Zonah has recently acquired a didgeridoo, and wants to learn how to play properly, using a technique known as circular breathing. The didgeridoo and many other wind instruments require the player to sustain tones for long periods of time. How is this possible? Circular breathing enables the player to take a breath to refill her lungs. She does this by filling her cheeks with as much air as possible, closing off the back of her throat, and simultaneously using her face muscles to squeeze the air from her inflated cheeks into the instrument, while sniffing a quick breath of air in through her...

Zonah has recently acquired a didgeridoo, and wants to learn how to play properly, using a technique known as circular breathing. The didgeridoo and many other wind instruments require the player to sustain tones for long periods of time. How is this possible? Circular breathing enables the player to take a breath to refill her lungs. She does this by filling her cheeks with as much air as possible, closing off the back of her throat, and simultaneously using her face muscles to squeeze the air from her inflated cheeks into the instrument, while sniffing a quick breath of air in through her nose to refill her lungs. Zonah tries to learn this using a number of common techniques, such as blowing bubbles in a glass (beaker) of water through a straw, and blowing a balloon through a tube. She also experiments with a "PVC didge" made of tubing and fittings found at the lab.