I disagree with this pro.

[trumpetchops]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrIrK85ypws

His advice on how much air to take in is the opposite of what I've been taught. His paying is really good so he must know. I try to tank up each time.

Any thoughts?
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Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[TrentAustin]

I think Jack's video is a wonderful example of how to approach the piccolo, straight-forward, and IMO totally spot on.

Over-breathing on piccolo is one of the biggest problems I see IMO.

-T
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[Bill Ortiz]

I was taught to take as much air as you need, and try not to play on the bottom half of your breath, but don't overdo it. I think sometimes taking a full tank of air when you don't need that much can lead to tension and/or overblowing-things I was guilty of in my earlier playing years..
No absolute answer, but in a general sense I would say support your tone with the proper air but stay as relaxed as you can and let the horn and mouthpiece work for you :)
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[trumpetchops]

When I play I don't think about breathing so maybe I'm doing what he does without knowing it.

What I was taught is to fill the lungs and then the pressure from the air in the lungs will make you want to exhale without pushing any air out. It just comes out to equalize the pressure. No tension just a relaxed exhale.

What's the difference if you go full to half empty or three quarter to one quarter? I would think full up gives more support and resonance in the body. Just because you're full doesn't mean you have to force the air through the horn.
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Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[trpt.hick]

Seem right on to me.

[Larry Smithee]

There's a local middle school band director here who teaches his band to breath with his pick up beat. Nothing wrong with that except that he has the kids literally sucking all the air out of the room, if you know what I mean. For example, he has the kids practice quickly inhaling air until they are totally at the top of their lungs in capacity. They're required to make a hissing sound as they do this. I keep pointing out that this is bad technique and only creates tension for his wind players. Also, and most obviously, pros don't do this. He's a good music teacher for the most part. But this issue drives me crazy.

[Bluesy]

Louis Maggio used to say, "Take a breath like a drowning man going under for the third time."

I never have though. From years of woodwind playing I sort of learned how much air I need. I never think about it at all. It's automatic.
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Finally Beiderbecke took out a silver cornet. He put it to his lips and blew a phrase. The sound came out like a girl saying ‘yes.’. . . . .Eddie Condon/

[Pops]

It is an excellent video.
There are many times when we don't want to take a big full breath.

A big breath expands the muscles and makes it much harder to do a fast and full air compression. This makes high notes harder to play. Many people have talked about this. Reinhardt said to take a 1/4 breath. Jim Manley says to blow half of your breath away before playing high to discover how little you want before making compression.

A big breath on short phrases leads to needing to gasp to replenish your O2 levels. After the phrase your lungs are 50%-80% full. If you breathe in, your lungs have 20% new air and 80% oxygen depleted air. Do this a few times in a row and you gasp for oxygen, even though you have air in your lungs. (You didn't gasp for air, you gasped for oxygen because you allowed too much stale O2 depleted air to stay in your lungs.)

Timed breathing is big component of the teachings of several teachers.
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[dr_trumpet]

The discipline of the warm-up dictates a full, supportive breath on lip slurs, long tones, and things like Clarke studies, etc.

When we get to literature, however, the required musical phrasing and your physical ability to handle that phrasing through breath support and other musical factors, dictates breathing.

After all, what good does it do that you get the end of a phrase as far as you can go, but the music has nowhere for you to breath for another 2-3 bars? What happens when you have a fairly simple phrase, support it to the end, and because of that big breath you took in the start of the phrase, you have to plan to exhale before you can consider possibly taking another breath. But, you only have one beat of rest?

Better to phrase breath, my friend. Make the intake work for what you know as a player comes up next. If you are sight-reading and do not know all of the works on the gig that well, you have a bit of a situation, and rely upon your musical ability to help with those situations. In an orchestral situation; as always, support the phrase create the sound, and make the music.

All else is just sending good after bad!
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Principal Trumpet, Hendricks Symphony (Avon, IN)
Arranger/Composer; Lilly Music

[LDK-97]

If You tank up, Your gonna wear out.
The guy is right and what wonderful picc playing.

He has a great video on playing the Rotary trumpet to.
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[Arky]

[trumpetchops]

The answers posted are really interesting to me. I can only think that there is more than one way to play the trumpet.

Here are some quotes I remember from lessons. Some from really famous players.

"Breath from your diaphragm" Later in life, "Your diaphragm has nothing to do with your lungs, fill your lungs and don't push"

"Air is free and your friend, use a lot of it"

"Things tend to go out the way they go in. You have a lot of time to breath. Take in the air slowly and controlled and that's how it will come out"

"Clark makes you play the page in one breath to develop lung capacity and control"

"Petrushka is a good one to practice for breath control because there's nowhere to breath. Try to do it in one breath."

"Fill your lungs with air. Let the sound resonate inside of you and it will resonate from the bell"

"Use a lot of air, think of the opera singer on stage. The trumpet is your voice"

All of the above are taken out of context and might have been said to compensate for something I was doing wrong.

None of these quotes are from a lesson on pick. playing. Just general things I remember and tried to apply. Maybe it's time to forget all of it and just play.
_________________
Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[gbdeamer]

[mcgovnor]

Whjat you have listed, are not different ways to play the trumpet, hey are correct and incorrect explanations of what to do. Everyone who plays well, does many of the same things, regardless of what they think they do, or have been told to do. Genre will dictate more difference than anything. A great jazz player will do things a great orchestral player wont do..a great soloist things a great 3rd player wont do..but one thing is for certain. You can't breath with your diaphragm:)

[Steve A]

[trumpjosh]

I think Jack's spot on with his advice in this video. Give it a try.
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[oxleyk]

As a comeback player this is something I've needed for eight years but never heard the right explanation 'til now.

Like many players I always tried to fill all the way to the top but then had trouble using all the air, or I'd blow my lips apart which limits range. I discovered that I if I breathe by expanding the abdomen and lower back, and fill no further, I get much better results. Will keep working on it.

Kent

[Shaft]

+1 to Pops post. He said what he teaches.

In a couple of lessons with Pops it was recommended to take less air in but compress it.

Sure enough it worked. I brought in enough to make the note and have the right sound on the note. Think of the Clarke pppp studies which gets your lips functioning and resonating efficiently. That concept when air volume is added can really refine one's playing.


That stale air thing is no joke either. Imagine your whole body in general on a 15 minute recital piece or a 40 minute recital needing air and for that whole duration having mostly stale air in the lings but "trying to stay fresh" and function optimally.
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[trumpetchops]

I tried it both ways today.
A big full breath gave me a bigger fuller sound. The more air also made it easier to hit the notes. Not more range but, a nice clean attack.

I thought about making a recording. I don't think my computer is good enough to show the difference.

I guess there are a lot of different ways to play the trumpet. Different things work for different people. If I practiced the less air approach, that might work better in the long run? I don't know.
_________________
Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[gbdeamer]