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What types of things do you all use to get yourself in the right frame of breathing? What do you do to help your students figure it out. Of course there's the breathing gym, but I can't bring a TV to every lesson.

I have some methods that work for me but I'm trying to see what other prospectives are out there.

Fire away
Jim Langenberg

Wow, excellent articuation of the concepts. I personally feel that a few minutes with the Voldyne helps me, but Jeff's suggestions provide more of a reportoire to build on. Excellent!

I´ve built up the habit of using the diaphragm more than I use the rib cage for breathing (at least that´s what it feels like).
I always use the concept of letting my abdominal muscles help me with breathing.
I also try to imagine the air filling my body (as opposed to lung only) from bottom to top, pushing intestines (and body fat) down and out at the beginning of inhalation.
Exhalation also starts at the bottom, so that air at the bootom goes first in, first out. After extended time off the horn, I tend to get sore abdominal muscles after hard playing.

Sitting position helps me on that, too. When sitting on a chair, I rest the horn on my left thigh so I can sit very erect.
Legs are extended so the thigh is pointing slightly downward.
In my practise room I use a bar stool and K&M playing stand, both in quite high positions. When inhaling on demanding passages, I even arch back to allow my upper body to expand further. (Almost standing while playing helps a great deal on this).

All this may sound complicated, but it has become a natural habit. Riding a bike takes a lot of words to explain, either.

Yep, Pal, that´s possible.
Cool site, by the way.

GH,

an easy way to get started is to get down on hands and knees. As a quadruped, people tend to switch to diaphragm breathing automatically. That should be enough to get an idea what it feels like.
Just try not to think about it (which just may be the hard part).

I once knew an old tuba player who studied breathing his entire life. Here's a little bit about what he said about the subject:

http://www.windsongpress.com/almost%20l ... ng%201.htm

http://www.windsongpress.com/almost%20l ... ng%202.htm

"Breathing tips"....







Consider, for comparison:








"Digestion advice"

Keep it as simple as possible. Suck the air in past the lips, as though you were yawning. Then blow it out like you were trying to blow out a candle a few feet away.

When blowing out, work on keeping the air pressure low. Use lots of air, but don't blow hard. Use the analogy of a string bass bow. Move the bow fast, but don't grind it into the strings. On the tuba, blow the air out fast (for louder playing), but don't blow the air hard, creating resistance at the lips.

keeping a piece of paper suspended on a wall by blowing on it

With due respect to Mr Gourlay, this is an old school thing that unfortunatly has been going on for years - it probably came from the trumpet shool ages ago.

What does it take to keep a piece of paper on a wall? Air pressure.
On the tuba we use little air pressure but tremendous air flow! It's like water in a fountain, a 1/4" pipe will shoot water to the moon with it's pressure, a 2" pipe will maybe go up a few feet but there is a lot of water.

It is common to confuse air pressure with air flow. An oboe uses pressure, a tuba uses flow.