Didgeridoo Lesson 9 | 5 Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

I often see the same five big mistakes among didgeridoo beginners. Unfortunately, these mistakes stop many players from progressing quickly. The good news is that they are easy to fix, and fixing them will save you a lot of time.

Mistake 1: playing on the side

Don’t start on the side: play from the front. I already made a whole video on this subject, lesson 5, because it is very important.

Just place your didgeridoo straight in front of you. Trust me, you will never regret it.

Mistake 2: blowing too hard

You want to start your didgeridoo and blow hard, because you think you need to blow with a lot of power.

Start really relaxed, at the very beginning. After that, you can blow a bit more, if your lips have the right tension.

Mistake 3: trying circular breathing too early

You don’t have a very stable sound yet, and you want to try circular breathing. It will not work, or it will take a very long time to work.

You can practise circular breathing, but without your didgeridoo. I explain all this in my circular breathing lessons. But first, really take care of your sound: that is much more important.

Mistake 4: inflating your cheeks all the time

Most of the time, if you inflate your cheeks all the time, it is because you haven’t understood how to close your mouth. For this, make a little smile: you are happy, but not too much.

This is important. If you want a clear sound, where you hear the harmonics, it is much easier without the cheeks. With the cheeks it works, but it is much more difficult, and it is not as sharp.

At the beginning, I really recommend using your cheeks only for circular breathing:

1. When you want to do circular breathing, inflate your cheeks.
2. Do your circular breathing.
3. Then deflate your cheeks again to keep a good sound.

This way, you can be quite sure to have a good sound every time.

Mistake 5: moving everything

If you move everything, your sound will not be very good. If you want to change your sound, use your tongue.

You can use your cheeks, your jaw and your throat, but moving them is less efficient than moving your tongue. I won’t explain it all here, but keep this in mind: if you want to change your sound, think about your tongue.

To put all this in order, from your first sound to your first rhythms, see my step-by-step guide to playing the didgeridoo.