18 new agave and yucca didgeridoos have landed in our store. Made by Myke Gomezmaicas, Ben Hicks and Sam David, these instruments are great for sound baths and stage performances which require the player to walk around and move the instrument. Enjoy the video and get yours while supplies last.
The Dream Seed Sound Healer Training Program is an immersive multicultural course designed to give people a hands-on approach for facilitating sound healing sessions. Participants will strengthen their capacity as sound workers, walking away with the skills and knowledge to be able to begin to incorporate sound into healing sessions and meditative environments through an interdisciplinary approach, bridging the fields of sound, science, sacred music, energy work, and healing traditions. This program is for people of all levels of experience with sound, music and healing work, and is great for those who want to go deeper into doing sound healing work for others as well as those who want to explore sound for personal practice. Participants who meet the attendance requirements will receive a certification of course completion.
Throughout the course of this training, we will focus on various exercises to learn more about sound healing through intention setting, listening, giving, receiving, and developing our intuition in relationship to sound. Participants are encouraged but not required to bring their own sound healing instruments to our sessions. Many instruments from around the world will be available for participants to utilize and a variety of sound-healing instruments will also be available for sale.
Full details and registration at goldendrum.org
The training course will include a weekend intensive in upstate New York in June 2025 (in-person participants only) where participants will go deep into traditional healing practices from around the globe. There will be multiple expert guest teachers for several modules in the course.
Watch this video taken throughout our sound healer training program:
All class sessions consist of:
A Wednesday evening lecture on Zoom (3 hours) AND a full day workshop on Saturday, in-person at Golden Drum and also broadcast on Zoom (8 hours including a 1 hour lunch break), unless otherwise indicated:
October 9 & 12 (2024): Introduction to Sound Healing
Nov 6 & 9: Sound and the 4 Elements
Dec 4 & 7: Sound for Deep Meditation and Personal Healing
Jan 8 & 11 (2025): Drum Journey Weekend and Drum Making Workshop
Feb 19 & 22: Freeing The Voice
Mar 12 & 15: Wind Instruments for Sound Healers
April 9 & 12: World Rhythm, Song and Sound
May 9-11: Sound Practitioners Intensive Weekend in The Catskills, NY (included only for in-person registrants, not included for online registrants)
May 21 & 24: Practices for Sound Healers
*Note: The Upstate retreat will Friday through Sunday.
Additionally this training includes:
5x Exclusive group zoom meetings (90-minutes each, scheduled on select Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9pm EST)
2x 1-on-1 phone check-ins with the program facilitators
Homework assignments that will get you doing sound work on your own and with other people.
*Note: program schedule is subject to change
Lots more information and details, including pricing and registration at goldendrum.org
Energy chimes are highly resonant instruments comprised of aluminum bars strung over wooden blocks. Emitting high frequencies rich in harmonics, energy chimes can fit in with many different instruments as they pierce through other sounds, often being heard clearly even when a lot of other instruments are being played. Energy chimes have become a staple instrument in our sound baths with Dream Seed as they seem to be handy instruments for transitioning from one array of instruments to another. They are a great opening instrument to play when coming out of complete silence, as they are so pleasant on the ears. They are amazing to hold in the hand and walk around the room with, allowing us to easily wave these beautiful frequencies towards each individual participant.
Ultimately there are no rules about how to play energy chimes correctly, however it is good to be mindful to not strike them too hard near a person’s ear. This can create stark swells of sound that could be painful to the ear drum. Master energy chime maker and healer Elvina Munir recommends to let the mallet simply drop onto the aluminum bar and not to forcibly hit it, especially when in close proximity to a person.
We guarantee you’ve never heard energy chimes that have such resonant long-sustaining vibrato as the Elfen Harmonics energy chimes. The set featured in this video, the Elfen Chakra Chimes, is built in the C Major scale (plus a low A) and tuned in the A = 432 hz tuning system. See our video on doing healing work with energy chimes:
For more info on energy chimes, be sure to watch our video above and check out the Elfen Chakra Chimes now available in the Didge Project store.
In this school performance at Cornwall Elementary School in Pennsylvania, AJ taught about how traditional didgeridoos are eucalyptus trunks hollowed out by termites and he taught the students how to make many of the basic didgeridoo sounds by buzzing the lips, squeezing the cheeks, moving the tongue, using the voice, and pumping the abs. He got the kids singing the twangy “wee-you” sounds which characterize the overtones of the didgeridoo drone and, of course, he gave them lots to dance about.
The same day at Cornwall Elementary, AJ conducted four Make and Play Didgeridoo Workshops for 100 5th graders who all took home their own didgeridoos to keep!
Here’s a shorter edit of “The Outback Dance”:
Dance along with the sounds of the didgeridoo in the “Outback Dance”
Here are the moves (watch the beginning of the video for a demonstration of each):
Traditional aboriginal didgeridoo playing is inspired by the sounds of the bush. Here the didgeridoo imitates the sounds of the kookaburra and the dingo and plays a rhythm for the “hop” of the kangaroo. AJ Block learned these sounds from aboriginal didgeridoo artist Lewis Burns and put together the Outback Dance as a way to teach about Australia in his didgeridoo performances for kids.
Special thanks to our stage assistants Freedom and Cedar Flowers and our camera operator Chad Mummert. Extra special thanks to the Cornwall PTO for bringing us to Cornwall Elementary School!
*Book AJ Block to come to your school or community: info@didgeproject.com // 347-871-3866
Listen to the harmonic overtones of this very special flute from the Andes mountains in South America, the Mamaquena, in our video above.
$240.00 – $270.00
The Mamaquena is the “mother of all flutes” according to the La Rosa family, a large version of one of the most popular Andean flutes, the quena. The quena is characterized by it’s slit-like mouthpiece, usually carved into the wooden body, that splits the airstream and created the sound generating vibration. The mamaquena has particular been used by Tito La Rosa and other exponents of the andean sound school to create a deep, warm and rich tone that is extremely responsive to the breath of the player. The quena sound is also characterized by harmonic jumps, which can be manipulated with the intensity of the breath.
Watch our video demo of the Mamaquena:
These mamaquena flutes are available in two keys: A Minor Pentatonic and B Minor Pentatonic. These are 5-fingerhole flutes on which it is quite easy to play up and down the scale. The A Minor flute is overall larger and plays lower tones. The B Minor flute is smaller and easier for beginners to play.
Scale: A Minor Pentatonic
Notes: A C D E G A
Scale B Minor Pentatonic
Notes: B D E F# A B
This photo shows a size comparison of the A Minor (larger) and B Minor (smaller) mamaquena flutes:
| Weight | 3 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 32 × 4 × 4 in |
| Model | A Minor Pentatonic, B Minor Pentatonic |
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Check out some amazing new didgeridoos that have landed in our store and can be yours! Each one is a unique one-of-a-kind instrument that is available on a first come first come basis. Get the didgeridoos in this video in our online store or come up to our store in the Catskills in Upstate New York to pick one up in person.
*Order these didgeridoos here:
Most of the aboriginal didges shown here are made from termite hollowed eucalyptus wood and most are quite substantial in weight (average of 10-15 lbs.). The non-aboriginal hardwood didgeridoos are predominantly from US makers, most notably two of the finest didgeridoo craftsman in the US: Chad Butler and Ben Hicks.
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 to inhale through the nose while air is still coming out the mouth. People always ask me if it is difficult to do circular breathing on didgeridoo and I usually reply that it is just a slight variation on normal breathing.
Circular breathing is key to didgeridoo playing because it allows for the continuous drone to remain unbroken, forming a strong foundation for the complete sound. Learning to circular breathe is like going to the gym in that you are working to develop muscle tone, flexibility and control. While it may seem challenging, practice of the following exercises you will give you an understanding of how the mechanics work and how to successfully master the art. Some people find it easier to learn circular breathing by playing the didgeridoo but you do not need an instrument to practice these exercises.
***If you are new to playing wind instruments, be sure to first read How to Strengthen The Breath and Expand Lung Capacity for Wind Instruments and if you are new to didgeridoo, first watch our video on How To Play Didgeridoo For Absolute Beginners.
Fill your cheeks with air so they are puffed out and hold your lips tight so no air escapes. Inhale and exhale naturally through the nose, keeping the cheeks filled with air the whole time. Inhale slowly. Exhale slowly. This first step serves to establish independence between your breath and the air in stored in your mouth reservoir.
Fill your mouth with water so that your cheeks are bulging out. Gently squeeze your cheeks and bring your jaw up as if biting so the water streams out. Maintaining a constant stream, inhale and exhale naturally through your nose. Your goal is to have an uninterrupted flow of water coming out of your mouth as you breathe. This exercise can be practiced each time you step into the shower.
Start with your cheeks inflated and mouth closed. Inhale through the nose, keeping your lips sealed and your cheeks inflated. Then exhale through your mouth, keeping your cheeks just as full. On your next inhale, seal your lips again. Continue with this cycle maintaining inflated cheeks throughout.
This is the first stage in what will become a full breath cycle. Start with your cheeks inflated. At the same moment you begin to inhale through the nose, squeeze the air out of your mouth by bringing your jaw up and tightening your cheek muscles. You should strive for a strong but quiet inhale through the nose. With some practice you should be able to synchronize the flow of air coming in your nose and the flow of air going out your mouth. Practice this until you get good at it.
Start with exercise 4. After you simultaneously inhale through the nose and squeeze air out your mouth, make a strong exhale from the lungs by saying “HA”. This out-breath should come from deep in your core so be sure that your diaphram is engaged and abdominal muscles are tightening to push the air out. This exhale should also push air back into your cheeks.
Once you have combined steps 4 and 5, repeat them over and over again until you start to feel the groove. Make the repetition as musical as you can. The goal is to get air constantly coming out of your mouth with no gap between the inhale and exhale. With practice you will be able to blend the air flow from the two sources (mouth and lungs) into one rhythmic cycle, the circular breath.
After you have mastered step 6 and completed the cycle, you’ve done it! It is time to pick up a didge and put your new circular breathing skills in action.
Ready for further training on circular breathing? Want to see how to put all the pieces together? Sign up below for a free video class on circular breathing exercises you can try at home.
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. Nitrided steel, which is probably the most widely used, often renders a gray or blueish hue and the tone is usually seen as a bit darker and moodier. The steel tongue drum was added to the mix in this comparison to give context to the range of instrument styles and pricing. Enjoy the comparison!
One great stainless steel handpan we have in stock and ready to ship:
Play it standing or sitting, free your hands to play other instruments, mount it on stage, or bring it to a drum circle: anywhere you bring the professional handsfree didgeridoo stand by Meinl you will experience a sense of ease with your didgeridoo setup.
In this rhythm tutorial we show you everything you need to level up your rhythm by learning syncopated rhythms known as claves. What is a clave? A clave is a short rhythmic pattern which get repeated and lends itself to many other rhythmic variations.
No matter what instrument you play, or even if you are a vocalist, learning clave patterns will help you bring your music to the next level. By practicing these relatively simple patterns, you will gain a better rhythmic feel and improve your sense of musical timing.
Again, if you are looking for a great rhythm tutorial, It’s All About Rhythm is a wonderful study tool that can help you take your playing to a higher level. Check it out at:
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