Didgeridoo, PVC, Bands Review
This didge is made of PVC rather than wood (eucalyptus, bamboo, etc.) but still has a quite decent tone. It seems to excel in ease of playing, so would be particulary good for a beginner. Its handpainted and decorated. It has a slight bend in the middle and flare at the tip -- lending kind of a whimsical style. It has a soft rubber mouthpiece that is comfortable; should work easily with smaller mouths. No beeswax needed unless desired or allergic to latex.
Besides producing a quirky, but relaxing and surprisingly pleasant drone -- playing a didge might actually improve the quality of your health and lengthen your life. (Just do a google search for the British Medical Journal, sleep apnea, randomized trial, didgeridoo). If you want to explore what didge playing might do for you, this model is an excellent value, lightweight and carries a quite decent sound.
Sleep apnea, or pauses in breathing during your sleep, IS dangerous. These pauses means less oxygen to vital organs and an accumulation of carbon dioxide which can make you drowsy and confused the next day. It can be a silent force that imperils kidneys, hearts, lungs, raises blood pressure and even makes the effort to lose weight much tougher.
Unfortunately media reports and some sleep centers have insufficiently communicated the full range of dangers associated with sleep apnea. People walk away thinking that the biggest threat is a little lost sleep and being drowsy during the daytime. Unfortunately, these are only the tip of the iceberg and sail by unnoticed. The organ damage is more subtle, sometimes even silent until relatively advanced. For the person with sleep apnea, its really a question of whether they are sleeping safely. Answer: not very, when the airway is intermittently obstructed.
All too often after a few discouraging attempts to wear a CPAP or BiPAP device mask, and feeling claustrophobic or that it actually disturbs sleep that otherwise at least "seemed" normal to them, many of my patients unfortunately just give up trying. Despite trying different masks there remains a substantial number of people, way too many in fact, who can only make it part way through the night with their mask or not at all. We talk for years about the necessity of dealing with sleep apnea, but some of them only are able to press themselves to endure CPAP/BiPAP devices after they have finally suffered significant, perhaps irreversible organ damage or other health consequences of the sleep apnea.
Hence, didgeridoos are an attractive, low risk, frankly fun way to supplement the management of sleep apnea along with positive-pressure airway devices. Obviously, one should speak with their physician, consider adding the didge concurrently with CPAP/BiPAP if diagnosed with more than moderate apnea, and for best results repeat the sleep study after a few months (4 in the BMJ article) of didge training to confirm it is working. Frequently persons being treated should have routine sleep testing yearly to make sure their mask is still working -- the same might also be advisable for the didge strategy. Your primary physician and/or pulmunologist should be consulted for your specific needs.
Participants in the BMJ study learned the circular breathing technique as part of the basic technique for conditioning airway tone and "practiced" about 30 minutes a day, 5-6 days per week. One should probably expect to maintain playing the didge for life -- though duration of benefit among those who later quit was not studied. As far as we know, wearing CPAP/BiPAP doesn't really condition the airway musculature. The user remains dependent on their machine so that if they fall asleep in the daytime while watching TV or accidently knock the mask off at night -- they are sadly unprotected. Thus a wonderful benefit of didge training is that it does condition the airway and could assist in bridging the gap through these accidental mask-off times.
Specifics for this PVC Didge:
I've personally owned 5 didges. This one is middle of the range in quality, very solid value, very easy to use and one of the least expensive so far. This one does come with a separate mouthpiece (included) that does not need to be maintained like beeswax ones do. The rubber mouthpiece should remain comfortable after 30-60 minutes of playing. If preferred, a beeswax mouthpiece could be substituted. The interested user can purchase beeswax many places but here is one option that provides enough to last a lifetime or to make a matching candle for ambience :-) BEESWAX BLOCK YELLOW 1-LB . There are several websites with instructions on how to fashion the wax mouthpiece -- a fairly simple task.
This didge is constructed from a single piece of PVC pipe, flared at the end. It is very lightweight, about 1/8 inch thick. There are two slight bends midway down its shaft which actually seems to make it a little more responsive to vibration than other straight PVC models I have used. Internal diameter is about 1 3/8 inch until reaching the flared bell. The tone is fairly rich, but not quite as much as for a didge made of natural materials such as bamboo. However, the feel and sound are pleasurable (mine is tuned to D, just about 2 octaves below middle C). It is nicely responsive to variations in breath or lip technique. Its very easy to "sing" into and produce animal sounds.
The painted design is simple and I suspect may wear off. I would NOT leave it outside or allow it to bounce around in the car or truck if the goal is to preserve the paint. However, PVC/acrylic models are pretty durable and if exposured to younger children, travel, rough use and storage conditions -- it wouldn't lose much in sound. That could be a plus!
Enjoy. Breathe well. Sleep well!!! Consider hosting a didge instructor for you and your friends.
Didgeridoo, PVC, Bands Feature
- Handcrafted Quality, Value Priced
- Hand Painted
- 47.5 Long
- Includes Mouth Piece & Cover
- 30 Day "No Hassle" Return Policy. 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Didgeridoo, PVC, Bands Overview
Didgeridoo. Origin Country: India. 5 lbs. Made by Mid-East.
1 5/8" x 47 1/2" with a 2 3/4" bell. Includes rubber mouthpiece and cover.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 17, 2010 11:42:05
