| 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?) |
| Al from Australia |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
I seem to have small nostrils? |
| Alan Lowe from United Kingdom |
Difficult |
It was rather difficult to learn |
After trying a straw in a glass I just kept practising all after a visit to your wonderful country I was determine to learn & I did. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
It was quite easy to learn |
Time away from any instruments bounce breathing was more difficult to hear--took practice on my own to figure out |
| Amy Ellis from United Kingdom |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
Blowing into a straw in water whilst sniffing in - except for when you do it the wrong way round! It was hard to not make a too obvious sound whilst doing the circular breath |
| Amy from USA |
Difficult |
I never tried |
I would love to learn. I love the sound and always wanted to go to Australia. |
| Angie from USA |
Medium |
Medium easy or difficult |
I'm a kinetic learner so I had to learn while playing on the didge. None of the 'how to' instructions were helpful because they have you practice in a glass of water with a straw or other assorted instructions. What helped me the most was blowing through my didge and breathing in while emptying the air in my cheeks over and over and over; ) |
| Anonymous from Australia |
Medium |
It was rather difficult to learn |
Blowing in a straw in a glass of water while breathing through your nose |
| Anonymous from USA |
Easy |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I play the bassoon and it doesn't sound too pleasant (snorting and all) Maybe having a Didge will help! |
| Anonymous |
Very easy |
It was quite easy to learn |
I started learning with a high back pressure straw in a glass of water. I proceeded to work my way up to larger and larger straws. Eventually circular breathing through the didgeridoo in approximately 1 month. |
| Beat from Switzerland |
Easy |
It was quite easy to learn |
Enjoyed playing and forgot about the technique until it was there |
| Beverly from USA |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I have encountered different and contradictory teachings by different teachers. Hard to know which is correct. |
| Brandi from USA |
Difficult |
It was rather difficult to learn |
It seemed it was very hard to grasp the concept of when to take a breath. Do I do it when I'm almost out of air completely or half way the go again? It was hard for me to grasp. |
| Brandon Barnard from USA |
Very difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I can get into good breathing patterns but I always have to stop and take a snatch of breath to continue playing |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
I never tried |
Hoping your guide will provide the correct steps to learn. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
I never tried |
I haven't tried yet but my wife is a great clarinet player and she is pretty good at circular breathing |
| Anonymous |
Very difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
This is extremely difficult. |
| Cathy from Australia |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I haven't really tried to persist with it because I'm a little unsure about playing even though I love the didgeridoo and always had a feel for it I am a women and don't want to be offensive to the elders |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
It was rather difficult to learn |
Learning to do the basics is one thing but keeping it going and natural is something else |
| Anonymous from Canada |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Had a massive chest surgery (2 months off ribs removed and cage rebuilt 40cm scar +4 extra smaller ones) and didge is saving my life. That was a couple of years ago but I'm waiting on a new didge to start playing again and start busking. In other words almost died I want to leave my slavery life behind and break free travel and above all - learn to control and focus my mind my breath to bring peace within so I can afterward share this peace. Didn't play in a long time but planning to go 1000%. PS:That extra zero wasn't a mistake.:0) |
| Charlie from USA |
Medium |
Medium easy or difficult |
Concentrating on closing throat to press cheeks while breathing in through nose |
| Anonymous from USA |
Very difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Still trying... |
| Christopher from United Kingdom |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
Lots of practice patience. Use to get light headed. |
| Christopher Horn from Oman |
Medium |
Medium easy or difficult |
It's like riding a bike: seems initially difficult and you cannot explain how to do it but once you've grasped the secret you wonder how you could have not done it immediately. |
| Corry from USA |
Difficult |
I never tried |
My best friend is a musician (clarinet) and he can teach me. |
| Craig from Malaysia |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
I am not sure yet whether I am doing it right but not aware of major problems |
| Craig from USA |
Medium |
I never tried |
I'm waiting on your dvd. This will be a new experience for me so I don't know what to expect as I never played. I will still have to make one at least to learn something on. I'm looking forward to this. |
| Dan from USA |
Very difficult |
It was very difficult to learn |
Using water in my mouth |
| Anonymous from Canada |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
