Klarinet Archive - Posting 000401.txt from 1997/02

From: "Fogle, Bill" <bill.fogle@-----.com>
Subj: Re: breathing in etudes
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 16:47:50 -0500

Frauke, thanks for your comments. I'll have them with me the next time I
play. I'm conscious of my breathing during playing and I make efforts to
breathe. I just forget (the excitement of the music, getting "on a roll")
and then end up flat on my butt (musically) with nothing left to give. It
ruins the "thought" or the momentum I get in passages of music. Of course
it's gotten better over the years but lags behind, way behind, my other
technical equipment. I can play the piano for hours, and after warming up I
get to a great place of giving and receiving (I suppose I should just say
'interacting') with the music. With clarinet this is so difficult. All
because of my flawed breathing. I'll keep working! ---Bill F.

----------
> From: Frauke Nonnenmacher <fat.cat@-----.uk>
> To: bill.fogle@-----.com
> Subject: Re: breathing in etudes
> Date: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 3:56 PM
>
> Hi!
>
> Just in case you're wondering why I'm not replying to the list: I'm not
sure my
> postings arrive, and until I've sorted the server out I stick to private
Email
> :)
>
> > I've been playing for over five years (self-taught, etc.) and could
> > never "teach" myself breathing. I've come to think of breathing as the
> > main issue in performing (as I know "performing": sitting and blowing
> > the clarinet for hours mostly on weekends). My tone, my phrasing, my
> > attitude seem affected by where I am in my breathing: full-lunged, in
> > the middle, or desperately out of breath. How can I stay on top of my
> > breathing in unbroken etude playing? Circular breathing (like
> > reedmaking) seems too much of a learning curve/committment
>
> Since you're self-taught I guess your main problem might be that you
don't seem
> to be able to get enough breath into your lungs. Or in some cases it
seems too
> much and you've got to breathe out when you really could do with using
the time
> to breathe in? That's what happened to me and I can give you some advice
(I
> hope). If not please forgive me for bothering you, I must have
misunderstood
> :(
>
> Anyway, did anybody ever teach you how to support your voice? That's the
main
> trick (not circular breathing). The way to go about it is this - use
your
> diaphragm to breathe. Most people breathe by extending their upper
ribcage and
> possibly pulling up their shoulders. This is no good in music. You want
your
> *lower* ribcage to expand *sideways* and your stomach to go out, not in.
You
> can test this in two ways:
> 1 - Put your fists on your side (the classic strut :). When you breath
in you
> should feel them move.
>
> 2 - but both your hands flat on your stomach so only the tips of your
middle
> fingers touch. When you breathe in they should move apart.
>
> Doesn't look flattering, but it does the trick. Then, when you breathe
out you
> support your airflow by slightly tensing your diaphragm again. If you do
it
> correctly you'll notice a vast difference.
> If you've got a friend who's a good singer and had lessons, ask him/her
to show
> you.
>
> You'll know if you're doing it right next time you get the hiccups -
proper
> breating will stop that very quickly. Not instantly, but within a few
minutes.
>
> Hope that helps!
>
> Frauke
> --
> --
> Frauke (fat.cat@-----.uk)
> WWW: http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/fat.cat/
>
>
>
>

   
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