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How difficult do you think it would be to learn circular breathing (or thought it was before you learned to do it)?
How easy or difficult was it for you to actually learn circular breathing?
Please comment on learning to play circular breathing (eg. what helped you the most, what problems did you experience?)

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Over the years we have asked our visitors many different questions and any of the below topics contain hundreds of comments from people all over the world. Enjoy reading what other people have to say on those subjects:-). If you have any question you would like us to ask our visitors, please let us know.

GENERAL DIDGERIDOO ISSUES

DIDGERIDOO AUTHENTICITY

DIDJSHOP COMMENTS

TRADITIONAL DIDGERIDOO PLAYING

EFFECTS OF DIDGERIDOO PLAYING & LISTENING

ABORIGINAL ISSUES

Name and Country How difficult do you think it would be to learn circular breathing (or thought it was before you learned to do it)? How easy or difficult was it for you to actually learn circular breathing? Please comment on learning to play circular breathing (eg. what helped you the most, what problems did you experience?)
Anonymous from Australia Very difficult Medium easy or difficult I brought a book about playing the didj which gave a really good description of the techniques used. I learnt to circular breathe by blowing bubbles in a glass of water through a straw. I didn't realise that once I had learnt to circular breathe that it would be difficult to apply it to playing the didj instead I thought that once I could circular breathe I would all of a sudden become a fantastic didj player...
Anonymous Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe It's really difficult! It's not that easy. Both my nose and mouth do the same thing when I try to do it.
Aaron from USA Medium Medium easy or difficult Ha Ha heeeeeeee Ha heeeeeeeee (sniff)Ha Ha Heeeeeeee ha heeeeeeee
Anonymous Difficult It was rather difficult to learn I am still learning. This is my next I Musical instrument I would like to learn.
Adam Brousseau from Canada Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe I am still not very comfortable pushing air out with just my cheeks and then quickly inhaling. I think that I just get worked up and then psyche myself out.
Anonymous from USA Difficult It was very difficult to learn I am still in the process of learning.
Alex from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I can do it but I need to get a faster pace going I still struggle with it it helped me by not using my lungs on the didge but just practice filling your cheeks and blowing the air in your cheeks in the didge and then inhale through your nose do that like 15 times then try to incorporate it into your playing
Anonymous from New Zealand Very difficult Medium easy or difficult One problem I had was that every time I inhaled through my nose the tone of the didge would tighten and lose its fullest frequency. It helped to imagine (or actually perform) the exercise of filling a balloon with air without stopping to take a breath. Letting go of my ego and what I looked like and sounded like when trying to learn was also helpful.:-)
Anonymous from USA Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe I lack proper knowledge of the technique
Amanda Hall from Australia Very difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe Still can't get it lol
Anonymous from USA Medium It was quite easy to learn I learned from a professor through cherry bombs.
Anonymous from USA Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe Argh! I want to learn this so badly but I can't seem to grasp it.
Amy from USA Medium I never tried Never heard of such a thing - see all the cool new stuff I'm hearing of and learning just by filling out this questionnaire
Anonymous Very difficult It was rather difficult to learn Lo m
Anonymous Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe My first day its today
Andrew Zacchini from USA Medium Medium easy or difficult Don't think just do
Andrew Zwack from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I am just starting to get into circular breathing so I am not sure how difficult it is. It seems pretty straight forward and just needs practice.
Andy from United Kingdom Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe I have tried various techniques but seem to falter when actually playing my didge.
Annette from Chile Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe Try it with a straw and a glass of water
Anonymous Medium It was very difficult to learn Relaxing my lips and mouth were very challenging. It is more difficult than it looks.
Antoni from Spain Difficult It was very difficult to learn I can't blow with the necessary strength to do sound when I empty my cheek.
Ariella Trotti from Italy Medium It was rather difficult to learn My problem was after blew the che cheeks and simultaneously breath with the nose repeat the cycle
Ashley from USA Medium I never tried Is it really hard? I'm a musician so it should be okay I hope.
