When we say down low we mean down low. The muscles we want to use to control the air are around and just below our belly buttons, which we call Place #6.
If the air is up high within your rib cage the only way you can press to get it out is to use the muscles inside the rib cage and in the throat and mouth. How can you relax and use the flow of air to play when you can't get the air to flow!
If you inhale in a way that puts the air high in your chest first that is where your muscles will work to exhale.
Think of your lungs as being like a plastic bag full of air and you have gathered the top together so there is just a small opening.
The right way to breath can be described as holding the bag around the sides and pushing up from the bottom.
If you press the bag in the middle you get air pressure going up and down. This may be the single most common problem in horn playing. It causes all sorts of grief, from footballs (notes that are louder in the middle), missed notes, thin tone, endurance and intonation and tonguing problems.
This is why many players have all sorts of vicious tension in their mouths and throat when they play. You can't unclench when you use muscles up high in your body to work the air.
When you breathe in it is imperative that you make a deep oh sound. If you don't you won't get the air to the bottom of your lungs first.
Important note for advanced players: There are times when a high thin breath can help you make an effective sound - when you want it to be thin, perhaps to hide behind woodwind players. But you better have great control first and only do it when you want to produce a thin sound or you are going to develop lots of problems!
If the air is up high within your rib cage the only way you can press to get it out is to use the muscles inside the rib cage and in the throat and mouth. How can you relax and use the flow of air to play when you can't get the air to flow!
If you inhale in a way that puts the air high in your chest first that is where your muscles will work to exhale.
Think of your lungs as being like a plastic bag full of air and you have gathered the top together so there is just a small opening.
The right way to breath can be described as holding the bag around the sides and pushing up from the bottom.
If you press the bag in the middle you get air pressure going up and down. This may be the single most common problem in horn playing. It causes all sorts of grief, from footballs (notes that are louder in the middle), missed notes, thin tone, endurance and intonation and tonguing problems.
This is why many players have all sorts of vicious tension in their mouths and throat when they play. You can't unclench when you use muscles up high in your body to work the air.
When you breathe in it is imperative that you make a deep oh sound. If you don't you won't get the air to the bottom of your lungs first.
Important note for advanced players: There are times when a high thin breath can help you make an effective sound - when you want it to be thin, perhaps to hide behind woodwind players. But you better have great control first and only do it when you want to produce a thin sound or you are going to develop lots of problems!
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