 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ginny
Date: 1999-03-04 16:06
So, should I be out of breath after playing a page or two of Rubank advanced book I duet stuff? How do people play a whole concerto?
Is it from my excitment or failing to breath? Tension? Normal beginner stuff?
Do any of you run or do anything else to improve capacity?
Remembering to take a breath before mother nature speaks up?
Before you all ask? I play a Buffet Festival, Vandoren B-45 mp with a Vandoren 2.5 reed.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 1999-03-04 18:16
I have been playing bass clarinet, which takes more air than a clarinet, as an amateur for many years. I haven't done anything special, but I notice that from my experience alone I can sustain tied notes significantly longer than the college student who also plays bass clarinet in our community band. I believe that one of the benefits of playing a wind instrument is that it increases your lung capacity.
One other tip - don't smoke.
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Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 1999-03-04 18:57
I have a couple of comments to make on breathing:
1) Play long tones every day. Try playing 16 counts with your metronome set at 60 bpm. First try just sustaining a beatiful tone at mp or mf. Later start at pp and crescendo to ff over 8 counts then dim. over the next 8 to ppp or morendo - hold the tone out until it dies away gracefully (don't worry if you go over the total 16 count - this is good!).
2) make sure you are breathing from the bottom of your lungs. Too many beginners (and intermediates) breath too shallow. When you take breath, you should *see* your stomach expand - that's your diaphram pushing the stomach out of the way. You need to get the air down there my the diaphram so your abdomen muscles can do the work of pushing it back out. Then PUSH. Think of pushing you stomach down and out - this forces the diaphram UP. The key is *control* - not neccesarily blowing hard.
Remember that breathing while playing a wind instrument is not the same as just breathing - you have to train your muscles to do it properly. A good exercise to do anytime (without your instrument) is to take a deep breath over 4 seconds then release it slowly (controlled) over the next 16 seconds. Repeat several times. This exercise works especially well if you are taking a walk around the block or between classes or at the mall, or wherever.
With breathing exercises and long tones (don't forget - every day!) you will notice your lung capacity and control over your air stream increase greatly.
Kevin Bowman
Clarinet and Saxophone Instructor,
Rochester Conservatory of Music, Rochester, MI
and
Saxophones, Clarinet, and Keys,
B-Side Blues Project
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Author: Joris van den Berg
Date: 1999-03-05 00:23
A simple exercise to check if you're breathing the wright way is to stand with your back to a wall, your feeth touching it, and your shoulders leaning against it.
In this way you can't breathe wrongly, because your shoulders would lift if you would (which they can't because they are against the wall)
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Author: Lelia
Date: 1999-03-05 00:48
I'd add to these good suggestions that it helps to set aside some time to put the clarinet in its case and go out for a long walk or run, or a bike ride, or a dance class. Any aerobic exercise that improves general physical fitness and strengthens the cardiovascular system will benefit a windplayer.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-05 04:12
It addition to learning correct breathing, it helps to learn how to stay calm even with difficult music or music with long holds. If you get too excited or nervous, the body will use air much faster and you will run out. Scuba divers are especially trained to watch out for this as you don't want to drain your tank dry when you're deep below the surface!
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-05 04:12
My instructor tells me that it's common to take a breath every four measures (subject to the musician's discretion of course). Quarter rests are a great opportunity to come up for air. Between phrases you can generally figure out a way to sneak one in. Likewise at a repeat sign.
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Author: Nicole Y.
Date: 1999-03-07 19:03
I'm taught to stagger breathe. Meaning you sneak a breath between counts 2 and 3 of a full note or in between couts 1 and 2 of a half note. It works great for my band because 10 different clarinets do not breathe exactly at the same time and it sounds like you never stop playing for air!
Nicole Y.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-07 19:09
Nicole Y. wrote:
-------------------------------
I'm taught to stagger breathe. Meaning you sneak a breath between counts 2 and 3 of a full note or in between couts 1 and 2 of a half note. It works great for my band because 10 different clarinets do not breathe exactly at the same time and it sounds like you never stop playing for air!
--
That obviously only works in a band setting - not an orchestral or solo piece :^) In some of my pieces I have to put the breath marks in to remind me to breath or I'll forget - which is embarrassing when you can't fininsh the next phrase.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-07 19:54
Nicole Y. wrote:
-------------------------------
I'm taught to stagger breathe. Meaning you sneak a breath between counts 2 and 3 of a full note or in between couts 1 and 2 of a half note. It works great for my band because 10 different clarinets do not breathe exactly at the same time and it sounds like you never stop playing for air!
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This is appropriate only for certain types of music. It is very effective when the music needs to be an unending block of sound. However other compositions are built around phrases and even if breath marks are not indicated, it won't sound right if you don't breath at that point. i.e. The music needs the gap resulting from "shortening" the last note to get that breath.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-09 05:49
1)How about reading what Michel Debost(a famous French flutist now living in Oberlin,U.S.) talks about:
http://www.oberlin.edu/~mdebost/
(See Flute Talks in this page,especially March 1994 article)
2)Special exercise to lengthen breath ability exists among singers.If there are any opera singers near you,they can teach you.(Too lenghthy to write it down here).
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