The first thing that most novice players want to learn to do when learning how to play the didgeridoo is circular breathe. This is understandable because circular breath is essential to being a skilled didgeridoo player, and anybody who learns this technique has a wider variety of playing styles available to them than a person who does not know how to circular breathe.

These are tips that I give to all of my didgeridoo music students.

The Didgeridoo Difference
The didgeridoo is a visceral and feeling oriented instrument. A person who learns how to feel the muscles and the literal sensation of the didgeridoo within the body is on the fast track to didgeridoo mastery. Skillful didgeridoo playing requires body awareness.

While understanding music theory or traditional aboriginal playing techniques is useful, you must learn how to PLAY with the didgeridoo and have fun, first.

Practice
Every journey starts with an idea, and in this case the idea is to practice the basics of breathe control and didgeridoo playing each and every day, and the circular breathing will happen naturally. You have to know that you will learn this technique, and daily diligence will one day demonstrate your mastery. I assure you that if you believe you will learn how to circular breathe, then only the easy part remains to be done. I have seen this happen in three weeks, up to six months, yet every single person who stuck with it and did not quit, did learn how to circular breathe.

Do, or Do Not, There is No Try. - Yoda

As you learn to play the didgeridoo, I encourage you to pay attention to the following details.

Posture
A straight spine is best for opening up the lungs and expanding the diaphragm. Circular breathing requires constant abdominal movement, and a person who slumps their shoulders will have a tough time breathing.

Lip Placement
Where a didgeridoo player places their lips on the mouthpiece impacts how the air moves through their mouth. Traditional players play from the front, while more contemporary players use the side of the mouth. It is easier to learn how to circular breath using the side of the mouth because it is easier to control the flow of air, however, if you intend on mastering this instrument I suggest taking the time to learn how to play in the center of the lips right from the start.

Lips
The didgeridoo makes sound by amplifying the buzzing sound of the lips. How taut the lips are will change how the didgeridoo plays. Tight lips produce overtones, and really loose lips only make squishy, farting sounds, so be sure to experiment and discover what works best for you.

Tongue
The position of the tongue affects how the air flows out the mouth. For the purpose of learning circular breathing, simply be aware of how the pitch and drone changes when the tongue is closer to the teeth in contrast to when the tongue is laying flat, or is pressed against the roof of the mouth, or curled.

Cheeks
When first learning how to circular breathe, most people completely puff their cheeks out with air. While it is fine to do this until you can do the breath, you actually want to keep as little air as possible in the cheeks. With the cheeks puffed out, the tone becomes mushy and weak, while when the cheeks are right next to the teeth, you have the maximum amount of air control and the best situation for expressing vocalizations.

A note about the amount of air required to circular breathe. Most people hold the assumption that it takes a large volume of wind to circular breathe, however that information is inaccurate. After you learn how to circular breathe, you then begin to fine tune your abilities, and an essential area to observe is the amount of air you are breathing in and out. It is easier to move smaller amounts of air, giving you a greater amount of control over the didgeridoo, both with vocalizations and rhythmic expressions. In addition, as your talent grows, micro-breathes allow you to play much faster.

Random Didgeridoo Trick: How you circular breathe has a major influence on the types of rhythms that you will play.

Breathe In
Remember to take deep breathes into your abdomen, middle and upper chest, and into the back of your chest. Allow the muscles to be tight yet relaxed. You will want to develop a kinesthetic awareness of the muscles in your abdomen, chest, shoulders and lower back, which are the major muscle groups that you use for breathing and that get the most workout when playing the didgeridoo.

Breathe Out
To make a steady drone, have a steady out flow of air. Try expelling air in three different ways: from the abdomen, and just from holding air in the mouth and using the pressure of the cheeks to force the air out, and the normal ‘chest’ exhalation. See how they feel different and observe the difference in drone pitch quality, and in the ease of inhaling or exhaling. You will eventually want to learn how to use all three regions of the body for breathing, sometimes simultaneously.

A good drone requires much less air than you may realize, by expelling less air you do not have to inhale as frequently.

Eureka!: Making The Drone
Before circular breathing can happen, a person must have a good solid drone. Experiment with all of the previous details of circular breathing and listen to the quality of the sound vibration that comes out. When you connect to the didgeridoo drone, you’ll feel a resonant response from the instrument. It will literally have different vibrational qualities within your body, as visceral sensation. Find the drones that feel and sound right.

How to Circular Breathe

Circular breathing happens when you are exhaling while inhaling.

In summary, you exhale through the mouth while inhaling through the nose. How you do this depends totally on you. Here is, step by step, what I do.

Always maintaining the drone …

1. Hold breath in cheeks.
2. Keep the lips at the same tautness & maintain the drone by squeezing air out the cheeks.
3. Inhale through the nose, using either the lungs or pulling from the abdomen. Imagine using the abdomen like a blacksmiths bellows.
4. And then resume normal exhalation & didgeridoo expressions!

You learn to circular breathe by doing this.

First, recognize that circular breathing is a body action, and that learning to inhale and exhale simultaneously is a learned physical skill. The mind will reject this technique at first, often with anger, frustration, and declarations of quitting. Those of us who can circular breathe kept going. I encourage you to persevere, the rewards for knowing this breath and being able to play the didgeridoo are well worth the learning curve.

The hardest part in learning how to circular breathe is bridging the gap between the inhalation and exhalation.

We ease the learning curve by exhaling a drone, and immediately follow it with correct technique, breathing in through the nose, and simply exhaling another drone. Try not to move the mouthpiece between breathing in and out. While I typically suggest moving your mouthpiece and trying different drone tones, and learning how to it easier or more comfortable to play the didj, in this case, once you have a good drone, keep using it and don’t move the mouth piece!

At first, go slow and make sure you pay attention to the details of what you are doing.

Then, all that happens is as the technique is observed and mastered, the gap between breath in and breath out diminishes.

Until one day, you’ll have learned circular breathing.

Naturally.

The second hardest part is everything that happens after you learn how to circular breathe.
Playing the didgeridoo with circular breathing really expands the wide variety of choices in how you play the instrument. My only recommendation is this: make sure that you keep having fun learning and experiment with as many methods as possible.

Didgeridoo Circular Breathing Tip #1: Get a tall glass of water with a straw, and blow bubbles with the exhalation. Try to keep the bubbles going. This is a great way to practice steady exhalations using the cheeks.

Didgeridoo Circular Breathing Tip #2: Once you can drone and you are close to circular breathing, practice your didgeridoo while doing something else that keeps your mind occupied, like watching television or listening to music or, in my case, playing computer video games.

Didgeridoo Circular Breathing Tip #3: Most people try to use far too much oxygen while breathing in and out. Breathing is supposed to be relaxed and easy, and circular breathing is best done with minimal exertion. Don’t hurt yourself!

Didgeridoo Circular Breathing Tip #4: Use all of your lungs. Remember to breathe deep!

Didgeridoo Circular Breathing Tip #5: Speedy playing and all other didgeridoo trickery happen naturally, over-time!