal effect and vibrate your lips at the same time.
You may have to use a little more air from your lungs if you want your vocal effect to be nice and loud.
You may lose the drone when you yell, because your lips become too tight or the extra air required to make the vocal sound makes your lips ‘blow out'. Keep your lips relaxed and vibrating freely as you vocalise.
Don’t be inhibited! Too often people let out a whimper rather than a strong vocal effect. Make your vocal sounds big and strong.
Don’t be limited by the examples shown here. All kinds of vocal sounds can be made while droning on the didgeridoo. This is up to your imagination. Get creative!
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Tips
You don’t really need to blow any harder from your lungs when you are vocalizing, unless you are doing a big yell. You may need to a little more air to emphasise the effect, but still try to conserve your breath and don’t blow it all out in one go.
If you lose the drone when you vocalise, it’s because the correct tension between your lips is lost. Focus on keeping your lips properly tensioned while you vocalise.
Don’t be inhibited! Vocalise some crazy sounds for best effect!
You may feel that it's impossible to vocalise and drone at the same time. People often have a lot of trouble with this, that is, letting the 'voice' out at the same time. It really is just a matter of talking, or making a vocal sound, as you drone. Your lips don't do anything different.