Klarinet Archive - Posting 000411.txt from 1997/02

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Breathing in Etudes
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 21:19:35 -0500

>To Bill Fogle --
>
>Get a copy of the Baermann Studies. They're beautiful very German
>etudes that teach breathing and phrasing. Breathing is marked.
>
>When I was younger (high school, 52 now) I could hold very long
>phrases. After Baermann I learned to breath more often (now I have to
>:)). You'll find you have more control when you always have an ample
>supply of air.
>
>Dennis Nord
>nordden@-----.com

I have found in my teaching and playing that exactly the opposite is true.
Namely, wind players, in general, breathe far too often and this is the
cause of many of their technical and musical problems.

One of my general instructions when coaching wind players is "don't breathe!"

On the other hand, with string players I always encourage them to breathe
with the music.

More on this later...

-------------------
Jonathan Cohler
cohler@-----.net