Watch a video of Neil Miyamoto explaining the technique of circular breathing.
CovenTree Books and Gifts in Santa Maria played host to an informal gathering for those interested in the didgeridoo on Aug. 29. It was a meet up to gauge interest in the possibility of a didgeridoo crafting event, lessons, and possible “didge circle” in the future, explained local martial arts instructor and musician Neil Miyamoto.
The event only attracted the attention of three people, all of which saw the event in the Sun’s community calendar. All three were also Sun editorial staff, including Staff Writer David Minsky, Editor Shelly Cone, and myself, the arts editor. Our interest alone, Miyamoto said, was enough for him to plan another event for Sept. 19, when more than half of the Sun’s editorial staff will return with PVC pipe, ready to craft our own didgeridoos and learn how to play them.
Of course, PVC pipe doesn’t immediately elicit images of indigenous Australian shamans droning on steadily, but the plastic tubing can make a great starter didgeridoo, Miyamoto explained.
“Anything that’s hollow, you can make a sound with it,” he said. “I had one for years made out of PVC pipe, and it worked just fine to practice and get good with.”
Miyamoto had a beautifully decorated wooden didgeridoo from New Zealand with him, which had a slight natural curvature to it. He bought it in Carmel, a lucky purchase at $50, he explained, but he wouldn’t have dropped the dough on it if he hadn’t already gained proficiency with his PVC pipe didgeridoo.
He demonstrated that the low, droning sound the ancient aerophone is known for comes not from tight, pursed lips like a trumpet player, but from relaxed, loose lips, like when you make a “horse sound,” he explained.
“It’s not so much a pucker, it’s totally loose lipped,” he said. “A lot of the other sounds you make are from the positions of your tongue and throat.”
The didgeridoo is the shamanic instrument of choice from the traditions of indigenous Australians, he explained, and the name “didgeridoo” was a Western moniker coined only a century ago. The name is actually an onomatopoeic description of a traditional rhythm used when playing, similar to a triplet followed by a quarter note.
Miyamoto also demonstrated circular breathing, a coveted technique for any wind instrumentalist. He dispelled some of the myths surrounding the technique, putting it into plain terms that made it sound doable with some practice.
“Some people think you are breathing in as you are making a sound, but what you actually do is you cut off your throat, and the best way to describe it is like if you have a mouthful of water and spit it out as you are breathing in through your nose,” he said. “So you use the pressure of your lips and throat muscles to push out air as you’re breathing in; it’s not like breathing in and out at the same time.”
A simple rhythm, tapped on the didgeridoo with a ring on his finger, served as Miyamoto’s marker for when he would send the mouthful of air through the instrument as he inhaled through his nose. In this way, he was able to keep a continuous drone going, modulating the sound subtly with the shape of his mouth, movement of his tongue and throat, and manipulation of his vocal chords.
Learning the didgeridoo isn’t like other instruments, he said, as you don’t really learn songs, but rhythms. Also a guitar and banjo player, Miyamoto said the didgeridoo is great for entering a meditative state.
“With the didgeridoo you can really just space out and play,” he said. “It’s very low pressure. I can make a sound, and I’m happy. It’s all about tuning in to the vibration.”
Miyamoto is hopeful that more than just Sun editorial staffers will show up to the Sept. 19 crafting and playing event, and he would also appreciate outreach either to CovenTree or to him (see the info box) from anyone thinking of coming out. The event may lead to future meet ups and jam sessions, he said, where a group of didgeridooers can start droning.
“I’ve never been in a didge circle,” he said. “That’s mostly what this is about; I would love to hear a real didge circle.”
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
VIDEO BY DAVID MINSKY
This article appears in Sep 10-17, 2015.