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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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.
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.
Why is the didgeridoo important to aboriginal culture?
The didgeridoo is an Aboriginal instrument that has traditionally been important in Aboriginal ceremonies. The didgeridoo was mainly part of the Aboriginal culture to tell their stories and to get in touch with the spirit world.
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Is an online course really enough for me to learn to play didgeridoo?
Yes, with this course you will learn the basics and be able to progress for months. The more you practice the lessons, the faster you will master didgeridoo playing. Many people don't know that you can practise the circular breathing technique without a didgeridoo, wherever you are. So also in the car, train, while walking and exercising. That makes it great fun, too!
I am short of breath, can I play didgeridoo?
For people who are short of breath, circular breathing and playing the didgeridoo can actually help.
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!
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Where can I buy a didgeridoo online?
You can buy a didgeridoo in our didgeridoo online shop Australian Treasures. When you buy a didgeridoo including the online course, you get a discount on the complete course package. All our didgeridoos are tested by our didgeridoo experts. Check out the wide range of didgeridoos for beginners and advanced players at www.australiantreasures.com. With our didjes, you can also watch a demonstration video and hear and see how the didgeridoo sounds!
In which languages is the online course available?
The workshop is available in 7 languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.
Where does the didgeridoo come from?
The didgeridoo, pronounced didzjeriedoe, is a wind instrument, best known from Australia where the Aboriginal people in Northern Australia (Northern Territory) have been playing the instrument for thousands of years.
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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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) -
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 -
Good professional information about the products. I bought a travel didge and a didge box. Both are fine. Please note that you have to breathe them in a little before they run smoothly. Circular breathing is therefore very easy to do. I decorated the box with art. Makes it slightly different.
Did Gro
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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) -
Playing didgeridoo makes you fit! I am very tired after a day's work. But after practising on the didgeridoo, I have energy again! What a great instrument this is. I never thought blowing on a didgeridoo would take so little effort. Super happy.
Saskia vd Plas (participant of the one-day workshop) -
For me as a beginner it all worked very well, Thanks
Ulli Schneider
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Hi all, how nice that there are so many didge fans! I've been doing it for six months now and it's going really well. I even have a bucket of water with PVC pipe next to my bed so I can practice circular breathing every day... I am still very grateful that I did the Didgeridoo & Circular Breathing workshop with Niels.
Sharon (participant one-day workshop) -
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) -
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)
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