Rapid Frame-Rate MR Acquisitions to Reveal Mechanisms of Circular Breathing and Sound Production in the Australian Aboriginal Didgeridoo

Graham Charles Wiggins¹, Pippa Storey¹

The Australian Aboriginal wind instrument known as the didgeridoo is played using techniques that are unusual in Western music. A continuous sound is maintained through circular breathing, in which the mouth is used as a pump to keep air flowing into the instrument while inhaling through the nose. Traditional playing technique involves interdental articulation that differs from Western tonguing. We used rapid FLASH acquisitions to capture the circular breathing cycle and reveal the mechanics involved. This may serve as an aid to teaching proper playing technique.