Breathing Exercises

[Scott Sutherland]

For you breathing experts. Many of the breathing exercises I've come across seem to follow the pattern: breathing in for a number of beats, holding (suspending) for a number of beats, and exhaling for a number of beats. Given that a smooth transition between the inhalation and exhalation is incredibly important, what is to be gained by reinforcing the holding of the breath inbetween inhalation and exhalation?

[rascaljim]

The only thing I can see as a benefit of holding it in is to get your lungs used to dealing with what a full breath of air feels like.

I've always felt you should not to hold it in because it's not a natural function of how your body works. I always feel more tense if I try to hold onto my air. Air needs to be fluid in this manner. As you know, tension kills sound.

What I tell my students is breathing needs to be related to a baby screaming in this matter. Baby's don't know anything but what their instincts tell them and what feels natural. I don't see babys gasping a breath, holding it in, and then screaming. It's breath in and scream in basically one motion. And goddamn... can they project!

My 2c anyway, wonder whatelse will show up about it.
Jim Langenberg

[windshieldbug]

My guess would be extending that diaphram, and then keeping it there, trying to build up the muscle (I don't know of any OTHERS involved... ). So that one will eventually be able to breathe in more air more quickly, and better control the changeover to exhaling, and the following emanation of air.

You want to do push-ups (and strengthen your arms), you work on staying up extended, not down near the ground.

[Ace]

Scott,

I am a little surprised you are asking the breathing question.

http://www.bradorbrass.com/members.html

You are one of the biggies in southern California tubadom. We should be asking you for advice. LOL

BTW, I see in your bio that you were amongst the brass players that recorded the movie, "Pearl Harbor". The sound track was terrific.

[Scott Sutherland]

Thanks, Ace. It's funny you mentioned the Brador website, I have been playing in the group for a year or so now and they still haven't replaced the picture of the old bass trombone player (Alex Panos) with one of mine!

The reason I brought this up is because a trombone-player friend of mine and I were talking about this subject and we couldn't come up with a reasonable explaination as to why you would suspend the breath in exercises. I'm trying to get my students to do breathing exercises regularly and have been researching some of the most effective exercises for students.

[Mudman]

Email Will Kimball, trombone professor at BYU for a copy of his excellent handout on breathing. It is titled something like "10 Medically Documented Ways to Improve Your Breathing." He has done extensive research and has recently toured many of the biggest music schools in the US giving his presentation. There are 10 points in his handout, all documented by medical studies and fact.

When he presented his research at the U of Utah, Kimball blew away many myths and false ideas that musicians usually encounter at some point in their training. I'm not sure if he has a specific answer to the question of holding one's breath before exhaling during exercises. My guess is that for people who have problems with locking up their air (valsalva) it is probably not the best idea to practice holding the breath. It would be interesting to ask him.

[BopEuph]

The way I have seen it is to focus on what is happening between the in and out, and not tensing up inbetween. You don't want your throat to close as if you were holding your breath underwater. With the excercise I do, saying "one" after holding it in, getting a good, deep sonorous sound, is the goal.

I don't know if I'm making any sense, I am busy sheddin' upright bass right now.

Nick

[XtremeEuph]

Ya... I have been having major breathing trouble and putting air through my instrument....... not always , but the majority of the time i attempt to take a nice full tank of air in, It feels like .....maybe my throat locks up and I cant take any air in, almost as if i were really asthmatic. I breath in and (yes i know to fill the lower area up) it feels like my whole chest area closes off any air and i have to breathe in ridiculously hard to get any air in, kinda kinda like the feeling of 'expelling air' at the beginning of a yawn. Now i may have just confused the heck out of u guys and I know its hard without actually seeing me breathe, But i dont know the problem and it's also restricting my upper range because of air flow. I have done some breathing exercises in the past few months (just started of course) but the problem still occurs even during an exercise. ANy help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Xtreme "I need fresh air" Euph

[BopEuph]

(yes i know to fill the lower area up) Xtreme "I need fresh air" Euph

That's a common misconception I have been noticing lately. The air in lungs does not fill from the bottom up; it's a gas, not a liquid. And as a gas, even a small amount will spread into the entire area. Since I'm not much of a physicist, maybe someone else that understands can elaborate more.

Nick

[XtremeEuph]

I think It's supposed to be a psychological think, not a chemical thing. :

[pulseczar]

somebody told me once that if you try to fill up the chest, something about constriction.

somebody else also told me that the lungs have no muscles and the diagphram acts as its muscle to expand the lungs and as somewhere on WindsongPress's site said, the muscle you use to bear children or poop contracts the lungs.

diagphram and pooping muscle located in the 'lower area'

[brianf]

diagphram and pooping muscle located in the 'lower area'

The diaphragm is used to bear down for use in childbirth and defication. When it contracts, it also increases the lung size lowering pressure and forcing an inhalation. It is the primary muscle of the respiratory system. This is basic physiology!

[XtremeEuph]

wow that moved to an interesting topic. All i can say is 'Double You, Tee , Eff'

[BopEuph]

wow that moved to an interesting topic. All i can say is 'Double You, Tee , Eff'

Well, pulseczar and brianf are right.

With psycology vs. physics:

To understand breathing, you don't NEED to understand how it works, but understanding correctly how it works is better than believing a misconception. Arnold Jacobs mentions the topic of holding your breath for downward pressure, if I remember correctly.

Nick

[BopEuph]

Another trick he has is to not take a full tank of wind if you are about to play a PP phrase. A gentle, partial breath for a soft, delicate passage makes that first entrance much easier.

I have found the opposite; rather, a soft passage requires just as much air as does a loud passage. A deep breath with the relaxed exhalation will give nice results in a soft sound. Try it out.

Nick

[Scott Sutherland]

For those interested, I emailed Will Kimball at the suggestion of Mudman. Here is his reply below. BTW, his handout is very informative and I would highly suggest that anyone interested contact Dr. Kimball regarding his paper.



Hi Scott,

I agree--I would be wary of any exercises or techniques that advocate closing the glottis between inspiration and expiration, mainly because Valsalva, but also because of unnecessary compression of air. However, I have read a medical study where 16 healthy subjects took a maximal inhalation, held it for 10 seconds with OPEN glottis, then exhaled. They did this 20 times a day for six weeks and increased their vital capacity by an average of 200 ml. I assume holding the breath (without stopping the air with the glottis) strengthened the inspiratory muscles, which are skeletal muscles and can be strengthened like any other skeletal muscles.

I’ll attach the document I use for clinics--it cites this study under #1. Let me know if you can’t read the attachment. I hope that helps.

Will