 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TianL
Date: 2011-01-08 07:59
I've been having this problem recently. Here is the dilemma I'm having:
- if I use up all the air I have before taking a new breath, I soon get very tired because the time between each breath is too long.
- if I breath more frequently then I must release the leftover air.. and I'm not sure how to deal with them. I tried to release it through the corners of my mouth or through my nose but I feel that both ways it makes a lot of noise.
- or another solution would be not taking full breath when I breath in.. but this doesn't sound right.
Anyone has / has had similar situations? and how do you guys deal with it?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-01-08 08:21
Oboists have this to deal with all the time as breath resistance is so high - obviously you will need a good lungfull of air anyway, but any excess should be breathed out before taking in a fresh breath.
So if you have to exhale any excess air, do this where you'd normally take a breath (where musical phrasing dictates) - so breathe out the stale air through your mouth then take a fresh breath in.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-01-08 09:07
Exhaling is even more important than inhaling as you'd do the latter automatically anyway.
The more you concentrate on breathing, the worse it gets. Just focus on other things until breathing has become more natural. Been there...
--
Ben
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Author: srattle
Date: 2011-01-08 11:14
Hi Tian,
I also used to have problems with this. Any other advice here could be more interesting than what I have to say, but this helped me personally with this problem.
I found that I could usually get 'rid' of my air actually through the instrument, and that most of the trapped air was there because I either wasn't using my air quick enough, or I wasn't rationing it properly.
What I then did was quite simple. I starting thinking about using more air for a specific passage (a little more technically, I was trying to use more air with a much faster air speed). For me, this simple act of thinking this way helped me control the amount of air I was using actively, rather than letting the air stream control my playing.
I find, if relaxed and focused, the clarinet can really take a lot of air before it starts to sound bad, so rather than finding ways to get rid of the air externally, first try using it constructively.
This might not work for you, you might have another reason for having excess air, but it helped me
good luck
Sacha
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-08 15:17
First off, try to only take as much air in as you need for the passage instead of always taking in as much as possible. In sustained passages you have to pace your breaths so you don't have too much excess air left before taking in your next breath. You could also practice exhaling quickly a few minutes a day without your clarinet. All else fails, try selling it on E-bay :( ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-01-08 16:44
I think that our "old" air picks up a high level of carbon dioxide and becomes so polluted that it doesn't help any more and therefore has to be eliminated.
I, too, find myself with lungs full of bad air; and treat it like Chris P advised.
I'll add "Avoid Excessive Air Intake" to my to-do while playing list...
Bob Phillips
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2011-01-08 17:16
This should really only be an issue in those stretches where you play seemingly forever without a real chance to stop, breathe and reset. Places like the 2nd movement of Rach 2nd or those long sections of concerti where all you get are quick catch breaths. In these passages I need to go as far as comfortable, using up as much breath as I can, then get as big a breath as time will allow when I can. I find I need to plan those breaths carefully when I practice - I can't do it reliably on the fly.
For other situations where I have a beat or two (or more) of rest or phrase-able long notes fairly often, I exhale and inhale quickly when the opportunity comes. If rests are too close together I may skip inhaling until I've used enough of the air in my lungs to make a fresh breath comfortable, still exhaling what's left first if there's time. The important thing is that in any passage where breath becomes a problem - too much left or not enough to make it to the end of the phrase - planning the breaths in advance can avoid most of it. I may need to adjust my plans if it turns out that actually playing the passage in an orchestra or with an accompanist in rehearsal doesn't work out as I've expected.
Karl
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2011-01-08 19:53
I had this problem several years ago. Learning some yoga breath technique and using a more open mouthpiece solved this problem. What is your setup?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-01-08 20:02
Get older like me, and you won't have any excess air to worry about.
Or compress the excess air and sell it to Roberts Oxygen or some company like that, for re-use in hospitals or wherever.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2011-01-08 21:15
Feeling a bit sorry for William's dog. I guess that's why they're called Man's Best Friend. Who else would take the rap for something like that??
Maybe I should get a pet mouse so that I can blame the squeaks on something other than my reed?
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2011-01-08 21:31
I stopped having this problem when I switched to a less resistant mouthpiece & reed combination. There are rare instances when I do feel this feeling...in string transcriptions with no breath marks...etc, but it's manageable.
In response to #3 - Don't fill up the tank to full all the time...to where you feel almost too full of air. I definitely adjust how much air I take in to how much I need in a certain phrase.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2011-01-08 23:14
"The more you concentrate on breathing, the worse it gets. Just focus on other things until breathing has become more natural."
Ditto on that. We as clarinetists tend to overanalyze just about everything. Your body knows how to breathe, all by itself. Sometimes unlearning all the ways you're trying to force your breath can help the situation dramatically.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: TianL
Date: 2011-01-09 00:32
guys, thanks so much for all the great suggestions so far!
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