Valsalva Syndrome

[Felix c]

Dear friends;
Reading Dr. Frank G. Campos (Trumpet Tech) he describes the Valsalva Syndrome. Me personally present some of this symptoms like the Abdomen Strength but I'm not Sure. I wish to hear experiences and comments about this theme.
Felix
_________________
Jesus I Trust In You

[Mark Curry]

Felix-

Great to see you back, old friend!

20 years ago I had experience with the Valsalva Maneuver and it was a tough time for awhile.

In my instance it was attributed to taking too much air in, and stopping/holding it with the glottis. The resulting tension caused me to "stutter" on attacks. It was dreadful!

It wasn't until I learned to breathe more normally playing trumpet that I began to relax and take less air.

Try this exercise:
1. Take a normal everyday breath.
2. Exhale normally.
3. Begin playing the trumpet from this position Without taking more air!

At this "normal" exhalation point we still retain about 30% of our air capacity.

Also, playing from the point also encourages better air compression, i.e., we are more efficient with our air.

Don't worry- the "drowning sensation" will eventually go away.

To paraphrase Raphael Mendez- "Trumpet playing takes no more air than normal conversation".

Try it, it worked for me.

mc
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A mouthpiece never missed a note by itself!

[JRoyal]

Basically it is a survival type reflex that closes the throat ( really the glottis) in response to the air in the lungs being compressed at to high of an internal pressure. Being too tight in abdominal area( and sometimes tension in the tongue itself) can trigger this.

Mark's idea of less air can help, but I feel that it doesn't really solve the problem for me, it just masks it because the tension that is causing the response is still present. I think the real key is breathing to expand, and freeing up the musculature. My daily routine/warmup is centered around keeping this reflex at bay, I can go months without it, but let any tension crept in to my playing and I essentially 'relapse'. Breathe attacks, soft flutter tonguing, good concise/relaxed tongue stroke, and flow/ lyrical studies are all things I use in this effort.

Arnold Jacobs, Legacy of a Master, by Dee Stewart and Teaching Brass by Kristian Streenstrup, both of good sections about this.

[Felix c]

Thanks Friends
Im in Doubth.
Mark always awsome!!!!!!!!
_________________
Jesus I Trust In You

[lmaraya]

For me trumpet players don't pay as much attention to this issue as they should. I think it is the main cause for not developing a good extreme high register.

What I have notice is that students start activating VM when they feel an specific amount of resistance at a given register they feel troublesome, I believe they do that because their brain is so used to tell the body to activate VM when something is difficult (like lifting very heavy objects, etc.). Actually that is the most natural way to react!! our body was not design to play the trumpet!!! and we as human beings have been reacting that way for mileniums even before a trumpet was invented, so it is very logical that someone would react this way.

Now, how can we unlearn to do this? I developed several excersices:

-Playing flow studies with flutter tongue, this will also give you the right oral cavity shape.

-Using a coffee straw:

1. take a small breath, blow through the straw closing the other end with your fingers so that there is little air coming out, blowing as if you were playing "PP", just let the air flow out without pushing it, let your stomach to expand as well as your throat.

2. Now take another small breath but this time blow "FF", still closing the other end of the straw with your fingers so there is little air coming out, now you will feel that your stomach and throat want to expand more that before, let that happen.

3. Now take a big breath and blow "PP" again, you will feel an urge to activate VM, stay relaxed, let the air go and keep blowing as if you were warming your hands in winter.

4. Last, take a big breath an now blow "FF", this time you will feel the most internal pressure, let your ab muscles to be more firm, notice that that happens unconsciously, just keep blowing warm air, again your stomach and throat would want to expand.


-Sing a high note very loudly using "falsetto" voice and using a lot of air with your mouth open, now sing it again but with your mouth closed, now you will notice that there is a lot more resistance but the airs is still going out very smoothly and efficient, notice also that again the stomach and throat want to expand, let that happen.

Another good exercise is to play Clarke Study #1 (chromatic one) "PP" and trying to identify where one starts using the slightest notion of VM and try to correct it.

I hope this helps someone, it has work for me and my students.

[kalijah]

curry wrote: