Using Word Tones to Create Rhythms

Just about any unvoiced speech sound can be used as a didjeridu tone. When you combine consonants such as “d,t,g,j,l” with vowel tones, the tones are broken up into rhythmic units called word tones. Many real words make great didjeridu rhythms. For example:

    |: Did-jer-i-du Did-jer-i-du :|

    |: Es-ca-la-tor Es-ca-la-tor :|

Most word tones are nonsense words put together to get the desired rhythm as in:

    |: Du-dee-you :|

    |: Du-dee-du-deeyou :|

    |: du-Lee-you du-Lee-you Du-dee-du-Deeyou :|

Most complex rhythms are created by using word tones. The tongue has the ability to change the tone of the didjeridu much faster than pulses of air from the diaphragm alone. Try the following to see how the tongue changes the sound of the didjeridu.

    |: dak-deo Lar-leo Lar-leo Lar-leo :|

Practice Points for Word Tones

• Try combining “H” tones with word tones:

      |: hu’ hu’ hu’ hu’ digit digit :|
  

• Open a book and try out different words that you find.
• Try to speak sentences into the didjeridu. The sounds that come out of the didjeridu are quite a bit different from the spoken words going in. This is a great source for new ideas for word tones.

      |: Ra-bits - n - Frogs Ra-bits - n - Frogs Ra-bits - Jump Frogs - Jump :|
  

Playing The Second Octave

So far, all of the tones have been based on the fundamental tone of the didjeridu. By blowing much harder, a note an octave higher can be produced on the didjeridu. The tone is similar to a trumpet sound. You may have found this tone when you were learning the basic drone on your didjeridu. If you look at Map 7, you can see that the “<Tee>” sound plays on the second harmonic line and there is an expanded range in the upper harmonics. To play the “<Tee>” tone, the tongue closes against the upper pallet of the mouth allowing the air to build up and then releases to create a short, loud trumpet like sound. The most important part for success, is to press the tongue very firmly against the upper pallet before releasing it. It might help to think of the “<” symbol as representing this action. The “<Tee>” tone is usually found in pairs in aboriginal didjeridu playing.

Practice Points for “<Tee>” Tones

Have patience with this one as it may take some time to get the control to change quickly back and forth between the octaves. Try the following exercises a few times every time you practice, and with time it will come.

    |: <Tee> :|
       
    (single tone)

    |: <Tee> <Tee> :|
        
    (double tone second octave)

    |: <Tee> <Tee> Gaa :|(2x) |: <Tee> Gaa :|(2x)
         
    (Play the first section two times, then the second section two times)

Circular Breathing - Sustaining the Drone

Circular breathing is one of the primal elements used in playing the didjeridu and one of the most difficult to master. Simply stated, circular breathing is puffing out the cheeks and using the air trapped in the mouth to continue playing the didjeridu while you take your next breath.

In the above chart, the individual elements that make up circular breathing are plotted on a time-line. The following is a description of what happens at each point on the time-line.

(A) - Puff out Cheeks - Drop Jaw

A basic drone is produced using an “ah” vowel tone. The cheeks are fully inflated and the jaw is dropped to allow for more air storage in the oral cavity. The length of the basic drone varies from 1 to 4 seconds depending on lung capacity and desired speed of rhythm produced.

(B) - Back of Mouth Closes

This is the point when the basic drone varies. If you sing an “ah” sound, you will notice that the air flows out of the mouth, and if you sing a “ng” sound, the air flows out of the nose. It is this unvoiced “ng” sound that closes off the back of the oral cavity to hold the reserved air used to play the didjeridu while a quick breath is taken. At this point the elasticity of the cheeks continues to supply air to the drone.

(C) - Quick Breath in Through the Nose

A quick, powerful sniff of air is taken in through the nose while the drone is sustained by the elasticity of the cheeks. There is not enough time to take a complete breath and still sustain the drone. So the breathing cycle is kept short to allow many small breaths to keep the lungs topped off. Please note that it is also possible to exhale through the nose and still maintain the drone. A better oxygen supply will be maintained by an occasional partial purge of the lungs to allow for more air intake on the next cycle. As in:

        v(sniff)    v(sniff)    v(sniff)    ^(exhale)   v(sniff)
    Gah-nnng--Gaaah-nnng--Gaaah-nnng--Gaaah-nnng--Gaaah-nnng

(D) - Cheeks Deflate - Jaw Closes - Squeeze Cheeks

While the breath is entering through the nose and filling the lungs, the air in the oral cavity is decreasing. To maintain adequate pressure to sustain the drone the jaw closes to squeeze the air in the oral cavity. After the jaw has closed completely the muscles of the cheeks takeover and squeeze out the air retained between the cheeks and teeth and finally the tongue moves up and forward to expel the air remaining in the mouth.

This may sound very complicated, but you already intuitively know how to do this. If you were to fill your mouth with water and spit it out in a stream until all of the water was out of the mouth, you would be following the process described above.

(E) - Back of the Mouth Opens

At this point the intake of breath is completed and the “Ga” sound opens the back of the oral cavity to let the air flow resume from the lungs.

Variations on Circular Breathing

There are several variations to accomplish circular breathing. There are no right or wrong ways, for each variation produces its own unique sound. Different variations allow breath to be taken during different places in the rhythm. In actual use, you will combine these variations and vary them to change the sound of the drone.

Variation (1): Using Cheek Elasticity

In this variation, the circular breathing is produced by using only the elasticity of the cheeks to sustain the drone. This is usually the easiest for beginning didjeridu players. The cycle time is very short, usually only 1 to 2 seconds. The breaths are very quick and are completed before the elasticity of the cheeks has lost the ability to move the air from the mouth. The advantage of this variation is that conscious effort is not needed to expel air from the lips. The disadvantage is that the cycle time is too short to allow adequate purging of the lungs and the sound of the drone lacks the variations found in the cheek squeeze method. This variation allows you to take a breath while you are playing sustained “ah” tones. Cheek elasticity circular breathing:

             v        v        v        v
    |: ga-ah-ng-ga-ah-ng-ga-ah-ng-ga-ah-ng- :|

Variation (2): Using Cheek Squeezes

In this variation, the muscles of the cheeks are used to control the exit of the air from the oral cavity. This gives more time for breath intake and makes for a more interesting drone. This variation allows you to take a breath while you are playing cheek squeezes or “wee” tones. Cheek squeezed circular breathing:

              v           v           v
    |: gaah-n^we---gaah-n^we---gaah-n^we--- :|

Variation (3): Using Jaw Drops

In this variation, the expulsion of the air from the oral cavity is done exclusively by the jaw muscles. When using this method, it feels as though you are chewing the air. The variation produces a two pitched drone as the pitch of the didjeridu drops when the jaw is lowered. This variation works well when you are playing continuous “H’” tones. Jaw drop circular breathing:

            v         v         v         v
    |: Yaah-ng---Yaah-ng---Yaah-ng---Yaah-ng---:| 
       ^(drop)   ^(drop)   ^(drop)   ^(drop)

Practice Points for Circular Breathing

• A good way to practice circular breathing is to get a plastic straw, a glass about 1/4 full of water and a paper clip. Slide the paper clip over the middle of the straw to create some back pressure on the straw. Place the straw in the water and use your circular breathing to blow air into the straw. With practice you will be able to keep a constant stream of bubbles going.
  
• Once you master circular breathing, you can create sustained rhythms of indefinite length. You can also loop together the tones that you have already learned to create circular rhythms.

                                         V 
      |: gaa^wee-yo’ ho’^wee-ng :| (continuous)
                
                                  V
      |: du^we=oo--du^we=oo--du^weung :| (continuous)
  

Using Your Voice with the Drone

One of the most unique features of the didjeridu is that voice is often used in conjunction with the drone. The voice may sing, speak, yip, bark or growl.

It is as simple as it sounds to use the voice with the didjeridu. Sing or speak different pitches and words into the didjeridu while you sustain the drone and link them together with your rhythms. It may help to listen to other didjeridu players. Live is best, but Didjeridu CD’s can also be a great source for new ideas.

There are no hard set rules for using your voice, so any bark, chirp or growl you can come up with will do. Here are a few points to give you some ideas. This list is by no means complete, for the possibilities are endless.

Practice Points for Voiced Tones

• Sing a pitch the same note as the didjeridu and slide the note up and down very slightly. You will hear a beat or pulse forming in the drone. Also try singing the same a fifth and an octave above the drone.
• Rolled “R” tones make great voiced sounds. Sing a pitch that slides up and down while using a rolled “R” sound as in:

      B-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-reeP or B-r-r-r-r-r-r^wit
  

• The Kookaburra calls can be made by voicing “Ku” sounds as in:
  

      ku’ ku’ ku’ ca’ ku’ CA’ CA’ CA’
  

• Take a piece of paper and write down the sounds that you discover when you are practicing and keep it with you when you are playing. It will help you add variety to your rhythms. Here are a few ideas for some voiced tones.

      Awu - Awu- Awuuuuuu
      guAkwa-guAkwa
      Ga-Wau-Ga-Wau Ow!
      Lu - Lu - Lu - Lu - Luuuu
      U-we’ U-we’
      hu hu hu hu HU!
      Ya Ya YaaSa
      Woof - woof - woof
      Her-r-r-r - Her-r-r-r
  

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