About
I am Niels de Lang, musician – raised in the countryside, born in Amsterdam in 1966. For decades I have been working with great pleasure to introduce as many people as possible, young and old, to the didgeridoo.
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Who am I?
I am Niels de Lang, musician - raised in the countryside, born in Amsterdam in 1966. For decades, I have taken great pleasure in introducing as many people as possible, young and old, to the didgeridoo.
How? By making making making music on this instrument as simple and fun as I can and making the didgeridoo accessible and affordable
Because the more people experience pleasure and satisfaction on this amazing instrument, the more positive impact we can have on the world together.
Music and happy people have more to offer the world.
You happy = we happy. Simple.
My life
I live in Hoorn, a beautiful, small town near the IJsselmeer and not without reason....
I love water sports such as kitesurfing, windsurfing, swimming and sailing. Being near or on the water gives me a wonderful feeling of freedom and connection with nature. The nice thing is that my children also share these passions.
I live minimalistic and care not much for luxury. Just give me a bus camper to drive into adventure. That makes me happy.
By seeking a good balance in what I do as much as possible, I experience a pleasant peace in my life. This helps you make better choices and also keeps you a nice person for others.
The didgeridoo has certainly helped me to find that balance.
What I do
Since 1990, I have inspired hundreds of thousands of people by making music and giving workshops and courses on the didgeridoo. I am still active with my bands as a didgeridoo player and guitarist and have played at numerous festivals and theatres at home and abroad.
Besides lessons and workshops for schools and companies, in 2004 I successfully developed the one-day workshop Didgeridoo & Circular Breathing for beginners, snorers and (sleep) apnoea patients.
Tens of thousands of people use the didgeridoo as an alternative way to relieve symptoms such as snoring, apnoea, hyperventilation and shortness of breath and to contribute to their own health & well-being. Everyone wants to live a healthy life.
So there are GPs, therapists, ENT and pulmonologists who refer their (apnoea) patients to Australian Treasures' one-day workshops. Because it works.
With a global brand, Australian Treasures is a leader in everything to do with the didgeridoo and playing the didgeridoo. Of course fair-traded because that makes us and the world better off!
My Inspiration
As a child, partly due to musical parents, I was already into music, playing songs on the ukulele by the age of 6. Then guitar and didgeridoo followed. Since then, music has always been the common thread in my life. I found it fascinating that making music never gets boring and that it can greatly enrich your life and the lives of others.
I get my inspiration from good listening, music, piles of books and biographies, but mostly by getting started and experimenting myself.
Then I find out which things work best, and try to shape those techniques according to my own understanding.
Because the better it works, the more results you get.
Why make it difficult when it can be easy
How do we make learning something new fun and effortless?
At Australian Treasures, we learn, no nonsense, in small, clear steps. That way, we bypass impatience and get more done with less effort.
Soon you get into the right flow and enjoy the progress. How wonderful is that!
Frequently asked questions
Read our frequently asked questions. Get in touch if you can't find your question!
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No sound comes out of my didgeridoo, is my didgeridoo broken?
If you can't blow the basic note on your didgeridoo it may indicate a leak, crack or hole in your didgeridoo. However, you can easily repair your didgeridoo with beeswax. If you find a crack or hole near the mouthpiece, it will be difficult to get any sound out of your didgeridoo. A crack or hole at the end or bell of the didgeridoo will have little or no effect on the didgeridoo sound. The solution is to plug the leak which you can do very simply with beeswax. The advantage of beeswax is that it moves with the contraction and expansion of the didgeridoo's wood. Moreover, Australian aborigines also repair their didgeridoos in this traditional way
Is the purchase of an online didgeridoo course against snoring or apnea reimbursed by the health insurance fund?
A course against snoring or apnea (OSAS) is usually (partially) reimbursed. In any case, you will always receive an invoice with a description of your purchase. In any case, check with your health insurer!
How do you make your own didgeridoo?
You can easily make a didgeridoo yourself from a PVC tube. Sometimes you don't have to do anything about it and a PVC pipe that you can buy at a hardware store is enough. The ideal length for a homemade didgeridoo is about 130cm. This length gives you a low didgeridoo tone. You can even give the tube a nice shape by heating the PVC tube and bending it to give the didgeridoo a nice branch shape. If necessary, make a beeswax mouthpiece on the didgeridoo and paint the didgeridoo with acrylic paint for a nice end result.
