Welcome to the Central Park Didgeridoo Gathering, a free event bringing together didgeridoo players from around the Northeast. At this gathering you will be immersed into the many uses and practices of the didgeridoo, with everything from beginners techniques to beatboxing and advanced rhythms.
This is a potluck. Be sure to bring a vegetarian dish to share with at least 10 people!
Need a didgeridoo? No problem, just check off that you need an instrument when you RSVP and we will provide them for you.
RSVP for realtime updates, day of event contact phone number, details on what to bring, directions on how to get to the Great Hill, and more.
Video From A Previous Central Park Didgeridoo Gathering
In a time and place where humanity is at a crossroads, the Heart & Mind Festival has become a trusted ground for all people choosing to awaken on the path of consciousness. At the Heart & Mind Festival, elders, teachers, indigenous wisdom keepers, and people devoted to the consciousness movement worldwide come to offer their visions, wisdom, and ways.
Watch the Heart & Mind teaser:
Featuring Tito La Rosa, Kevin Nathaniel, Chief Perry of the Lenape Nation, Maestro Manuel Rufino, Dream Seed and more!
This 5-hour free event features:
Indigenous Elders
World Musicians
Organic Vegetarian Food
Conscious Business Vendors
Free Giveaways and Raffle
Check out Tito La Rosa and Kevin Nathaniel performing together at the Heart and Mind Festival 2015 in Poland:
RSVP TODAY!
The first 200 people that RSVP get a free gift bag from Shaman’s Market!
In this basic beatbox tutorial, we look at a rock and hip-hop rhythm comprised of 4 basic sounds. This is a syncopated rhythm, meaning there are sounds that fall on both strong beats and weak beats. As with many beatbox rhythms we are imitating the sounds of a drum kit by using the mouth cavity and vocal production mechanism.
The basic sounds of this rhythm are: the open kick drum as a buzz (B), the muted kick drum as a popping sound (written P), the snare drum (Ka), and the closed high hat (t). Lastly we notate the inhalation (in) so you know where in the cycle to breathe in.
Here’s the fully noted rhythm:
B _ _ p, Ka _ _ B, _ t B _, Ka _ (in) _
The blank spaces signify beats on which you are not starting any new sounds. The commas (,) are written every 4 sub-beats so you can see how this rhythm fits into a 4-beat structure.
The beat numbers written out in the video (1 e + a, 2 e + a) are the standard notation for breaking a beat into four sub-beats. Technically this is called 16th note subdivision. When you hear the beatboxing happening in this video, the tempo is quite slow, as beat 1 is on the first B and beat 2 is on the first Ka. This means there is a lot of space to fill in between these numbered “macro” beats and that’s why we need to count these subdivisions with e + a. When you count out loud you would say, “one ee and a, two ee and a…”
Questions about this basic beatbox tutorial? Ask in the comments section below.
In this video for intermediate to advanced level didgeridoo players, we share a popular didgeridoo rhythm found in music all around the world. I use this rhythm in my playing more than almost any other because it flows so naturally on the didgeridoo, djembe, guitar, piano and any other instrument I can get my hands on.
Known as the Caribbean Clave, Tresillo, Malfuf and many other names, this bell pattern is essential to Afro-cuban, Afro-Brazilian and Latin music. Originally brought to the Americas by African slaves, this rhythm is found in most traditional African music and most Latin-American styles. This rhythm is fantastic for collaborating with other musicians as well as jamming on your own.
The essence of the tresillo rhythm is accents on beats 1, the & of 2, and 4. If you do not immediately understand what this means in writing, watch the video for a demonstration.
There are two ways to conceptualize the tresillo rhythm:
A. Use strong exhales (abs) to play notes on beats 1, the “& of 2” and 4. This approach is demonstrated in the very first moment of this video.
B. Take a pattern of 8 beats and divide it as 3, 3, 2. In other words:
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
In terms of breathing patterns, the rhythm looks like this :
Ha in ha Ha in ha Ha in
***Note that Ha represents an exhale and In represents an inhale***
With a metronome you can practice playing this didgeridoo rhythm perfectly in time. This will really help to develop your feel for syncopated rhythms.
Question of the day:
What is a didgeridoo rhythm you love to play? What are some rhythms you want to learn to play on didgeridoo?
Post your reply in the comments section below. Your response helps us know what content to make next so we can serve you best!
The RAV Universal Scale in A Minor, usually referred to as the “RUS” is a beautiful sounding instrument which is notable for its sustain effects. Listen in this video as you hear the notes ringing out and the effect they have over the long period of fading out.
The notes of the RAV Vast RUS are:
(A) C E G A B C D E
In scale tones relative to the key of A, the notes are:
1 b3 5 b7 1 2 b3 4 5
Note that the third and seventh scale tones are both flat, meaning they are each a half step lower than the major third and major seventh (which derive from the major scale) respectively.
The RAV Vast A RUS RAV Universal Scale, other RAV Drums and RAV instrument cases are available for purchase at the Didge Project store.
Manu Delago’s stellar hang playing, drumming, composition and production skills have brought him around the world numerous times. Collaborations include big name artists including Bjork, Anoushka Shankar, Shpongle, Cinematic Orchestra and more. In this interview, Manu shares some of the most important keys that allowed him to take his music to a higher level.
During the interview I asked Manu about his musical training and what his best teachers passed on to him. We also discussed how important it is to play with a metronome, how to learn to play dynamically, the benefits of collaboration, exploring different instruments and styles, composing music and more.
In this video we share 3 didgeridoo playing tips that answer the questions: “what do you do if you can’t get the didgeridoo to make a drone?”, “how do you start the sound most effectively?”, and “how do you ensure to have a good tone on didgeridoo?”
