 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: stellaroja
Date: 2006-10-28 03:49
Since you are all musicians, I am sure you will all be able to sympathize with my imposing issue. In the constant study to improve the many facets of my clarinet playing some of the perviously mastered (or at least do-able aspects of my playing) seem to fall by on the wayside. At this time I am finding it harder and harder to breath deeply and use my air...wisely? If anyone has any tips on how to breathe from my stomach, that would be wonderful. THANK YOU!
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Author: Cuisleannach
Date: 2006-10-28 17:49
My two favorite exercises.......breathe while lying on your back (and place your hands over your stomach) and find a baby and watch him/her breathe.
-Randy
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Author: jmberch
Date: 2006-10-29 05:13
hmm....lots of ways to help you....1)sit in a chair, bend down, and breathe in deep, make sure your hands are at your sides; this is how it should feel everytime you breathe (stomach=male, small of back=female) 2)stand up and put your hands on area (stomach or back) and breathe in deep. you should feel this area expand 3)get a straw and practice blowing through it...play as loud you can and as soft as you can (your not really playing, just blowing air)...you'll notice that (if you put your finger about an inch in front of straw) that no matter how loud you think your playing, your using the same amount of air, the pressure on your finger should be the same, the only thing changing is the speed of the air 4)practice without the straw on your own finger and try to get a compact and focused, this will improve your tone quality and help your breathing...hope this helps
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Author: 2E
Date: 2006-10-29 05:26
I dont know about using your air "wisely" but if breathing deep is the problem, maybe this exercise can help.
Set your metronome to something sensible, not too fast, just comfortable. Breath in for 2, Blow out for 2, Breath in for 4, Blow out for 2, Breath in for 6, Blow out for 2 etc. Likewise you can do the opposite in reverse, for example - Breath in for 2, Blow out for 2, Breath in for 2, Blow out for 4, Breath in for 2, Blow out for 6 etc.
This excersise gets you practising breathing in deeply and out quickly allowing the maximum flow of air possible through your instrument. You should have no air left in your lungs between each in and out - meaning youve gotta speed up! This exercise also helps you get comfortable, stay calm and relieve stress - I guarantee you you'll feel better. If you do this just for one minute a day before you pick up your clarinet, your tone will just be explosively awesome.
Good luck.
2E
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-10-29 15:02
Stand in front of a chair (as you'll probably get dizzy from so much air).
Bend forward at your waist until your upper body is horizontal. As you bend, breath out as much as possible. Your belly should be collapsed and pushed under your expanded chest.
Close your mouth and sinuses and stand up. You'll feel a vacuum in your throat, and your chest will be up and your belly pulled up and in. Keep your belly relaxed, so the weight pulls down and increases the vacuum.
Without moving, open your mouth slightly and let the air rush in, all the way to your hips. Let it expand your sides and back as well as your belly. (This adds at least 10% to the amount of air you take in.)
Fill up all the way, from bottom to top. As you finish, your chest will rise on top of the expansion underneath.
Purse your lips or put a length of drinking straw between them. Let the air flow out without blowing. Any muscle pressure should be down, not up.
Then do this with the clarinet. Blow just enough to have the pressure in your abdomen hold your ribs up, as if there were a bubble of air under them.
There's lots of good advice in this thread. Work on it for a week, and then tell us about your progress.
Ken Shaw
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Author: jez
Date: 2006-10-29 22:18
On the point of using your air wisely, I believe that, as the clarinet uses so much less air than some instruments, the problem is not so much one of running out of air, rather of constantly topping up the lungs with a small amount of fresh air and leaving a large amount of stale air, thereby eventually running out of oxygen. My advice therefore is occasionally at a breathing point to breathe OUT leaving room, at the next breath, to take in a better supply of fresh air.
If you get to a point where you feel you HAVE to breathe, try forcing out whatever air is left in the lungs before you do so. If you find there is still air left, then you haven't run out of air, your brain is telling you you are running out of oxygen, having left stale air unused for too long.
jez
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2006-10-30 06:08
yes..agree with Jez....very important to rid the lungs of toxic carbon dioxide. If not done, will lead to shallow breathing and oxygen debt.
Recently discussed in our wind chamber music group, where quite often everyone is breathing simultaneously. if two breath marks are close together, we've been experimenting breathing out quickly ONLY, on the first mark (to rid lungs of CO2) thus helping the intake of O2 at next breath.
This will contribue to easier long passages and smoother phrasing.
A repeated version of this (I'll call it "controlled hyperventilation") is used by sprint swimmers and runners, so that they can go longer and more comfortably on a good lungful of air and without rebreathing.
Next time you are underwater swimming or jogging, experiment with the difference between....
a) no forceful exhalation before a good deep breath and
b) several forceful exhalations before a deep breath.
Note extra distance gained comfortably with b).
NB. Please have life belt and ambulance standing by, in case you become over enthusiastic and always have someone with you.
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