Anonymous from USA Very difficult It was rather difficult to learn Just gave up for long periods over about a year but once I decided to learn it only took a few weeks
Anonymous from Netherlands Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe It helped that someone gave me instruction. learn to blow with a straw in water helped a lot
Ben from Australia Difficult It was quite easy to learn More personal disappointment but it was assumed by someone I could do it n I got invited to a party.. had to take a day off work to get it down pat but still to this day I find I am learning techniques that make circular breathing easier n more comfortably for myself
Bennett from USA Easy Medium easy or difficult Learning how to was easier than incorporating it into playing.
Bill from USA Very difficult Medium easy or difficult Your instructional dvd
Bill from USA Very difficult Medium easy or difficult I used the straw method for a long time then went to the Didge. Took about a week after that.
Anonymous Very easy It was very easy to learn I would feel like the air in my lungs was stale until I stopped inhaling from my nose and started breathing from my stomach
Blake from Australia Very difficult I never tried I want to learn. But I don't have a decent didgeridoo
Bradley from Australia Difficult It was quite easy to learn I had trouble continuing the vibration with my lips as well as breathing in at the same time. Also making the breathing in un-noticeable with a covering sound. If that makes sense
Brandon Fitzgerald from USA Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe I am still new and live in an area of the United States that is nearly shut off from the outside world. The only didgeridoo I could find in this town/state was a cheap Toca bamboo didge. This has made practicing and playing very difficult. I hope to one day have a didgeridoo that I can be proud of and that makes it easier to learn on.
Brandon from USA Very difficult Medium easy or difficult Practice...hardest part was keeping the transition smooth. Spitting out water while breathing in through nose was a good exercise. Once figured out I was surprised it took me so long to learn.
Anonymous from USA Very difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe Keeping a full breath is what I can not seem to do. Hard to relax and somewhat frustrating.
Brenna from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe Letting go of the instructions and allowing the body to move how it needs is my focus
Brian from United Kingdom Very difficult Medium easy or difficult Water in mouth with straw.
Brian James from United Kingdom Very difficult It was quite easy to learn The problem was in thinking it wasn't possible then realising that only a small amount of air was needed to continue the drone while breathing in and that this small amount could be stored in the cheeks similar to the way bagpipes store air.
Anonymous Difficult It was quite easy to learn Blowing bubbles through straw into glass of water helped - make a steady stream of bubbles.
Brian from USA Difficult I never tried I just heard of it's help to my sleep apnea today & am trying to figure out how to afford 1.
Brooke from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I am having trouble with circular breathing. The sound stops. I have not been able to put air in my cheeks for storing while I breathe.
Bryan from USA Very difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe Almost there then busy season at work hit and I've backslid
Caesar from USA Difficult It was quite easy to learn It just suddenly 'came to me." I think practicing with the proverbial straw and glass of water blowing bubbles helped a bit but mostly it was just experimentation until I finally got it. Took me about two months
Caleb Schepart from USA Difficult Medium easy or difficult Most helpful was reading on Internet watching youtube videos and practicing techniques without the didgeridoo while I was driving and making a real effort to practice everyday without making a big deal out of it. Keeping the drone with my lips alone was a lot easier than applying the technique to the didge. In the beginning I found it helpful to start the drone with the circular breath I don't need to do that anymore.
Cameron Nelson from USA Very easy It was very easy to learn When I was in australia I played one in a store and I was very good! I play the tuba so it was easy. everyone was amazed that I could do it and they couldn't even though I'm young.
Carl from United Kingdom Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe I have only just started out and am working on this.
Carson Keys from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I can't totally continue the drone while circular breathing and that has been frustrating
Casey from USA Easy It was quite easy to learn I learned to play while bike riding - just practicing until it made sense. Then tried it on an end-blown flute with success.
