Jacopo Mattii, a musician who has always been an expert didgeridoo teacher well known throughout Italy, lent himself to a pleasant chat about the social and cultural significance of the impact this instrument has had on many young musicians .

What is the place of music in life and how has your musical journey evolved?

Precisely in third place, after my girlfriend and my cats! Seriously, music has always been the oxygen of my days, from when I was little until now.

I grew up in a family where the radio was mainly listened to, and the moment I had the opportunity to choose the music to listen to and live, the love for this art grew exponentially.

We all know the magical effects of music on our emotions, but also as a vehicle to meet distant cultures and values . As a boy I started to "make" music, then the approach with the first musical instruments up to the guitar I played for about 10 years.

Since 2009, on the other hand, I have thrown my heart and soul into the didgeridoo, an instrument that I already knew. It was a love affair, I am sincere . It is a tool that has given me, and continues to give me, unique sensations, satisfactions, desire to overcome my limits.

Many people who come to the didgeridoo develop a particular attitude. What's behind all this?

The best answer would be "it is a mystery", but I have always tried to explain why this instrument, more than any other, has taken away my mind and body .

People approach the didgeridoo for various reasons, but in my opinion the main ones are two: the first certainly are the peculiarity and uniqueness of the sound, combined with the charm of circular breathing and the cultural origins of this instrument. The second quality is the simplicity of the didgeridoo.

It is considered one of the oldest musical instruments known and is still played. It is easy to learn : in fact most of the beginning people have never had previous experiences with other musical instruments, and above all they frame it as a musical instrument far from the most classical, and therefore more "simple".

Over time, however, most of the people who begin to play the didjeridoo quit altogether: and here - in my opinion - is the secret of the didgeridoo's magic .

Let me explain: the more you go on with learning and the more things get complicated, as with all other musical instruments you need passion, dedication and the study of music theory, so if you don't take all this work into account you eventually abandon it, it's a natural and normal thing.

Whoever remains, however, is because he has understood and experienced a wonderful thing that only the didgeridoo can give you: the awareness that it is not only you who plays the didgeridoo, but it is also he who is "playing" you .

It is a solitary and introspective instrument especially at the beginning, it is a sounding board that amplifies what is coming out of the mouth and therefore everyone really plays it in his own way.

It is like listening to one's voice, I feel it vibrating inside, what happens in the environment around me is excluded, it is only me who listens to myself and circular breathing becomes the means that gives me balance and confidence to walk on a line suspended between my body and my mind, without space and without time. This is for me that "something almost mystical" you asked me to explain.

The didgedidoo, as is known, is an Australian aboriginal instrument. Is there still a real connection with that culture, with dreamtime and with states of consciousness?

It has existed, unchanged for millennia, and there are Aboriginal clans that for centuries have been struggling so that the riches of this ancient culture will not be lost .

From the moment the British colonized Australia, a veritable physical and cultural genocide of the aboriginal peoples that has continued until today has been put into effect: entire clans have been literally swept away, along with their culture and their environment.

The aborigines are a population strongly linked to the environment in which they live, both physically and "mythologically", they have a very strong respect because it is their life, the source of their existence from creation until now, they are so in harmony and connection with what surrounds them from being present in the Australian territory, one of the most impervious and hostile territories on the planet, for about 50, 000 years.

This perfect harmony was only damaged by the arrival of the English. The few clans still existing perpetuate their millennial laws orally through the songs, each clan has its own law and this law was given to him during the Dreamtime by the Ancestors, the gods who created everything we see.

These laws are unknown to us because they are sacred and secretly guarded by each Aboriginal clan. No non-Aboriginal has or can have any connection with Dreamtime, the secret songs and ceremonies of each clan.

Learning to play the didgeridoo means learning circular breathing. What benefits have you experienced with this practice?

Point out that learning to play the didgeridoo means learning "even" circular breathing . Surely it is one of the fundamental tracks of playing the didgeridoo, but it is not only this, just think that circular breathing is one of the first things to be learned.

Clearly, the "world" of circular breathing does not end with knowing how to do it technically: what I always tell my students and that you are sure to have learned circular breathing only when you no longer think about having to breathe while you play.

We are in the situation where breathing on the one hand is of vital importance for our life, on the other hand it becomes an action of which we can physically lose awareness because we are committed to doing something else.

And this is the secret of circular breathing: the player no longer thinks about breathing because he is busy playing. Thinking of breathing would distract from the concentration of the act of playing and then expressing oneself. So the didgeridoo player never thinks about breathing, he just does it.

And in doing so, we unconsciously create a balance, because the quantity of air we emit must be counterbalanced by the same air we introduce and vice versa.

The body seeks this balance, without thinking about it, with enormous benefits both mentally (complete concentration on ourselves and dedication in musical expression) and physical (no breathlessness due to lack or overabundance of air).

I believe that the synonym that best respects circular breathing is precisely "balance". The classic situation in which the player initially finds himself by going through the practice of circular breathing and finding himself with dizziness due to the imbalance of incoming and outgoing air.

At the beginning it is a normal thing, the advice for those who begin is to try to maintain relaxation in the thoracic and abdominal areas, and not to force the capacity and therefore the yield of their lungs too much. Svenire is not a goal of the didgeridoo player!

Behind the didgeridoo's music there is a whole movement in ferment: festivals, concerts, workshops, evenings, trips, good vibes ... What can you tell us about it?

And to think that up until 25 years ago nobody knew what a didgeridoo was! While still remaining among the ethnic musical instruments a niche instrument, the didgeridoo has acquired considerable visibility in recent years.

Surely the world of electronic music has remained very intrigued by the characteristic sound of the didgeridoo, calling it almost a non-electronic "synthesizer", and therefore we can find it precisely in many electronic music projects.

But today we can find it in many other musical genres alongside classical musical instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, keyboards etc ... and less classical instruments such as African or Latin American percussion .

And then it must be said, everyone plays as he wants and with whomever he wants, and certainly the didgeridoo being a "young" instrument for us Westerners, is experiencing just that.

Even in Italy there are particular moments like the gatherings, where the players create a moment of sharing and exchange on the instrument and the experience they have.

In addition, there are also seminars, workshops, builders, festivals and teachers like myself. In Italy and precisely in Forlimpopoli, near Forlì, there is one of the greatest European festivals of Didgeridoo and Australian Aboriginal culture.

It's called Didjin'Oz and it takes place the second weekend of July. If you are intrigued by this magical tool, you should not miss it!

What would you recommend to those who want to approach this tool for practice and for proper listening?

The first tip for those who want to start playing is that the didgeridoo is a musical instrument and like all musical instruments if you want to get to understand the beauty of the instrument you need passion, study, dedication, lots of practice and research.

On platforms like youtube you will find everything you need to start the first steps.

Beware, if possible, of low-cost tools that you find at markets (often more ornaments than anything else), better if you ask advice to those who already play the didgeridoo. In Italy there are so many excellent manufacturers.

The second piece of advice is not to stop only at the instrument in this case, Aboriginal history and culture will make you fall in love even more with this instrument.

The third piece of advice is to always look for the right place to play and listen, the best teacher is yourself, the didgeridoo is you.

Find out more about Jacopo Mattii

> In February 2019 the album " The Heart in the Cavern " will be released;

> In 2013 " Chest Factor " was released, eight tracks of solo didgeridoos that you can listen to online for free, along with other works at www.soundcloud.com/jacopo-mattii.