 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bala
Date: 2004-09-16 22:57
Hi all. As a future music educator, I have a question that I can imagine students asking. I know that we are supposed to breathe low and deep. I have been told this since I started playing clarinet and I believe it and practice it. I know it works better than breathing in the upper part of the chest. However, I don't think I was ever told why we are supposed to breathe low. Any insight?
Thanks!
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Author: Topher
Date: 2004-09-16 23:25
Breathing deep serves two purposes. Number one, breathing with just the top part of your lungs fills up the top (and smaller) half of your lungs. If you breathe to the bottom of your chest, it will fill all of your lungs to capacity. The second reason is so that your can properly use this air. To obtain maximum air speed and intensity, you must be able to use all the muscles on your chest to push the air out of your lungs. Many people refer to this as "breathing with your diaphragm," but not too long ago on this board there was a discussion about what muscles are actually used, and the diaphragm is not one of them. Filling only the top half of your lungs will prevent you from doing this as there is too few muscles and too many bones up there. Hope that will help any inquisitive minds!
topher
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-09-17 00:13
Having once had 6 breathing lessons from a top local singing teacher....
I can see little reason for not breathing FULLY into the LUNGS (- we actually don't breathe into any other part of the body.) This involves the air taking up space in the abdomen, hence something moves to make room....
1. Lower abdomen, such that the belly (soft part) moves outwards as we breathe IN.
2. The entire rib cage expands sideways and backwards. This is perhaps the most important part for lung capacity.
3. The chest expands outwards/forwards. This is really part of 2.
Notes:
a. 3 on its own possibly offers the least lung capacity, but is all that a lot of people do.
b. 3 is really part of 2, i.e. expansion of the rib cage.
c. 1 forces movement/massage of the gut, which, as I understand it, aids some body functions such as digestion. Many people seem unable to use the abdominal muscles involved, and their gut is permanently distended. Perhaps, from lack of use, these muscles are incapable of doing much at all.
d. Some of the muscles of the abdomen extend all the way around to the backbone, and are apparently quite important for supporting the lower back. Since making these stronger I have reduced chronic lower back pain. Now I keep these muscles firmer and use the abdominal muscles a little higher up for breathing.
e. What should NOT be involved with breathing are the shoulders. They should not rise on taking a breath. They contribute nothing to breathing or lung capacity, yet when you tell a child (and many adults) to take a big breath, they raise their shoulders. This is unnecessary stress, and looks silly.
f. Using the nether regions of the lungs, by breathing deeply, is claimed to be healthier by cleaning stagnant, stale air form the nether regions of the lungs. Sometimes I wonder though, if one has a organisms such as cold virus hanging around, this may be a good way to get the virus established more deeply within the lungs!
g. 1 involves mainly the diaphragm (more or less horizontal muscle, dividing the body across, below the lungs) for inhaling. Exhaling can be a rather passive, relaxing affair, allowing the stretched abdominal muscles (and other tissue) to relax. To exhale with some force, as is required for good instrumental playing, the abdominal muscles are actively used to again flatten the stomach, hence putting pressure on the intestines, hence putting pressure on the diaphragm, hence putting pressure on the lungs, hence forcing air out. (I am using lay terms rather than getting pedantic about the physics of differential gas pressures)
h. 2 & 3 use intercostal (between-the-ribs) muscles for inhaling. Exhaling can be a rather passive affair, accomplished just by relaxing. To exhale with some force, other rib muscles actively force the ribs back together.
For efficient exhaling with force, surely both the above are desirable.
i. As we age, the bones become more rigid and brittle. 2 & 3 depend on the flexing of the ribs. Does this mean that 2 & 3 become less available to the player as the player ages? Or do do the ribs REMAIN flexible if they are constantly flexed? So by NOT breathing deeply (using 2 & 3), do we gradually and completely lose much of our lung capacity.
Disclaimer: I am an analytical, inquisitive person, but no expert in this area.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-09-17 14:44
Gordon, thanks for your interesting and informative post.
I taught myself to breathe, having read a few woodwind books where they all talk about "breathing with the diaphrgm", and how your stomach has to move out when you breathe in. Unfortunately that's the only place I breathed to , so I'm only now learning to breathe into my intercostal rib area.
However, after years of breathing "deeply", my abdominal muscles are quite stretched and flabby. (Nothing to do with all the beer I drink either!) This causes me some lower back pain, and apparently isn't very good for my posture. I think the breathing that you described is a much better and more complete picture than the way breathing is often taught.
You said that "Since making these stronger I have reduced chronic lower back pain. Now I keep these muscles firmer and use the abdominal muscles a little higher up for breathing"
How do you go about making the muscles stronger? Have you got any specific excercises that you would recommend?
