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Re: Trouble Sustaining Notes

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-12-14 03:08

The original description seems to indicate that you grab an ideal breath with maximum volume and get about 16 seconds of positive pressure out of it. On the face of it I stand by the assertion that that amount of time seems pretty normal. Perhaps there are some breathing exercises that you can do. You could start with an "incentive spirometer" to see where you are at and do some remedial training with it.

As for the idea that you can build up oxygen depleted air in your lungs while playing......YES! I encourage students to make taking a breath a quick two step process. When you go to take a breath, do a quick expulsion of what air you have left in your lungs first, and then follow that with a quick full breath. My tack is to always take a full breath, that way you are not constantly trying to calculate whether or not you've taken as much air as you need for the situation.

Finally, keep in mind that you'll get the most efficient, quick, direct airstream (what you want) with your tongue in the forward position (in the position as if you're saying "EEEEE"). The "Ahhhh" position is self defeating.

................Paul Aviles

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