 The Fingering Forum
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Author: crab face
Date: 2005-11-11 00:45
If you have a small body, does it mean that you hve a small diaphragm? And does that mean that you won't be able to hold notes as long as people with bigger bodies?
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Author: Flute472
Date: 2005-11-11 01:00
Well, technically I guess it's true you if you have a small body, you would have a smaller diaphragm compared to a person who is a bit bigger than you are.
But as for holding long notes, I don't think there is a difference. It's actually comes down to how well you use your diaphragm. I have a friend who is a little shortedr than I am and he can hold a note longer than I can.
What he does is he swims alot and keeps his body in good shape, which is what I'm doing now. So, my advice is, go swimming. I can't swim cause I'm hydrophobic.....hehe
Hope this helps
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Author: hautbois
Date: 2005-11-11 10:23
It's simply a myth. Well at least for now there is no scientific prove to say that. But it's generally nonsense to say that a person will play better if he is huge or whatever physical stature he might be in. So no worries.
Just practise and practise and practise and...you get my point.
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Author: crab face
Date: 2005-11-11 12:14
ARRGHH... I hate exercise. I HATE exercise..... You have no idea how 'good' my stamina is.. About what you said, Flute472.. Two people in my section are extremely short. One can play, one can't. How come? I mean I'm just wondering la, but how do you use your diaphragm to its best? Practise or skill? When I use my diaphragm, it hurts after awhile, or I'm Its too tired to be used. Hehe. Am I weird?
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Author: Mary
Date: 2005-11-11 15:10
You can't actively engage your diaphragm. It's an involuntary muscle.
What you CAN do is develop your lung capacity, which will help your stamina and ability to hold notes longer. You can do this through practice and exercise. You don't have to be a marathon runner, though. Just don't be a lazy bum.
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Author: Koby Tek
Date: 2005-11-11 20:02
Several months ago I posed that exact question:Whether or not being physically fit would improve one's ability to play a musical instrument.To my surprise I was told that it did not.I really feel that being physically fit does help a person to play an instrument.Aerobic exercises such as sprinting,swimming etc.build the heart and lungs and anerobic exercises such as bodybuilding,weight-resistance training build and improve the muscle and skeletal systems.So while practice,practice,practice is greatly encouraged don't forget to hit the gym.Both of them combined will just make you a better performer.........and you'll look and feel better too.
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Author: TorusTubarius
Date: 2005-11-11 23:06
Well, I think we're getting a little confused here with our terminology. I think what you're talking about is lung capacity, not diaphragm size. The diaphragm is simply the muscle at the base of the thoracic cavity (chest) that upon contracting pulls down, thus increasing the volume of the cavity and consequently expanding the lungs.
And yes larger people will have a slightly higher lung capacity than very small people just because of the overall reduction in size of every body part, including the thoracic cavity. Also, males tend to have a larger lung capacity than females. However, this does not necessarily mean that someone with larger lungs will be able to hold long notes longer than people with smaller lungs. There are several other factors you have to keep in mind in addition to mere size such as how efficiently they are taking in air and how efficiently it is being used as it travels down the instrument.
A couple years ago on here we had a discussion about the diaphragm that sparked a heated physiological debate. So I will just rehash some of it here.
For some reason the idea that the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle seems to have been going around the music world for some time. And although most of the time the diaphragm does contract without us having to actually think about it, the diaphragm is in fact a voluntary muscle. The fact that you can breathe in on command demonstrates this. The reason it operates throughout the day without us having to consciously make it do so is because the respiratory centers in the brain continually send out signals to make it contract regularly. Thus the diaphragm is a voluntary muscle acting in an involuntary manner, until we actually decide to take control of our breathing and override the signals originating in the brain stem at which point it truly is acting as a voluntary muscle.
Anyway, a little bit of respiratory physiology trivia for you.
And I have to agree with Koby about being in shape helping you to play an instrument. That isn't to say that an out-of-shape person couldn't play well, but it seems to me like he would have an easier time overall if he weren't having to fight against both the instrument <i>and</i> his own body. This is probably more true on instruments that require a greater amount of physical exertion to play (i.e. the oboe).
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2005-11-12 13:47
It's all about practice! I have a friend who is 90 pounds soaking wet and she can blow on bari better than most people.
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Author: crab face
Date: 2005-11-13 12:31
Hautbois who ya talking to?
ARRGH....... I do a little weight lifting every night. Dumbells!!! Does that count? I dont do any jogging, push ups or sit ups because I'm too lazy to. Can I improve my lung capacity thingy by constantly breathing in deeply? Will I get a heart attack by doing so?
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Author: Flute472
Date: 2005-11-14 02:15
There is a technique in Trevor Wye's Practice Book for flute. This is where you lay flat on the floor and place a thick dictionary on your stomach and you breathe in and out. This helps to exercise your diaphragm muscles as you need to really push the dictionary outwards when you breathe in and this will help you increase the amount of air you take in and it also helps with your support.
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Author: hautbois
Date: 2005-11-14 08:33
To you of course....haha....what instrument do you play? Although breathing can be learned with a general way on all instruments, there are some specific rules that govern how you breath in each particular wind instrument. Trevor Wye's ideas on breathing are very good but might not work as well for you if you are not playing the flute. No you won't get a heart attack from all those. Haha.
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