Klarinet Archive - Posting 000694.txt from 1996/12

From: FROM ME MAN <musicandkeyclub@-----.com>
Subj: Re: What is circular breathing...
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 15:14:36 -0500

Thanks for the info Randolph... ;-)

Kenneth Chin
New York Youth Symphony
Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division
http://www.geocities.com/South Beach/7413 (<--Check it out!)

On Tue, 31 Dec 1996 15:47:15 +0900 Randolf Keller <rkeller@-----.COM>
writes:
>>Okay...stop laughing...I'm only a junior in high school and I'm
>wondering
>>what exactly circular breathing is...
>>If anyone can explain this playing technique...please let me know.
>
>Just a brief explanation from my side as there seems to be not much
>response
>from the experts on this list.
>
>Circular breathing enables you to play while breathing. Which means
>that you
>could play for ages if there wouldn't be other requirements for your
>survival (e.g. eating ;-).)
>
>To get a slight idea of how this is working try following small
>exercise
>which is also the initial step to circular breathing in the book
>"Circular
>Breathing" by Trent P. Kynaston (Belwin Inc., 15800 N.W., 48th Ave.,
>Miami,
>FL 33014), from which I Iearned this Technique:
>
>Without clarinet:
>
>- Take a mouth full of water
>- Try to "blow" the water out of the mouth slowly, by using the cheek
>muscles.
>- Try "blowing" the water out of the mouth while taking in air through
>the nose
>- If you can do this in a relaxed way, take your clarinet, try to play
>an
>open "G" (no keys, as this usually speaks easiest) the same way, and
>after a
>bit exercise you should be able to hold that tone for quite a while
>without
>having influence in pitch, volume etc...
>
>The first time I saw somebody playing by using circular breathing was
>in
>Bern, in the Swiss Jazz School, where Mr. Clark Terry was guest and
>holding
>a class for the trumpet guys there. I was amazed. He played a 15
>Minutes
>solo (all fast semiquavers) without any stop or impact on tone
>quality. Just
>played 15 minutes in one run. And he could have continued for ages it
>seemed.
>
>The next time I saw people using circular breathing was in China,
>where I
>heard a folk group playing the "Sho-na", an instrument similar to the
>old
>german "chalumeau" (?) with a double reed like a oboe.
>Those chinese guys where from the far end of china, probably never
>been away
>from there which means for me that this Technique is and has been used
>quite
>a while already.
>
>Hope this helps, anybody more infos on this?
>
>Randolf
>
>********* sent by: *************
>
>Randolf Keller
>
>Kasa MK 303
>13-19 Nagano-Higashi
>Suita-shi, Osaka 564, Japan
>
>Tel./Fax: +81 / 6 / 876 - 1319
>e-mail: rkeller@-----.com
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>
>********************************
>