What helped the most was using a straw in a cup of water and making the bubbles continue. I have allergies and because my nose is often stuffed up I can rarely breath in enough from my nose to circular breathe for long. |
| Darlene Demos Now Meredith from USA |
Very easy |
It was very easy to learn |
It was easy to learn by practicing with my straw and a glass of water. applying it to the instrument is VERY DIFFICULT. I still can't do it. |
| Darwin Ortuya from Chile |
Difficult |
It was very difficult to learn |
I learned throwing water from my mouth only with cheeks pressure while taking air from the nose... was helpful because before hearing about circular breathing I never thought that exhale air continuously was possible... so I think it was the first step to achieve it... making the idea of it's operation.. then took a long time to measure the exact amount of air to make the sound more flat... |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
It was quite easy to learn |
Straw in water |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Still working on learning very early stages... |
| David Vanderpoole from USA |
Difficult |
It was very easy to learn |
I was never taught by anyone. Once as I was running out of air (without thinking) I squeezed air from my cheeks to sustain the sound while simultaneously inhaling through my nose. Like riding a bike once I did it I had it without explanation. Still I believe I can do better with training. I can sustain an existing drone with the technique as described but not begin one. |
| Dean Archer from United Kingdom |
Difficult |
It was rather difficult to learn |
Practise in the shower |
| Donat from Belgium |
Easy |
It was quite easy to learn |
I learned on an extremely low note hand made didgeridoo. You had to almost not push the air through and so the movement was very very slow. This made it easier to learn. I later moved on to normal" instruments and was not able to play that one again;)" |
| Doug from USA |
Medium |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Maybe I'm trying" too hard? or perhaps haven't found the right didge just yet to learn on?" |
| Drew Smith from USA |
Medium |
Medium easy or difficult |
Persistence was the biggest factor in my learning. I learned to circular breathe on a PVC didgeridoo but I don't know if that has anything special to do with it. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Very difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Still trying. Its freaking hard! |
| Edward Skipper from USA |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
Vocalizing.....I love the didgeridoo so I was very driven to learn. I started to make them with Bamboo until I was able to get a Real one. I've had two so far however both were stolen from me! I hope the people who stole them know that a spirit exists in every Didgeridoo.( that's what I was told or read about) |
| Emily Bouldrey from USA |
Very difficult |
It was very difficult to learn |
The musician Harper has played at my bar many times he is an amazing didgeridoo player. After seeing him play I was desperate to learn how to also I actually don't have a didgeridoo I use a makeshift on I made out of pvc piping. Harper showed me many techniques that helped. It's still a struggle but if I could afford a real one I think that would be a bit easier. |
| Eric from USA |
Difficult |
I never tried |
As someone who started the horrible habit of smoking I think playing a didj will help me quit due to its relaxing qualities |
| Eric Russell from USA |
Difficult |
I never tried |
My son plays not me. It took him about three weeks to learn circular breathing |
| Erik from USA |
Easy |
It was very easy to learn |
I was self taught with some Internet research. An article on clarinet breathing really helped with refining the circular breathing techniques. Spitting wafted while breathing through the nose is my favorite practice for learning how to separate what your mouth is doing from the breathing. |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
Letting your lungs empty completely before taking breath set back because a full breath was necessary then by watching frequency of breath by traditional aboriginal players showed to always keep lungs full or half full |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
It came naturally after some hints from friends |
| Evan from USA |
Medium |
It was very easy to learn |
Youtube videos. I learned to keep extra air in my cheeks to blow out when inhaling |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
It's difficult to make the instrument a part of you in order to breathe normally with it |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
It was rather difficult to learn |
Only done it a little. For me it is about focusing on the breath and learning it's OK to stay connected to the didj. It feels like snorkeling...(with sound). |
| Gary from USA |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I'm still fussing with it |
| George Brock from USA |
Very difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
Playing other wind instruments and improved sleep apnea symptoms |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
I never tried |
I have wanted a didj for a a couple of years... So I do not know how to play. |
| Graeme from USA |
Difficult |
It was rather difficult to learn |
Relaxing and not trying so hard - a couple of beers helped too! Truly! |
| Graeme White from United Kingdom |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
Practice practice practice... |
| Greg from Australia |
Medium |
It was quite easy to learn |
At times I seem to have too much air in my lungs and have to let some out. While I found the concepts easy enough I am still trying to master it |
