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While
circular breathing is great to know it is NOT a requirement to
be able to play and enjoy this instrument. You can build breathing
into rhythms you create when you snatch air between beats.
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It
is best to master the other techniques of playing first and learn
circular breathing last.
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Circular
breathing is what allows players to perform continuously without
stopping for breath. Many great wind instrument players such as
Miles Davis and Kenny G use circular breathing.
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Practice
these exercises to learn how to circular breathe!
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Exercise
1: In
the shower fill your mouth with water and push a stream of water
out using only your tongue and cheek muscles. Make sure not to
use any pressure from the lungs to help. Once you have that down
try to stay relaxed and breath in and out with your nose while
making the stream. Keep trying until it feels very comfortable.
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Exercise
2: Get a long straw and a cup of water. Using
just cheek muscles and the tongue as in Exercise 1 push air through
the straw and into the water creating little bubbles. Try to keep
the pressure even and the flow of bubbles smooth until the air
in the cheeks runs out. It should only last a very short while
if you are really using only your mouth.
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Exercise
3: Next, while making bubbles with only the
mouth and cheeks, move your tongue slightly back to help close
the throat. Take a little air in through your nose to replenish
the lungs before the bubbles stop. You are almost circular breathing.
Master this until the muscle contractions you are using feel totally
comfortable and the bubbles are flowing smoothly. Tip: It can
help to twist the end of the straw a bit to increase back pressure
and make the bubbles last longer.
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Exercise
4: Now take a breath and blow into the straw using
lung pressure to make the bubbles. Don't waste air, just a light
stream of bubbles will do. Now switch to pushing air with only
the mouth and take air in through the nose to replenish your lungs.
Smoothly switch back to pushing air with the lungs and repeat.
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Practice
on keeping the bubbles going smoothly and without ever stopping
and you are Circular Breathing! Work on increasing the volume
of air you can expel smoothly and you will be ready to apply your
new knowledge to the didgeridoo! Take a look at the diagrams below
for a visual explanation.
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