Doc and Inhalation

[DSR]

Hello everyone.

I've noticed that Doc doesn't specify much about inhalation in the encyclopedia. He writes a lot about exhalation (toothpaste tube analogy) but only has a few lines about the correct way to breath in. I think it says something like "A slight expansion of the abdomen" but I'm not sure.

What did Doc think about Yoga for developing breath power and control? A complete breath in Yoga involves a slight expansion of the abdomen and a lifting of the strenum and filling of the chest up to the clavicles. Is excessive chest lifting something to avoid in trumpet playing inhalations? What about a bit of chest expansion?

I'd love to know because he doesn't get very specific about this in the book. (Or maybe he is and I haven't found that spot)

Thanks again.

-Brendan

[walter]

Hi Brendan- I really can't answer for Doc, but I can tell you that Yoga may have been off of Doc's radar screen. Yoga may have been a little too "New-Agey" back in Doc's day.

That doesn't mean that Doc was ignorant of breathing.

As I recall, and I may be conflating other people's viewpoints with that of Doc, excess inhalation [complete filling of the lungs] was not a goal. The general vibe in Philadelphia when I studied with Doc was that the important thing about breathing was to make sure that inhalation should proceed to immediate [with no holding of the breath] to exhalation/tone production.

I once taught a form of Yoga that involved Pranayana [the yoga of breathing]. This teaching gig was not long after I studied with Doc. I remember distinctly feeling that my experience as a trumpeter helped me to understand Pranayana. I definitely don't recall that Doc ever taught me to take an exteme volume of air.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's opinions on this matter.

walter

[BeboppinFool]

I remember Doc said that he wouldn't even go into breathing with a student until all the factors above the neck had been addressed. Unless, of course, a student had some really glaring problem.

He did tell me not to lift my shoulders when I breathe, and to only take in as much air as the phrase to be played required. He was big on eliminating under-breathing and (especially) over-breathing. He used to rail on teachers who say to always take a full breath before playing. Dizziness, light-headedness, spots before the eyes, etc. are all caused by overbreathing. He told me that practicing piccolo trumpet would help me learn how to take in less air for all my normal trumpet playing.

He has a "Timed Breathing" Routine designed to teach me to take in only as much air as the phrase to be played demands.

He told me to inhale as slowly as possible. And he taught me the correct procedure for mouthcorner and nose inhalations in the Pivot System.

Now that I think about it, he did talk about breathing quite a bit, but only after we had worked to correct my pivot, establish my four legs, switched me to a wet embouchure, and pretty much straighten out a multitude of "sins" first.

Too many teachers (in my opinion, and I seem to recall in Doc's opinion, also) go straight to breathing as the cause of all problems in brass playing. No wonder I had so little success with everybody I studied with prior to arriving in Doc's office in June 1978.

Rich
_________________
Puttin’ On The Ritz

[Wilktone]

[walter]

Some of what has been written on this thread made me aware that when I first answered, I was more focused on the "yoga" part of the question than anything else. I went into thinking yoga rather than thinking trumpet.

Rich reminded me of one very important thing that I see some players, especially young/inexperienced ones, doing often: they inhale through the center of their lips. This, of course, can cause problems in mouthpiece placement and embouchure set-up. I remember that I slipped into sometimes doing this, and it screwed-up my attacks.

Air-support problems are almost always obvious to us on a visceral level when listening to a player. I find myself unconciously tightening my chops and pushing harder with my breath when I hear too little support.

A third thing: anchoring the tip of the tongue, with it's subsequent tongue-arch when ascending, is unknown to many players. I think that it becomes so routine after awhile that we don't think about it. Since this affects the airstream in very significant ways, it is certainly a part of this topic.

walter

[ This Message was edited by: walter on 2002-10-21 10:48 ]

[DSR]

Thanks for the replies. This gives me some insight into the topic.

If I take a complete breath, by Yoga's standards, (raising my sternum ect...) I have WAY to much air than is needed for trumpet playing, even for a long passage in the lower register. I guess Doc put it best when he said take only the amount of air needed for the musical passage at hand. For the vast majority of passages this would probably be a slight expansion of the abdomen and ribcage...nothing to extreme.

In my grade 12 band class this fabulous trumpeter beside me (who was a naturally gifted IIIA by the way) would always complain about experiencing blacking out and dizziness in the upper register. All she had to do was TAKE LESS AIR! I told her this...don't know if she ever listened to me.

Gotta go.

Thanks again.