Thousands of people around the world who are playing the didgeridoo to help treat sleep apnea. What is sleep apnea? This video features an overview of some of the different sounds on the didgeridoo, testimony from someone who has found success in playing the didgeridoo for sleep apnea, and an explanation of how obstructive sleep apnea happens.
Sleep apnea and snoring are conditions caused by a blockage in the throat. Essentially what happens is when the person is sleeping, air tries to get from the mouth or nose into the lungs through the passageway known as the windpipe. When the windpipe becomes obstructed fully, this creates an apnea, or a stop in the breath. When it’s partially obstructed it creates a vibration which manifests as snoring, and that’s when you hear your neighbor being loud in bed. Essentially what we are doing with the didgeridoo is we’re strengthening all the muscles in there. Everything from the base of the tongue to the muscles that line the walls of the throat. By strengthening these muscles they become less fatty and more toned and less likely to block the windpipe.
The didgeridoo is an instrument introduced to the world by the aboriginal people of Australia. It is essentially a hollow wooden tube or a tube made from any type of material. The traditional didgeridoos were made from Eucalyptus naturally hollowed out by termites. This is why they are known as one of the oldest known wind instruments because they are actually completely formed by nature. The didgeridoo has two openings: one at this end, known as the bell, where sound comes out, and one at this end known as the mouthpiece, where you put your mouth. When you have your didgeridoo you want to make sure there is no cracks in it so that no air escapes from anywhere other than the two openings at the ends. When you put the didgeridoo up to your mouth it is important that you have a good seal and that no air is escaping from the top.
Traditional eucalyptus didgeridoos are hollowed out by termites and sculpted into a playable instrument by a craftsman. This makes each instrument completely unique in sound and playability. Decorating a didgeridoo in the traditional way is also an art form that has many layers of deeper meaning. These 5 authentic Aboriginal Australian instruments have a lot in common and a lot of differences. The best way to compare them is to play them side by side.
Question of the day: What is your preferred type of didgeridoo? Do you like play on eucalyptus, agave, yucca, plastic, hemp, carbon fiber, local hardwoods, or other? Do you prefer authentic Aboriginal Australian instruments? Post your response in the comments section below.
Included in this video are the following five instruments:
Most musicians will, at one time or another, wish to play with others. This might mean hanging around and playing a few tunes in a friend’s living room or it could mean working with a full-fledged band.
Whatever the case, it’s crucial that any musician who wishes to play with others possesses simple listening skills in order to truly add to the music. While these skills are simple, they’re also highly important and effective, making them a great foundation on which to build your musical relationships.
Below are a few areas I find most important when attempting to truly tune in to the music being played, as well as some of my favorite tips for improving your listening skills.
A Tight Sense of Rhythm
Rhythm is the heartbeat of all music. It’s what ensures that a group of musicians remains constantly in sync and it’s one of the most important aspects of any piece you might play. Therefore, it’s very important that every musician, especially those who wish to play in group settings, have a strong sense of rhythm.
If you have trouble finding rhythms and playing to a specific beat (or at a certain speed), be sure to focus on these things during your practise. Some ideas for improving rhythm include clapping out a rhythm before playing it, audibly counting the beats of a song while listening to a recording, and practicing with a metronome.
An Accurate Sense of Pitch
A musician who plays off-pitch won’t be appreciated by his or her bandmates as the results are likely to be less than appealing! For this reason, pitch is yet another skill that simply must be mastered in order for a person to play well in a group.
Fortunately, even if you aren’t born with a perfect sense of pitch, there are ways to attain it. By purchasing a digital tuner, investing some time and effort, and following the steps in the article linked above, you’ll be well on your way to perfected pitch.
The Ability to “Jam”
There are a great number of unspoken rules when it comes to musical jam sessions. Many of these are obvious, such as tuning your instrument, learning before you play so you don’t mess up the song for everyone else, and sticking to the proper genre when choosing songs.
However, some jam session etiquette isn’t quite so obvious. Therefore, I suggest giving this article a read if you’re attending your first meetup.
An Ability to “Talk Music”
Listening to a couple of seasoned musicians speak can sometimes sound like listening to a foreign language. There’s a lot of music lingo out there and it’s important that all musicians learn the jargon in order to communicate effectively.
To get a good handle on this music slang, make an effort to attend jam sessions and other social events involving musicians. This will give you a chance to practise the lingo you do know and learn a bit more to boot.
That said, musical slang can also be learned through the use of online tutorials and forums as well as various music books.