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Author: William
Date: 2004-09-17 15:14
And, BTW--during a clinic appearance by Larry Combs (Principal Clarinetist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra) at IMS in DesPlaines, IL, the first topic he addressed was the importance of playing from the bottom of your lungs. According to LC, the absence of deep breathing is the most common error he detects in younger players and is the first techique he works to develop with his own students. Why breath deep?? It's simple--the more air you have to play with, the longer and more consistant your phrases will be. It's like not running out of breath before being able to complete your thought and ending your sentence. Not to mention the improved intensity of your basic sound--like having enough paint on your brush for the stroke. Ever hear a violin student playing with only the middle portion of the bow--and the difference made by using full down and up bows instead? In case you havn't, the improvement in depth of sound and phasing is dramatic--matters of vibrato not withstanding.
So, my (tongue in cheek) bottom line is, as Star Trek's Spock might have said had he played clarinet, "Breath deep, and prosper"--musically, that is.
(Ok, Scotty, BMU to the practice room)
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Author: bala
Date: 2004-09-17 21:26
Thank you all so much for your great advice. I'm sure I will have many more as I come closer and closer to teaching!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-09-17 22:43
Wow Gordon!! I didn't read it all but I'm sure you are correct. My simple response is that your "belly" should bulge out when you inhale. This is hard for athletes to accept but I think it is so. You need a good supply of air so you can "phrase' properly. I think.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-09-18 01:08
BobD, what I labelled as "2" does not involve the belly bulge. I think it is largely 2 that with-it singing teachers are now advocating. BTW I too (age 56) noted that my belly was no longer support as flat as it used to be, and wondered if the belly breathing originally taught to me was a contributing factor.
I went to a very clued-up physiotherapist regarding chronic lower back problems. She convinced me that I had excellent development of the muscles used for movement, but very poor development of the around-the-lower-belly-and-to-the-back muscles which were vital for good back SUPPORT (as opposed to movement). Indeed I had come to use the 'movement' muscles for back support, a task they did poorly. This to the detriment of the strength of the support muscles. Of course, she had a lot of technical explanation, of which I understood little.
So this takes me to what Licourice wrote:
<<You said that "Since making these stronger I have reduced chronic lower back pain. Now I keep these muscles firmer and use the abdominal muscles a little higher up for breathing"
How do you go about making the muscles stronger? Have you got any specific exercises that you would recommend?>>
I was given some specialised exercises, which came from the repertoire of the experts in "palates". Your local physiotherapist could probably direct you to palates classes, hopefully with the attendant expertise.
The exercises were tricky. They had to be done exactly right or they were deemed to be of no benefit. I hated them because they put me in silly positions where I could do nothing else while I was exercising. I have now forgotten the details of them. After a while realised - with my typically analytical approach! - exactly which muscles she was targeting, and found I could tighten and exercise them while I was just sitting, standing or walking. I went back to the physiotherapist to demonstrate my finding. She was surprised, but confirmed that what I was doing was just fine.
Let me try to explain: While defecating (with effort) become conscious of muscles tightening in the lower back. They come, strap-like, around to the very bottom of the front of the belly. (of course a whole lot more muscles will be active at the same time.) I learnt to operate these alone, almost independent of the many other belly muscles. Now I can keep those back support muscles tight, while doing breathing involving the muscles ABOVE these support ones in my belly. The area enclosed by the front of my pelvis bone is tight and firm, while the REST of my belly is involved with breathing.
An added bonus is that I could look not too bad in Speedos again! :-)
I hope this helps a little.
Gordon
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-09-18 01:23
Liquorice - This office worker had to go to physio for injuries sustained at work, and the trainers taught me some specific exercises for the back and upper body as well as the abs. A couple of the ab exercises are: Lie on your back and draw up both legs, knees bent, feet on the floor. From that position, push the small of your back into the floor and then raise one leg at a time. Do this several times alternating with each leg, all the while pushing your lower back into the floor, until you feel some burning in the muscles. Increase the number of repetitions as you get stronger.
Another one is: start from the same position, with knees bent and feet on the floor, lower back pushed into the floor. With your arms at the sides, raise your head a couple of inches straight up without bending your neck forward - looking straight up at the ceiling helps to keep your head back - and allow your arms to slide forwards along the floor beside you. Not much apparent movement, but it's tough.
At the gym one of the weight machines has you sit on the bench then push forward into a chest-high weight, making your abs work as they push against the resistance of the weight. The machine right beside it works the lower back as you lean backwards against the weight. 40 - 50 repetitions of those several times a week make your clarinet playing a little stronger!
Breathing deeply into the tummy doesn't make the muscles loose - the act of pushing the air up and into the clarinet should tighten those tummy muscles with every breath. The floor exercises should help as well, as will swimming, etc. etc.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-09-18 03:54
The two exercises describe were among those I was prescribed. Pushing the small of the back onto the floor was an important part.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-09-18 08:50
Thanks for your suggestions. I'll try them out, and although it's unlikely that I'll be wearing a speedo in the near future, hopefully it will help my posture as well!
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-09-18 21:27
BobD, The image was only that, for muscle identification.
My mistake!
Instead of "While deffecating..." I should have written "tense the belly muscles that are used while deffecating, while operating some sphincter control!..."
I hope it was not too messy for you! :-)
But it is at least something to relieve the boredom when you there in the real. Ha!
Post Edited (2004-09-18 21:28)
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