Klarinet Archive - Posting 000127.txt from 1994/11

From: Barbosa <barbosa@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Circular Breathing
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 1994 08:06:26 -0500

> On Fri, 4 Nov 1994, Andrew LaVallee wrote:

> So, who out there can circular breathe? How did you learn it, how long did it
> take to learn, and have you found it useful?

It took me about 4 months to learn how to do it and it has been
very useful. I learn it by observing (watching) oboists doing it and
experimenting. I learn it in the instrument and never used straws and water.
But, I do recommend the straw and water when teaching it.

I have used it when playing Stockhausen's In Freundschaft,
Spohr's First Concerto, and Nielsen's Concerto. Of course, all these
pieces can be played without circular breathing, and actually I use
circular breathing only in a few spots of them (for example, only
four spots in the Spohr's Concerto). The Spohr's Concerto shows ossias
part in which sixteenth notes are transformed in sixteenth rests in order
to facilitate breathing (I don't have the bars numbers with me here, but,
if anybody wants, I'll be glad to post them later). In fact, it is not bad
to cut notes in this piece to breathe, Karl Leister and Anthony Pay do so
in their recordings of this Spohr's Concerto in order to breathe and it
still sounds greate.

> I thought I read somewhere that it is not possible to flutter tongue
> and circular breathe at the same time I can't do either one anyway, but
> is that true?

I haven't tryed it and don't think it is possible.

Joel Barbosa
barbosa@-----.edu