| Gypsy Mama from Canada |
Medium |
It was very easy to learn |
Daily practice even just 10 minutes focusing on rhythm at the same time always inhaling through nose and exhaling through mouth without worry about continuous sound just let the rhythm carry through the breathing then the continuous out breath happens naturally. |
| Howard Williamson from USA |
Medium |
It was quite easy to learn |
Figuring out how to maintain an air flow when I inhaled. But the most difficulty I have is my allergies - if my nasal passages are congested I just can't circular breathe for more than a minute or so. |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I keep trying |
| Ilias from France |
Medium |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I think the most important is to have a good position of your lips and know your didj well. Then control your cheeks your breathe and also your stomach. Others could explain better ^^ |
| James Byron from United Kingdom |
Very difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
Having a good quality didj with properly sized mouthpiece lots of patience and perseverance don't try to rush things use a straw and a glass of water. Finally get lessons from a quality teacher. My main problem was that I was in too much of a hurry to learn circular breathing. I thought it was the holy grail and an absolute necessity to learn quickly. |
| James from USA |
Easy |
Medium easy or difficult |
Practice and a good explanation of how to do it. |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
It was quite easy to learn |
I was already a trumpet player so it was not too difficult. |
| Jan from Australia |
Medium |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I am entering this competition on behalf of my son who plays bagpipes.....so I am hoping that it is a (sort of) head start. |
| Jason from Australia |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
The main problem I had was keeping my lips vibrating a straw in a glass of water helped me pick it up easy. |
| Jeff from USA |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
What worked for me was blowing bubbles thru a straw in a glass of water--keep the bubbles going... |
| Anonymous from USA |
Medium |
Medium easy or difficult |
Practice building up lung strength |
| Jeffrey from USA |
Very difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I haven't tried as much as I should. |
| Jeffrey from USA |
Medium |
I never tried |
I'd love to learn. also to clarify an answer above I happen to know that officially aboriginal clans don't have women playing but it is permissible in informal contexts and some women have gained proficiency in it. |
| Anonymous |
Very difficult |
I never tried |
I was aware of it from playing trumpet but never tried |
| Anonymous from Netherlands |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Google helped me good. There are a few guides that help you through but I still have holes in my circular breathing. |
| Jessica from USA |
Medium |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
I know it something I just need to practice to get |
| Anonymous from USA |
Very difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
I learned how to circular breathe by spitting water out of my mouth while inhaling through my nostrils. |
| Joan from USA |
Medium |
It was rather difficult to learn |
Closing/opening the throat |
| Joanne from Australia |
Difficult |
Medium easy or difficult |
Relaxing and over thinking breath |
| Joe from USA |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
I got a video with my didj that explained how to play. In it there was an exercise with a balloon where you practice blowing it up from air through the nose while never letting go of the balloon with your lips. That exercise really helped me get the concept of circular breathing down because the balloon created a nice resistance/backflow that mimicked properly using a didj. |
| Johan Thaens from Belgium |
Easy |
It was very easy to learn |
Keep on trying |
| John (no Kidding!) from Canada |
Medium |
It was quite easy to learn |
Learning to relax into it. Taking each step of the process slowly. I stress to beginners to learn and perfect" a good solid drone before trying to circular breathe. Walk before you run. Then using the cheeks like bagpipes - let them fill up large with air (more than you normally would as you get better) and squeezing out air like a "raspberry" on a baby's belly.Once that has been learned then work n the small inhale. Practice from there." |
| Anonymous |
Difficult |
I tried, but still can't circular breathe |
Saxophone. I find that if I don't think about it it becomes easier. |
| Jonathan from Australia |
Difficult |
It was rather difficult to learn |
The term 'circular breathing' is misleading it suggests breathing in while also breathing out. A more accurate way of describing it is 'breathing in (the nose) while blowing out (the mouth)'. |
| Joni from Finland |
Medium |
Medium easy or difficult |
Putting water in my mouth (in the shower) and pushing it out while breathing in thru my nose helped me get the idea. After that it was just practice and more practice. |
| Jonny Monument from United Kingdom |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
A man in a shop in Cairns... showed me how to do it gave me an exercise to do and said that it would take a couple of days. I did the exercises and it took a couple of days! |
| Anonymous from USA |
Difficult |
It was quite easy to learn |
I learned how to circular breath when playing the bassoon actually. |