Charles Dean from USA Difficult It was rather difficult to learn I've tried a few methods that helped in the process. Strengthening cheek muscles by bulging cheeks and slightly pressing with fingers while filling gradually release while expelling. The water exercise where you expel water from your mouth while inhaling through your nose This helped to understanding the basic principle.
Chris from Canada Easy Medium easy or difficult Practice practice practice and breathing exercises to help in developing techniques to play.
Chris from Canada Difficult Medium easy or difficult Blowing bubbles into a glass of water with a straw really helped me learn circular breathing. Being able to see the bubbles stop and start is really helpful. A problem I have experienced is that after I worked out the basics of circular breathing and could apply them to my playing it was still obvious that I was taking a breath. Every time I would transfer to blowing with my cheeks in order to take a breath through my nose while playing I would lose the strength in my sound. The sound of me playing from my cheeks and the sound of me playing from my diaphragm were different. To solve this issue I began working the difference in sound between my cheeks and diaphragm into the rhythms I improvised. With circular breathing I could now play for extended periods of time allowing for lots of exercise. As I played more my cheeks gained muscle and now I can control the sound as I take a breath while playing. This improved strength has also helped me improve the tone and overall sound of my playing.
Anonymous Medium Medium easy or difficult It helped staying calm and pausing a lot. I used a glass of water and a straw to learn it and I practiced on a PVC didge.
Cindy from Canada Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I have been trying with the explanation on your site. It is a challenge but not impossible. I will work on it until I get it can't wait..
Clancy Mueller from USA Difficult I never tried Just learning to play didgeridoo...want to use as healing tool.
Anonymous from USA Difficult Medium easy or difficult Hard to get the slowing down of the drone and maintain it.
Colby from USA Very difficult Medium easy or difficult What helped me to learn most was playing for seven hours each day four days in a row. I read the techniques on how to do it but it just came naturally and unconsciously.
Colin from Australia Very difficult It was quite easy to learn Using the straw in a glass of water method
Anonymous from USA Very difficult It was rather difficult to learn The biggest challenge was people giving me incorrect instruction. I learned with help from a local man and from a DVD that explained the mechanics of it.
Dain from United Kingdom Difficult I tried, but still can't circular breathe I first bought a didgeridoo when I was in Australia 10 years ago and started to train myself then. I tried with a method where you use q straw in a glass of water. I was starting to get somewhere with it but sadly my didgeridoo got damaged and Si I discontinued.
Dan from Germany Difficult It was quite easy to learn Practicing pushing water out of my mouth while breathing every time I took a shower helped a lot.
Anonymous from USA Medium Medium easy or difficult What helped me most was just sitting in class on the bus etc. practicing circular breathing without an instrument.
Daniel from USA Medium It was quite easy to learn Using a straw and water. I bent the straw and tried to keep the water bubbling. this was the way I learned after trying unsuccessfully other ways.
Daran Wallman from Canada Very difficult It was rather difficult to learn You tube tutorials and lots of practice.
Darrick from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I haven't played for very long and I don't own an actual Didgeridoo. I use a metal tube as of right now which seems to work pretty good. I attempted to practice circular breathing with limited success but I am confident that I will master it. I still have much to learn about circular breathing techniques
Anonymous Medium It was rather difficult to learn I have been playing the didgeridoo for about 6 months now and am still having problems do circular breathing. I hope to one day master it. I can make different noises and sounds but circular breathin ghas been a challenge.
Dave Stein from USA Medium I never tried Need to buy didgeridoo first
David Morgan from USA Very difficult It was quite easy to learn Blowing into a balloon helped quite a bit.
David from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe I still can not take the breath and continue with a smooth sound.
Dawn from USA Difficult I never tried Don't know
Deborah from USA Medium I tried, but still can't circular breathe Not enough air can't quite get it yet need much more dedication and practice

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GENERAL DIDGERIDOO ISSUES

DIDGERIDOO AUTHENTICITY

DIDJSHOP COMMENTS

TRADITIONAL DIDGERIDOO PLAYING

EFFECTS OF DIDGERIDOO PLAYING & LISTENING

ABORIGINAL ISSUES

 

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