Singing in Tune
Even if your voice isn’t your primary instrument, it’s highly important that every musician knows how to sing in tune. This might seem silly if you play an instrument like saxophone, harmonica, or didgeridoo. However, I have a very good reason for feeling this way.
You see, the voice is the first instrument a person ever uses. It’s also the only instrument that will always be with you no matter where you are and, likely, the instrument you’ll have the easiest time using without any practise when learning a song for the first time.
Finally, singing is the easiest and best way to hone your sense of pitch. All of these things come together and lead me to believe that learning to sing in tune is crucial to the success of any musician, especially one who wishes to play with other music makers.
If you are on a mission to learn to play in a group, I am certain these tips will help you on your way. So what are you waiting for? Get to work! Soon enough, you’ll be playing like a pro alongside musicians of all abilities.
Christopher Sutton is the founder of Musical U, where musicians can discover and develop their natural musicality. Born and raised in London, England, he lives with his wife, daughter, and far too many instruments.
These two RAV drum models, the G Minor Pentatonic and the G Pygmy are similar but different. There is one main note that is different: the flat 6th (b6), which in the key of G is Eb (E-flat), and is also called the “pygmy note”.
Check out the video to hear how these two scales differ and see which one is better for you.
This RAV Vast Comparison was done by Matt Bazgier and the video was edited by Narin Kerim
Aboriginal Australian Artist Lewis Burns is an ambassador of the Aboriginal Tradition and carries the wisdom and knowledge of his elders around the world as he travels and shares his culture. Lewis Burns performs and teaches on didgeridoo at the Tribal Rhythms Gathering in Upstate New York, August 17-20, 2017. Tickets are still available at https://www.didgeproject.com/gathering.
At the Tribal Rhythms Gathering, participants will have the opportunity to study traditional didgeridoo rhythms with Lewis Burns. This video was taken at Didge Project’s Didgeridoo Mountain Retreat, Upstate New York during the summer of 2016.
Learn three different easy to play rhythms for RAV Drum, handpan or any multi-toned percussion instrument. The first two of these rhythms are linear, meaning you only play one note at a time. The third rhythm introduces chords, playing more than one note at a time. Percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Matt Bazgier demonstrates.
***Take lessons with Matt Bazgier via Skype worldwide. Contact mattbazgier@gmail.com.
The RAV Drum played in this video has a G Pygmy scale tuning.
Notes in the G Pygmy scale: G2, C3, D3, Eb3, G3, Bb3, C4, D4, F4
Scale tones (in the same order): 1, 4, 5, b6, 1, b3, 4, 5, b7
RAV Drum (aka RAV Vast) is a relatively new instrument that fuses the concepts behind handpans (hang drums) and tongue drums (traditionally made of wood). Perfectly cut steel tongues vibrate harmoniously together to create an ethereal sound perfect for meditation, relaxation, and other mystical music experiences.
RAV was invented in 2013, the same year PanArt stopped making the Hang. RAV is from Russia with cut keys as opposed to the hammer tuned Hang drum, which is not cut or welded in anyway. The RAV has a deep resonance and profound reverb effect where the sound lasts for a long time while the Hang drum sound goes for a much shorter duration. This allows for a lot more space between key strokes in the RAV because the sound carries so long without losing the rhythm, which can make for more experimental playing in some respects than the Hang or handpan. The fullness of the sound and the duration of each key stroke makes the instrument very meditative to play because it renders itself to slow playing but of course can also be played very quickly and rhythmically. The backside is not as accessible or resonant as a handpan but can still be played rhythmically. The price of a RAV is 1/3 the cost of a Hang and is also generally easier to play than the Hang for most people. It is also a much more durable and sturdy instrument. The handpan can be knocked out of tune with too hard of a hit and over time may need to get tuned up regardless while the Rav does not and is almost impossible to knock out of tune. The Rav also has harmonics beyond the fundamental key like the Hang/handpan and both are available through Didge Project for purchase at https://www.didgeproject.com/store.
In this RAV drum rhythm tutorial, we use the RAV Vast2 C Golden Gate to demonstrate a simple pattern that will sound great on any handpan or RAV drum. Starting at the highest note of the scale, you will play a sequence of 4 descending notes and repeat this 4 times. Then you will start the next phrase on the second highest note, descending 4 notes from there and repeating 4 times. This goes on a few times until you get to the tonic (C4 in this example), and then you repeat the whole verse again. Watch and learn!
The RAV Drum played in this video has a C Golden Gate Scale tuning. This scale is unique because it starts with a C major 7 arpeggio (1 3 5 7 or C E G B) and then goes into a lydian sound featuring the sharp 4th (F#). This is a bright sound that is great for yoga classes, meditation, and deep personal practice.
