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I've been finding recently that my low register and my sound output in the basement register have improved but along with it comes hyperventilation. Well, I'm fairly sure thats what it is. I tend to get a bit dizzy and light headed when I playing low and lound for long periods of time which is normal and I can cope with that. What I'm having trouble coping with is it feeling like blood is draining from my face which doesn't allow my lips to vibrate as freely as they should. I can still play, but my accuracy is dramtically decreased and i need to shift much earlier to play in the basement. Any tips on how to avoid this or cope with it? Or will it just get better with time?

Arnold Jacobs used to breathe back through the tuba. Using your own carbon dioxide to quell the effects of hyperventilation works, but be sure that your valve oil isn't freshly applied or is of a non-toxic variety. Most everyone breathes back through the tuba to some extent - toxic petroleum based fumes aren't to be taken too lightly. Respiratory difficulties in the form of lowered immunity, petrol-intoxication, or just general nausea can result from breathing in valve oil fumes. Take care. -Paulo

i think it will get better with time.the body is amazing and can adapt to some crazy challenges given a little time...

I sometimes get that dizzy feeling after playing an arrangement where the tuba part was probably written for a string bass. A somewhat fast song with walking bass lines and quarter note after quarter note... No time for a good deep breath of air! Then end the song with a solid last note!!! Anyone else been there???

I don't know that there's much that can be done... Low notes require more air so just try to sneak a deep breath somewhere and it should help...

Cheers!

It's free and legal. What's the problem?

brianf wrote:It's free and legal. What's the problem?

Huh?

quinterbourne wrote:

brianf wrote:It's free and legal. What's the problem?

Huh?

Brian means that other non-wind musicians have to find other means of getting dizzy and lightheaded, usually at co$t and outside the law...

Playing Pachelbel's Canon down an octave is an exercise in multicolored eyeballs.

A combination of what has been stated will do a great job. Back when I used public transportation as my means to get to gigs and practises, I made sure I sat in that bus or streetcar doing extremely slow, deep breathing. Over time, your body gets used to that surplus intake of oxigen.

While I won´t recommend drinking valve oil (oil specified for use with brass instruments, that is), I´d think a brand with toxic fumes would very soon be out of the music market, rather being consumed by people sitting in underground hallways, their head sunk into a plastic bag.

Leland wrote:

quinterbourne wrote:

brianf wrote:It's free and legal. What's the problem?

Huh?

Brian means that other non-wind musicians have to find other means of getting dizzy and lightheaded, usually at co$t and outside the law...

... it's one of the "perks" of playing a tuba!

I'll quote Patrick Sheridan from The Breathing Gym:
"Embrace it, it's cheaper than the alternative"

You body is designed to adapt to things like this. It just requires training. The breathing gym video has some great exercises that will work you in this area to ultimately take care of this issue.

For example, different altitudes have different oxygen levels (which affect your hyperventilation feeling). If it were not possible to adapt to this, we wouldn't have people living Denver.

Jim Langenberg

If you feel dizzy, stop. Take a break. Then start back at the same place where you became dizzy. If you still feel dizzy, you need to change the way you breathe.

Gene Pokorny gave me an exercise. You only need to do it once. Squat. Place your head between your knees. Take a deep breath. You should feel a strange sensation right between your legs. This is the way you should always breathe.