How to Make a Beeswax Mouthpiece

On this page we attempt to show you how to make a good bees wax mouthpiece for your didj. The mouthpiece of your didgeridoo will require constant maintenance, depending on how much you play your didgeridoo.

It's shape will also have a large effect on your ability to play the didgeridoo So we recommend that you learn to form a good mouthpiece.

The best size of the mouthpiece depends on your mouth and we advise you change the shape and size of the inside edge of your mouthpiece until you find it easiest to play. The size and shape of the mouthpiece can make a big difference to the ease of playing or even the ability to get the base sound.

You can get yourself some beeswax from Hardware shops, Arts and Crafts shops or Health Food shops.

Place the beeswax in a closed glass jar or a clip seal plastic bag in full sun for half an hour or into the oven at very low heat (~60C° or 135F°) or place it in the microwave for 10 seconds. It should be soft and very easily pliable just like play dough or pottery clay. If the beeswax gets too hot it will become crumbly and unworkable. If that happens allow it to totally cool and start again.

Now take the strip of beeswax (if you have a block it will be very easy to cut a strip off. The strip should be about 130 to 150 mm long (5"-6") and about 7-15 mm thick(1/4"-3/4") depending on the top inside diameter of your didgeridoo).

Step-by-step guide

1

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Let's start off with a didj without any mouthpiece. If yours has any beeswax on it, simply scrape it off as well as you can. When doing this, be careful not to damage the varnish which protects the wood.

2

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Now you take a piece of soft beeswax and start pushing it onto the inside corner of the top opening in the didj. (The top of the didj is always the side with the smaller diameter). Note how well the wax is pushed onto the inside edge of the didj.

3

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

It will make it much easier if you start of with the right amount of beeswax. For different size holes you need different size beeswax pieces to start with. (the bigger one will only be enough to go about 3/4 around the didj) On these two didjes I squeeze the wax already into a triangular profile as I go along. (compare with last photo)

4

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Keep pushing the wax around the hole. As you go along, thin the wax if needed to avoid having to much. Imagine the final size of the hole you want to end up with (about 30-40 mm across). Having too much or too little wax will make it hard or impossible to end up with the right size hole. Note the profile of the wax where it is pressed onto the wood. It is achieved by shaping the wax between thumb and forefinger as it is applied.

5

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Join the circle. Note how well the mouthpiece is already shaped. Keeping the approximate size and shape of the final hole in mind during this first stage saves lots of correcting later on.

6a

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Simply take the excess off...

6b

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Or...If the beeswax piece is the right size, you simply join the ends...

7

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Now you want to press the wax against the inside of the didj. This is best done by pushing the wax downward allowing it to peter out (we do NOT recommend that you cut your didj in order to check your mouthpiece). You will have to feel with your finger as you push the wax against the timber that you end up with a continuous seal

8

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Here an example of what it shouldn't look like if you could see the bottom of the mouthpiece. Note the gaps between wax and timber, specially in the 4 o'clock position.

9

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Another view showing the thinning of the wax towards the bottom. You still want to achieve a good seal all the way down.

10

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Once the inside is well sealed, you want to use your thumb to seal the outside edge of the wax onto the timber...

11

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Insufficiently sealed areas like this might create air leaks and any such leak will make it difficult or even impossible to play the didj. (Even a tiny hole will affect the sound quality of your didj)

12

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Here the outside is well sealed but the profile of the mouthpiece is too high...

13

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

After another round of squeezes the profile is right. Note the hills and valleys of the inner edge. It will be difficult to get a good seal with such an irregular inner edge. So use little pulls and pushes to even out the hills and valleys...

14

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

This is how you want the top edge of the mouthpiece to look like.

15

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Similarly you don't want to play a didj with such a deformed hole

16

stages in repairing a didgeridoo mouthpiece

Looking onto the hole you want to end up with an evenly round or slightly oval inner edge which is about 30 to 40 mm across.

Didgeridoo Mouthpiece Profiles

didgeridoo mouthpiece - rounded profile

Rounded profile

didgeridoo mouthpiece - sharp profile

Sharp profile

Here you can see the difference between a rounded inside edge and a pointed one.

We advise that you aim for a sharp profile rather than a rounded one as it makes it easier to play. The sharper edge will allow your lips to vibrate freely inside the didj while the rounded edge might result in your lips hitting the sides of the mouthpiece making it more difficult to play.

didgeridoo mouthpiece - rounded inside edge

Rounded inside edge

didgeridoo mouthpiece - pointed inside edge

Pointed inside edge

General Didgeridoo Care and Maintenance