Klarinet Archive - Posting 000658.txt from 2000/12

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] deep breaths: Stand or Sit? (pseudo-scientific esperimen
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 19:33:13 -0500

> A technical note: When I do the annual physical exam schtick,
> the clinician makes me stand up to take the spirogram(sp?).
> Reason? You gain up to 25% lung capacity when you stand up.

OK, I did a sort of psuedo-scientific study. I have in my studio two
different kinds of spirometers - the kind that the respiratory therapist
gives you when you are in the hospital so that you will be encouraged to
fill up your lungs with air, thereby avoiding pneumonia.

With my eyes closed, I took what I think is a normal breath when playing a
moderately long phrase on an instrument such as the clarinet or bassoon. I
found that such a breath consists of approximately 1200 - 1500 cubic
centimeters of air (1.2 to 1.5 liters). For a long phrase on a saxophone,
and especially the flute, I would take quite a bit more air. On the oboe,
it might be no more than half that much.

Then, I tried to take as much air as I could, and I did this repeatedly,
both seated and standing. I tried it both sitting erect and slouching a
bit. One of the devices measures to 3,000cc's, and the other to 4,000cc's
(three to four liters). On either machine, I could make the indicator go
completely to the top, and could do it on either one whether seated or
standing.

To my mind, this little experiment tends to confirm what I intuitively felt
about lung capacity - if it is affected by sitting or standing, the
difference is insignificant. What may be affected is the ability to supply
the air to the instrument with proper pressure and control.

Someone asked why I feel that I play better when sitting. The answer (for
me, at least) is that when you are standing, there is at least a little bit
of energy that is being expended by the body in order to maintain the
standing posture. (We all have read that standing expends more energy than
sitting.) As a result, there are certain neural signals that the brain is
required to send to the muscles concerning what is required to maintain the
standing posture, and to move, if we do that when we are playing, and most
standing players (and some seated ones) do. The brain is a remarkable
machine itself, but it doesn't have unlimited computational capacity.
Certainly mine doesn't, anyway. I would rather have every bit of the power
of the brain available to help in processing musical input and sending the
proper neural signals to the muscles required to perform.

I can perform either way, and have done so many times. However, I feel more
comfortable and less distracted from the task at hand when seated.

Ed Lacy
**************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy, Professor of Music
University of Evansville
1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
telephone (812)479-2252; e-mail: EL2@-----.edu
**************************************************************

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