I suppose no one plays didjeridu? - Probably a vain hope

[Fish]

Just wondering if anyone here plays or is learning didjeridu (or didgeridoo or however you want to spell it). I've checked out didj forums but no one is as nice as you guys. There's just a few things I'm unsure I'm doing right.

Hopefully someone will reply...

Fish

[120decibels]

Fish,

I've dabbled it Didj a bit. I'm definitely not an authority, but I'd be happy to share any info I can. What are you looking for?

Zach

[Fish]

Ok, I started learning didj about 2 months ago and I'm at the stage where I'm trying to incorporate circular breathing into my playing. I'm unsure if I am meant to snatch a breath at a set time in each bar (I think of it as being in bars of 4/4) or just when I can. Also when I do snatch a breath there is a definite rise in pitch and a short gap before I can start droning again. Will this disappear with practice?

Thanks,

Fish

[Fish]

Also, have you heard of a band called Brother. I have'nt got round to getting any of their songs, but it appears that they incorporate didj and bagpipes into a standard rock outfit.

Sounds like it could be cool!!

Fish

[120decibels]

Fish,

Haven't heard of Brother. I'll have to check them out.

I am also struggling with circular breating. However, I have seen experienced players do it with little or no change in pitch.

Anything you can do to stay in rhythm and make it sound like nothing's changing as you breathe is a good thing.

Zach

[Chelsea]

Hey Fish,

We were shown a neat little circular breathing exercise in school as part of a brief didj lesson, which might be useful for you. (Yes, an Australian school. )

Grab a cup full of water and a straw. Practice blowing out through the straw in your mouth whilst breathing in through your nose.

I've seen players who look as though they're taking a snatch of a breath in through their nose, but I think it's that when you're almost out of air, you let your nasal passages fill with air while expelling through your mouth. Quite tricky.

Chelsea

[Fish]

Evening all,

The water/straw thing is a good exercise. I can't do it too well but enough to impress my friends . It seems that the answer is just to keep practising. A good video for newbies is one (can't remember its name) by Alastair Black. It's fairly common in Australia but I don't know how available it is in the States (or wherever).

Fish

[Fish]

I'm feeling a lot better about the whole circular breathing thing because I tried putting the end of my didj in a corner on a hard floor rather than carpet. It sounds a lot deeper and more resonant and masks gaps where you breathe a lot better. Of course that's how everyone but you hears it normally.

Also, with regards to changing of pitch when breathing. I read a thing which says that some change of pitch is perfectly natural - and adds a sort of "bounce" to the rhythm - sort of like using the first overtone.

Finally, has anyone experimented with using clapsticks (I believe that's what their called). I saw a video - not the Alastair Black one - where the player kept time by clicking one against the side of the didj. Also he could hold one on either side of the didj (sort of like a 4-mallet grip I guess, Zach) and execute rolls.

And I need an acceptable word for someone who plays the didj - didjeriduist just doesn't work.

Fish

[Fish]

Another thing to try if you're feeling adventurous or suicidal (or both) is playing didj and congas simultaneously. The way I do it is put the conga between my legs and stick the end of the didj to one side so it digs into the carpet (it has to be on carpet). It's not too hard ... until you start trying to circular breathe!!!

Right now I can play a really simple rhythm on the congas - just open tones or I lose it - and sort of circular breathe but it sounds pretty dodgy.

It may be unorthodox in the extreme but it's good fun and can work. (I have a CD with didj and congas - not the same player though - and my band plays a song where I play didj , my friend plays djembe and the rest of the band make strange noises and play weird stuff on guitars)

Also the advantage is that neither didj players nor congueros can say I'm crap if I play both at once.....

Farewell and adieu,

Fish

[timo]

I'v playd Didgeridoo for about three years now, but i dont train as much as i should. I saw a guy on the net who played the djembe and didge at the same time, he played sitting down and had a X-rack for the didge, it looked very funny, but hey! If it sounds good who cares.

The secret to circular breathing is practice, it takes a while to truly understand how it works...(it took me about 3 months to learn, i had no help and had to figure it out myself )...so dont despair. The secret is to work with your cheeks and tongue to push air out of your mouth while inhaling through you nose. It gets easier in time...

for a name for dedgeridoo players...?... hard one.
Yidakist doesnt sound too good eather..

[Fish]

Thanks for the advice, Timo

These days I've got circular breathing pretty much under control - Alastair Black helped a great deal. I can sort of remember his step by step exercises if anyone wants me to post them.

I think I've got most aspects of playing pretty well and now it's a matter of building rhythms out of them. The only exception is the "toot". I've got a CD where it can be heard and it's a very musical sound - a sort of a contrast to the drone. If anyone's got any tips it would be greatly appreciated.

A few things to try vocalising on didj if you get bored are:
Radio
Zero
Galileo Galilei
Deportivo la Corunya

The bottom two are mine, the top two are plagiarised.
In casse you're wondering, Deportivo la Corunya is a Spanish football (soccer if you insist) side. Also the vocalisations of rhythms used by tabla players are meant to be good on didj.

Farewell and adieu

Fish

[timo]

Hey Fish, you ever tried to play the trumpet,(or anything like it), the TOOT sound is made the same way, keep your lips tight, and cheeks from not bulging,(its easier that way), and blow hard!! sounds like a fog horn .

you can basically vocalize anything, konsonants are the best:
Ka, Ke Ta...etc. also try to roll your R's, it sounds funny..hehe.
anything goes.

timo

[Fish]

Thanks Timo

If you can, you must get hold of some recordings by a guy named Si - I've got InnerSense and it's brilliant. He plays some of the most incredible rhythms I've ever heard. It's probably different from most didj recordings in that there's less of the traditional meditative style and more weird noises, grunts, screeches and howls. He also plays Indian flutes and stuff (using circular breathing).

Another thing which is fun is to try is to sing well-known tunes over the drone (falsetto or it doesn't come out well). La Cucharacha, Spanish Flea - that sort of thing. Its a particularly good trick to use for a fill (I don't know if didj players talk about fills but they #### well should ) - that's why La Cucharacha is so good - everyone recognises it after about four notes.

A siren noise is also cool for a fill, E-O-E-O-E-O.
Also practice paradiddles with Ka & Ta,
Ka-Ta-Ka-Ka, Ta-Ka-Ta-Ta.
then try other consonants.

Fish

[TresGolpes]

Close to my house is this store:

http://www.didgeridoostore.com/

They can give advice over the phone and how to get CDs.

Also, there is this huge Digde festival in the Joshua tree dessert close to San Diego, check out the pictures:

http://www.didgeridooman.com/Joshua-tree-Didge-fest.html

[timo]

what i like about vocalizing stuff, is what the aboriginees do, they imitate animals, so go out into a forrest and imitate the sounds you hear, birds are easy, so's a frog (just say ribbit, or rabbit...) plus these sounds sound good.. then get a stick and start tapping your didj, and you get a rhythm section.