Didgeridoo guide
How to Set Up and Use Didgeridoo
Getting started on the didgeridoo is about relaxing, not tensing. Here's how to set up the instrument and produce your first sustained drone.
Setting up a didgeridoo and producing your first sustained drone involves understanding a few fundamentals: the mouthpiece seal, embouchure, breath support and the beginning steps of circular breathing. This guide walks through each in turn.
Preparing the Instrument
Before playing, check that the bore is clear of obstructions. Blow gently through the instrument to verify air moves freely. If your didgeridoo has a beeswax mouthpiece, warm it slightly with your hands to soften it — this improves the seal against your lips. On a PVC instrument, the end is fixed; on a wooden instrument, beeswax can be reshaped if the mouthpiece doesn't sit comfortably.
Find a playing position that allows relaxed breath support. Most players sit or stand, holding the instrument at a downward angle or resting the bell end on a surface. The bell should be free to resonate — don't rest it against fabric or carpet, which damps the sound.
Embouchure and First Drone
A didgeridoo is played with a relaxed embouchure. Press your lips gently to the mouthpiece opening — not into it — and let them rest loosely. Start with a "blowing raspberries" action: let your lips vibrate loosely with breath pressure. This loose lip vibration is the sound source. The instrument amplifies and colours the vibration; your job is to maintain a consistent, relaxed buzz.
Don't tighten your lips as you would on a trumpet. The didgeridoo requires the opposite: the more relaxed and floppy the lip vibration, the better the drone. Practise the buzz away from the instrument first if needed, then apply it to the mouthpiece.
Sustaining the Drone
Once you can produce a stable didgeridoo drone, practise sustaining it as long as your breath allows. Focus on keeping the lip vibration consistent — interruptions in the sound usually indicate lip tension or inconsistent breath pressure. A good beginner goal is a sustained drone of ten to fifteen seconds on a single breath.
Beginning Circular Breathing
Circular breathing allows continuous sound on a didgeridoo by inhaling through the nose while maintaining mouth pressure with the cheeks. Start without the instrument: puff your cheeks, close the back of your throat (as if swallowing) and push air out through pursed lips using only your cheek muscles. Practise until you can sustain a small air stream from cheeks alone while inhaling through your nose.
Transfer this to the instrument in stages. Play a drone, then at the moment before running out of breath, puff your cheeks and inhale through your nose while keeping your cheeks engaged. You will hear a brief gap or wobble — this is normal at first. With practice, the transition becomes seamless.
For a full beginner's guide covering technique and first tunes, the beginner's guide is a good next step.
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