Didgeridoo Lesson 7 | How to Play Your First Rhythms

On the didgeridoo, circular breathing is always there. So how do you play a rhythm in harmony with your breathing? Most of the time, you play sounds and then you breathe. That could work well, if it didn’t break the rhythm.

In this lesson, I show you how to play your first didgeridoo rhythms quite easily. The secret is very simple, but very effective.

First: circular breathing

For this, you need circular breathing. It is one of the basics of the didgeridoo. If you don’t have it yet, start with my lessons on circular breathing.

The secret: breathe every time

To make rhythms on the didgeridoo, you need only one thing: breathe every time. That means breathing regularly, always at the same moment.

The exercise: breathe on the beat

1. Take a metronome. There are many metronome apps on iOS and Android. I recommend the free “Pro Metronome”.
2. No phone with you? Tap on your didgeridoo instead, as I do in the video.
3. Every time you hear the beat, or every time you tap, breathe.

Your breathing makes your rhythm. It decides how fast or how slow you are going to play. This is a very good exercise.

Then change the rhythm

With breathing alone, the rhythm is always the same: boom, boom, boom. To change it:

1. Stop breathing once, and put some sounds in its place. You will see, it’s quite easy.
2. Play it faster or slower.
3. Put more sounds between your breaths, and change the vowel you play, for example an “ee” sound.

In the video, I start with the breathing alone, then I add more and more sounds. You hear different sounds come in: wobbles and other didgeridoo techniques. That is a lot of work. I only show it to give you ideas about what you can do.

Remember one thing

For now, just remember: breathe every time. Every time, every time. Practise this, and you will see your level grow very quickly.