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In my opinion, you avoid this. I don't think knowing your lung capacity will do anything for you except give you an excuse. Save the money and buy a new mouthpiece or Arbans book.

I once had a masterclass with Patrick Sheridan. The topic of lung capacity came up and he mentioned that Sam Pilafian (I can't remember the exact amount) has a rather small lung capacity, and he is a wonderful player.

In my opinion, think less, practice more.

Arnold Jacobs complained that because of age and weight he had a small capacity. He compared it to the length of a bassist's bow. His words, "I have a short bow. It's okay--I just change it more often."

I'm feeling the effects of age on my vital capacity, which was never really huge to begin with, despite my size. Plus, I play an instrument that demands air more than many others. So, I am having to learn how to breathe more often. The challenge is in taking in lots of air quickly, but one secret to that is breathing often enough so that the quick intake doesn't have to do so much filling. It is easier to get those smaller breaths to fit into phrases musically, but I still struggle greatly with that.

The exercises I've seen that show potential for good are those that increase the speed with which one can take in air, rather than worrying about vital capacity. There is very little we can do about it in any case. But the speed is a function of the explosive power of the muscles we use to expand our chest cavity, and I suspect targeted exercises have some potential there. I think that's the point of the Breathing Gym, which is available here:

http://patricksheridan.com/store/index. ... ex&cPath=1

But if you really want to measure vital capacity, check out these products, particularly the Voldyne, which is quite inexpensive:

http://www.windsongpress.com/breathing% ... evices.htm

Rick "who would probably benefit from the Breathing Gym" Denney

I had a hospital provide one to me, it measures about 4 liters. It would be great for instruction if you could share it, but it's like sharing an eating utensil. I wish it was bigger, I would work harder .

Blowing up party balloons gets past the sharing problem, and it's also entertaining. You can see just how much gas you've got in your tank.

If one could buy bigger lungs, I'd be on the lung website instead of this one.

BRSousa wrote:In my opinion, you avoid this. I don't think knowing your lung capacity will do anything for you except give you an excuse. Save the money and buy a new mouthpiece or Arbans book.

I once had a masterclass with Patrick Sheridan. The topic of lung capacity came up and he mentioned that Sam Pilafian (I can't remember the exact amount) has a rather small lung capacity, and he is a wonderful player.

In my opinion, think less, practice more.

I totally agree. Learn how to use your air EFFICENTLY whether you have a small air capacity or large one

There are two ways to look at this - those who are breathing with a full breath near their capacity. Leave it at that.

How about someone with a projected 5 liter capacity and are only taking in 2 1/2? Yep there are a million shallow breathers and working with them about capacity can eventually mean the difference between playing and not. They have a habit of a small breath and need to be shown a bigger breath is possible.

Indeed. When my stepfather had pneumonia, and was going through therapy, they gave him a simple spirometer and directions for breathing properly to try to make his vital capacity more efficient and clear the pneumonia. I tried it, and I'm down from where I was a couple of decades ago, to only about a gallon. So I have to be very efficient with what I play, and work on proper breathing technique as much as finger or embouchure technique. As we grow older, we all lose avioli. So a person can never really improve the vital capacity, just make what is left as efficient as possible.

The spirometer was a nice gimmick to check where I am, but a good teacher with proper modern breathing technique will do more good. Working on breathing with a spirometer is kind of like the amateur runner who thinks he can improve his running simply by using a stop watch, and not doing the fundamental strengthening and endurance exercises to get his running ability up. The only use of the spirometer is at the end of the process to measure one aspect of efficiently taking in volume, and does not help with the most important aspect of breathing: the ability to exhale the proper amount of air consistently and accurately to make the embouchure do its job in the given context.

Nothing matters so much as does effective air management. That said, I have no idea what my lung capacity is, but from personal experience I can tell you that cardiovascular fitness makes a huge positive difference in breath control. So, my advice is - run, use an elliptical, use a stairmaster, bike, swim, climb mountains, cross-country ski, P90X, calisthenics, whatever - something that takes your breath and gets you very sweaty. Mix it up, and do high-stress intervals (check with your doc first). When you work out, get that heart pumping optimally to around 80% of your age-adjusted max and keep it there, 30 minutes at a time at least. Forget the spirometer.

I think jeopardymaster had it right. Many guys I h.ave met at the YMCA ( in their 70's and 80's)who are in much better shape than I am (late 50's) have said the same thing. Cardiovascular training is a priority. Charles Vernon says he swims alot so he can still do what he does. You need the the air capacity and air velocity to do the job. It's not easy to do this as you get older. You'd like to relax when you come home from teaching all day or from what ever you do. But if you want to continue to function on the level you did when you were in graduate school you must exercise and practice. Even if you have to do it in the garage or basement . Focus on the basics.

jeopardymaster wrote:That said, I have no idea what my lung capacity is, but from personal experience I can tell you that cardiovascular fitness makes a huge positive difference in breath control.

Sam's & Phil's "The Breathing Gym" is a good start.