Lip stretching exercises are a huge first step for anyone having trouble buzzing their lips and getting a basic drone on didgeridoo. The stretches shown in this video are great to practice 5-10 minutes per day until you accustom your lips to buzzing in a very relaxed and loose way.
Another key is to make sure you have enough pressure behind your lips right before you start to buzz. We recommend using a “P” sound to get the drone started strong and on cue.
The third key is to make sure your lips make a good seal on the instrument. If any air is leaking out the side of your mouth while you play this will greatly detract from the quality of the sound.
Question of the Day: What is the one thing you struggle with most on didgeridoo? Post your response in the comments section below so we know what will help you most and which didgeridoo playing tips to share next.
Tacta handpans are professional quality instruments made by Brazilian craftsman Rafael D’Arco. The sensitivity to the touch makes these instruments as good as any handpan around. Here Matt Bazgier demonstrates some of the amazing sounds you can get out of a Tacta handpan.
The tuning of the instrument played in this video is C# Sapphire. The scale is C# G# B C# F F# G# B C#
Matt Bazgier is a multi-instrumentalist and music producer from Poland currently living and creating in New York. In his work, he explores the borderline of music and personal growth.
His music is deeply rooted in a world of spirits and is treated as a spiritual practice. For several years, he is practicing under the supervision of Elders of indigenous cultures from many parts of the world. Listen to more of his music at mattbazgier.bandcamp.com
The Tacta Handpan Story:
In Brazil in 2010 handpans were very difficult to get. That’s when Rafael D’Arco, pianist and percussionist, started researching the production process.
In 2015, D’Arco set up his workshop and developed the tooling required to cut, shape and tune the steel sheets, turning them into proper handpans. A year of research, which involved a few trips abroad, led to his refinement of handpan production.
The long search for the most adequate metal, ideal thickness, heating process, tools and tuning techniques, led to the pleasant sound of the Tacta, which continues to evolve.
Bounce breathing is one of the didgeridoo circular breathing basics all players should learn. In this approach, the cheeks appear to be full the whole time. The quick pace of this exercise is the key. The emphasis here is on maintaining a constant rhythm with your breath and sending continuous air through the didgeridoo with your abs.
This technique works well for beginners because it is not necessary to actively squeeze the cheeks
Make sure to focus on the rhythm and keep your cheeks full the whole time. The rhythm comes from the continued pressure. So it’s just “Out-In-Out-In…” repeating at a quick pace. Staying in time is very important for this exercise.
Again, we are keeping a very rhythmic breath cycle: in out in out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. You don’t even need to squeeze your cheeks. If you are doing it right you will maintain pressure in your cheeks and this keeps the air flowing through the didge. Pracitce this by getting into the rhythm without the didge at first. This needs to be done quickly because if you do it too slow it doesnt keep the pressure up and keep the sound going. Notice that the cheeks never come in all the way. Abs are very important here.
Bounce Breathing is an essential technique for didgeridoo players of all levels, so make sure to check out this video.
What is the most difficult part of learning circular breathing? Post your response in the comments section below.
Circular breathing is a wind instrument technique that allows the player to sustain a tone for an extended period of time. This is accomplished by storing air in the mouth (inflating the cheeks) and using this reservoir of air...
Many people try to learn to circular breathe without having the proper foundation in place. The exercises presented in this video show you how to develop the individual components that go into circular breathing, particularly the abdominal muscles (abs)...
The Long Inhalation is a special circular breathing technique for didgeridoo or other winds, which is different from the way you see it taught.
To perform this exercise you will need your lungs to be mostly empty. Essentially you will...
Music from this video: “Didge Hop” by Didge Project
When you first get a handpan, there is so much to explore it can seem overwhelming. Our Handpan 101 video will introduce you to some fundamentals of handpan playing including playing with a metronome, polyrhythms, paradiddles and drum rudiments, learning the scale of your instrument, playing chords and more!
Handpans are resonant steel instruments that evolved out of the Trinidad Steel Pan. Originally made by just one company in Switzerland, there are now (at time of writing) over 100 handpan makers worldwide.
The instrument used in this video is a PanArt 2nd Generation D Hijaz:
Hijaz Scale tones: (1) 5 b7 1 b2 3 4 5
D Hijaz Scale on this instrument: (D) A C D Eb F# G A
Music theory is especially important for handpan players to develop the knowledge of how scales work, how to build chords and how to play with other musicians.
The Paradiddle is an essential rhythmic figure for hand percussion or any instrument that features the interplay of two rhythmic elements. The basic paradiddle pattern is:
L R L L R L R R
This concept can be applied to linear instruments (those that play one note at a time) by simply alternating between two notes, with one note assigned as “left” and the other assigned as “right”.
We are all called to sound for different reasons. Some of us seek it out for entertainment, some for relaxation or meditation, some of us because we want to learn something new, and others because we are focused on...
In this video we look at the difference between what are often regarded as the two top quality handpan materials: stainless steel and nitrided steel. Stainless steel often renders a gold or copper finish and a bright, rich sound....
In this new collection of pan drums, we review and compare some exciting innovations. Included in this video:
-Tacta Handpans C# Harmonic Minor 16 Mutant
-Hamgam by Majid Drums
-Meinl Sonic Energy Octave Steel Tongue Drums in D Kurd and D Amara...
Learn to play chord changes on handpan so you can play along with guitarists, pianists, compose your own music that works with musicians on any instrument!
Gear used in this video: This video features our debut of the...
A new addition to the Didge Project store: the RAV Pan F Pygmy! This pan has two bottom notes on the underside of the drum that make this drum really special. This scale is almost identical to the F...
