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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Does a beeswax mouthpiece always have to be put on a didgeridoo?
It is not always necessary to put a beeswax mouthpiece on a didgeridoo. Sometimes the wooden mouthpiece on the didgeridoo is already in good shape and does not need to be changed. If the mouthpiece is too big, you can use beeswax to make the wooden mouthpiece smaller by modelling a mouthpiece on it. This is very easy to do yourself and done in 10 minutes. If the mouthpiece has a rough surface, a bit of beeswax on the mouthpiece can also help.
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.
What should you look for when buying a didgeridoo online?
The main things to look for when buying a didgeridoo are that it has a minimum length of 120cm, a mouthpiece about 3cm in diameter. A didgeridoo doesn't have to be expensive. A bamboo, teak, pvc or mahogany didgeridoo is a good didgeridoo to start with.
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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.
How is the didgeridoo played?
On the didgeridoo you blow on a mouthpiece with an opening of about 3 cm diameter. Putting your mouth against the mouthpiece and vibrating your lips produces the didgeridoo's basic tone.
Is the didgeridoo the same as other wind instruments?
The didgeridoo is different from other wind instruments. You blow through a large opening and have to give resistance with your mouth/lips. The didgeridoo has one tone, it is not a melody instrument. On the didgeridoo, you use the circular breathing technique. The didgeridoo produces many more vibrations than other wind instruments
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How long does it take to learn circular breathing
The circular breathing technique can be learnt in a few days. To keep exercising the throat muscles, 10 minutes of exercise a day is enough mastered?
Can and should women play the didgeridoo?
According to Aboriginal tradition, women were not allowed to play didgeridoo. It would make them sterile. Now the didgeridoo was a real men's instrument according to their own tradition. Of course women are allowed to play didgeridoo just like women are allowed to play other musical instruments!
Where is the didgeridoo for sale?
These are for sale worldwide but of course also in our own webshop Australian Treasures
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) -
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) -
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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Participated in one of the workshops. Was a great experience!
Willy Veld (participant in one-day workshop) -
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) -
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)
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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 -
Perfect material, fast delivery....top quality. Already recieved my tirth order and there are more orders in the near future. Wonderful and very service.
Marc Mebis -
Everything was perfect! I was able to track the shipment at all times and the package has been delivered in excellent condition. The items match the description. Thank you!
Ambra Focchi
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