breathing and tension solutions

[Tubaguyjoe]

try getting on a normal exercise routine...this coming from a tuba player im not so sure if it is at all possible...but it gets your lungs open and raises your lung capacity. Ive been doing it for about 6 months or so and it seems to work wonders...and I feel healthier. Give it a shot.

[corbasse]

I used to have similar problems, and resolved them by:
- Using a breath builder and inspiron as explained on this very well-known site here
- doing the breathing and posture exercises from "Coordination training program for trombone playing" (Yeah, it's aimed at jazz trombone, but hey, I did it on french horn and it worked wonders )

- for a while, concentrate on breathing deeply and relaxed while practicing. Stop the music when you need to breathe, take a large, relaxed full breath and then continue playing. Only after this goes really well, slowly try to incorporate the breathing within the musical flow.
I see with a lot of wind players (including myself) that they have been "forced" to breath within the confinement of musical structure and the relentlesly ticking metrome too early, resulting more in a gasp for air than a proper breath because you're more focussed on being on time than breathing.

[TonyTuba]

If a teacher can not specifically help, get the Breathing Gym DVD. It is entertaining and can not hurt. The concepts are dead on and should help.

[brianf]

Sounds like you are trying to control the body - a no win situation.

Take a look at some of the videos at http://www.windsongpress.com/almost%20l ... 20live.htm

A lot of people came to him to solve that problem, let's see if he still can althou he changed his address!

[Ryan_Beucke]

Some days I feel like I can't get as much air in my lungs as other days. I do a couple things to remedy this. First I suck in as much air as i possibly can, then take "sips" of air, seeing how much more I can fit in. It helps because it lets you get used to how full your lungs really have to be. Then I just practice taking deep breaths, and making sure my mouth is open in the correct shape to get the most air in the fastest. Try putting a piece of plastic tubing about 1 1/2" diameter (from the hardware store) in your mouth and sucking in, you'll really see how efficient your breaths can be!

[Leland]

I feel like I know all the breathing tricks, but maybe someone has something else.... I am especially interested in the tension problem.

Beer!

Just kidding... well, kinda...

All the exercises & concepts presented so far will definitely help, but I keep having this idea that you need an extra dose of boldness and/or aggression (risky term, I know) to really get it all working.

Maybe karate instead of yoga (see "Kiai")? Play on a drumset for a while? Sing -- loudly -- in your car? Take a second job as a sports arena announcer?

Moving large volumes of air successfully is an interesting mix of relaxation and a "go get 'em" mentality. You have to want to hear yourself, but it's beyond that -- you have to want to hear yourself coming back from the far corners of the room. You have to purposely make the airspace around you vibrate with your sound.

It's the difference between thinking, "I hope I sound okay..." and thinking, "That audience had better be paying attention to me!"

Also -- maybe, in all your analysis of what might be going wrong, you're forgetting what you're doing right.

[Tom Holtz]

Good thread.

Remember that your body has known how to breathe since minute one. The first thing you ever did was: Get a full tank of air, scream your head off, repeat. Don't let the ongoing analysis drive you batty. Re-e-e-e-lax.

Leland, that was pretty insightful. Not bad for a gloified primate jarhead.

euphenstien, that's the best avatar/sig line combo on the whole board. Stopped me cold.

[Leland]

Leland, that was pretty insightful. Not bad for a gloified primate jarhead.

Ooh-RAH... *grunt*... *scratch...*

One of the more entertaining anecdotes I've heard was of a top-level trumpet pro who, upon being introduced to a new young trumpet student, would make a face at the young'in and exclaim, "YAAHH!" If the child came right back at him with a "YAAHH!" of his own, he would declare, "Ah, yes, he'll be a principal trumpet someday."

It really is a concept of attitude, I think. It's being fearless, being unafraid to show people that you're having fun. When I was starting out as a trombone player, I used to rest the bell on my knee as I played; I just wasn't comfortable with allowing myself to be heard. That changed completely a few years later, and ever since then, one of my main goals is to make sure that everyone within earshot hears the part that I'm supposed to play.