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How long does 1 lesson last in the course?
Most lessons last 2 to 3 minutes on average and can be played indefinitely. So you can take didgeridoo lesson(s) at any time of the day!
Can you play didgeridoo with a beard?
A beard makes it a bit more difficult to play - but it's certainly not impossible. You only get a more visible mark around your lips because you have to press harder to get a good seal.
Can the didgeridoo cure sleep apnea?
Research has shown that playing the didgeridoo helps treat mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. Both sleep apnea patients and their partners became less sleepy during the day and had less sleep disturbances at night.
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How do I maintain my bamboo or wooden didgeridoo?
A didgeridoo doesn't need much maintenance. On the outside, the didgeridoo is often painted or varnished. A didgeridoo can easily withstand moisture. However, you should put the didgeridoo upright after playing so that any moisture can drain off. You can use beeswax to repair small cracks and holes in your didgeridoo. You can also use beeswax to put a mouthpiece on your didgeridoo. This is not difficult. Within 10 minutes you can fit a beeswax mouthpiece to your didgeridoo. You can learn all these techniques in the online course.
What does circular breathing mean?
Circular breathing is a breathing technique that allows you to breathe out CONTINUOUSLY while breathing in through your nose. With the didgeridoo, this continuous exhalation can be made audible. There is a constant exhalation making an infinite tone. With proper mastery, a long uninterrupted tone can easily be played for 15 minutes!
In which languages is the online course available?
The workshop is available in 7 languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.
What did others think?
Our workshops have helped many people with
circular breathing and have been able to reduce snoring as a result.
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Practising outside in the garden, I suddenly had an audience of 2 little birds, they didn't stay long, circular blowing through a straw is going great and it's already going smoother and better through the didgeridoo. Thanks Niels, your workshop provides a simple, effective approach that works very well and it feels healthy, didgeridoo playing.
Greetings, Heleen (participant of the one-day workshop) -
Wow - 2 weeks on and I just blew a minute-long session for the first time. Sound during inhalation and exhalation is not the same yet, but I was able to smooth that out nicely in the rhythm. So the circular breathing is coming along nicely!
Greetings Sarah (participant of the one-day workshop) -
For me as a beginner it all worked very well, Thanks
Ulli Schneider
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Nice didges. Got four, two from other sellers and two from Australian Treasures. It's a heavy piece of wood (the one on the far left is from Australian Treasures, new. The second from the right also. The one one the far right is bamboo. The two on the left eucalyptus and the one with the colouring.. I am not sure, but it's quite light)
Pieter Rodgers -
This spiral travel didgeridoo is absolutely magical. It is beautiful, and its weight makes it a strong instrument, while it’s not too heavy for your arms. This is the perfect companion for easy transport and, you can play it without making your arms tired, why not while walking ? The sky is the limit with this beauty. Oh, yes, a genuine long didgeridoo still sounds a little better in my opinion, but I am so excited and astonished that this sound gets so amazingly close from the traditional didge. It has a very good back pressure and the mouth piece is perfect. It plays extremely easily. This is the only version of a didgeridoo, where yourself as a player can hear how it sounds for the listener, because otherwise you’d need to record the sound with a normal didge and listen to it later. Long story short : I fell in love with it. It has become my favourite and it will never stop surprising me.
Bruno Misonne Aviation Music -
If I play vigorously for an evening, for half an hour or so, I can get on with it for several days. Less trouble with some apnoea symptoms in the nose/throat and a lot more air! I have yet to figure out an optimum. Feeling fitter in the throat helps anyway. Greetings everyone
Bas (one-day workshop participant)
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Didgeridoo ordered and received in only 37 hours.
Great sound
Thank you Australian Treasures
Sam Kempinaire -
Ok, it was a bit late at night, but I just nearly blew myself into a wonderful trance. Call it didgeridoo meditation. For longer and longer. . . Great!
Greetings Tom (one-day workshop participant) -
Delivery time and tracking were on point. I am excited and happy with the quality and sound of my digideroo. It's better than what I imagined it. I will definitely order from Australian Treasures again. Thank you.!
Elizabeth Acevedo
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