Notes in the Golden Gate scale: C3, E3, G3, B3, C4, D4, F#4, G4, B4
Scale tones (in the same order): 1, 3, 5, 7, 1, 2, #4, 5, 7
RAV Drum (aka RAV Vast) is a relatively new instrument that fuses the concepts behind handpans (hang drums) and tongue drums (traditionally made of wood). Perfectly cut steel tongues vibrate harmoniously together to create an ethereal sound perfect for meditation, relaxation, and other mystical music experiences.
RAV was invented in 2013, the same year PanArt stopped making the Hang. RAV is from Russia with cut keys as opposed to the hammer tuned Hang drum, which is not cut or welded in anyway. The RAV has a deep resonance and profound reverb effect where the sound lasts for a long time while the Hang drum sound goes for a much shorter duration. This allows for a lot more space between key strokes in the RAV because the sound carries so long without losing the rhythm, which can make for more experimental playing in some respects than the Hang or handpan. The fullness of the sound and the duration of each key stroke makes the instrument very meditative to play because it renders itself to slow playing but of course can also be played very quickly and rhythmically. The backside is not as accessible or resonant as a handpan but can still be played rhythmically. The price of a RAV is 1/3 the cost of a Hang and is also generally easier to play than the Hang for most people. It is also a much more durable and sturdy instrument. The handpan can be knocked out of tune with too hard of a hit and over time may need to get tuned up regardless while the Rav does not and is almost impossible to knock out of tune. The Rav also has harmonics beyond the fundamental key like the Hang/handpan and both are available through Didge Project for purchase at https://www.didgeproject.com/store.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, while many don’t even know that they have it. Watch the video above to see testimonials from real people who have mitigated sleep apnea by playing the didgeridoo.
Compression of the airway during an apnea event.
Sleep apnea is a condition in which the airway between the nose and lungs is blocked, causing interruption of sleep and low energy levels throughout the day. People diagnosed with sleep apnea are often prescribed a range of treatment options, most often CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) devices and surgeries. Now there’s a natural way to help with breathing at night: a study published by the British Medical Journal indicates that playing the didgeridoo can make a difference.
How can playing a wind instrument improve sleep?
By strengthening the muscles of the throat and tongue, didgeridoo playing helps to maintain an open airway during sleep and prevent airway blockages. Just as a person strengthens the major muscles of the body by lifting weights, playing the didgeridoo strengthens the muscles in the windpipe, thereby reducing the chance of obstructed breathing during sleep.
When can users expect results?
The clinical study indicates that after 3 months of daily practice, many people experience significant improvements in their breathing during sleep and lowered incidence of fatigue during the day. Didge For Sleep is an easy to follow step-by-step method that can be done in the comfort of the home.
The Didge For Sleep Introductory Package is specifically designed as a solution for people with sleep apnea, snoring, and other sleep-breathing conditions. Each package comes with a travel didgeridoo, an instructional DVD (also streamable online), a handbook (also downloadable as an eBook), and an online support forum where users can connect with a community of people using the didgeridoo for better sleep. Additionally, users receive over 10 hours of video tutorials.
Get started with your Didge For Sleep Introductory Package today. Visit us at www.didgeforsleep.com.
On July 1, 2017 a group of 20 didgeridoo players gathered in New York City for Didge Project’s annual free event: The Central Park Didgeridoo Gathering. Participants were introduced to a number of new rhythms and playing techniques and practiced playing in a “rhythm circle,” as shown in the video. The Central Park Didgeridoo Gathering serves to build community, to connect people and to provide space for group music making. Thank you to everyone who came and supported this event.
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Special thanks to the volunteers:
Narin Kerim – video camera
The Magic of the Didgeridoo is an interactive presentation with Didge Project’s AJ Block that gets students clapping, singing, dancing and making lots of didgeridoo sounds. Buzzing the lips, breathing in different rhythms and imitating the “animal sounds” of the didgeridoo are a few of the many engaging techniques students experience.
Included in this presentation is a background of the Aboriginal Australian culture surrounding the didgeridoo and how the instrument is created. The original didgeridoos were eucalyptus logs hollowed out by termites, and students receive a vivid picture of what this is like.
In addition to The Magic of the Didgeridoo, Didge Project offers Make and Play Didgeridoo Workshops for students, who will create, learn to play, and take home their very own plastic didgeridoo.
Book The Magic of the Didgeridoo and other activities for your school, library, community center, camp or youth group by writing to info@didgeproject.com or calling 347-871-3866.
