Breathing : Something Useful

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Loren
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Breathing : Something Useful

Post by Loren »

We recently had a longish discussion on the topic of breathing for flute playing. Today while researching a tangentially related subject, I ran across a couple of short videos that I think may be helpful for those new to flute/whistle playing who are having difficulty managing airflow. The information and exercises in the videos may well have some benefit for those who have been playing for a while too.

Just a couple of things I’d like to mention:

1. The teacher in the video is a classically trained singer and a long time vocal instructor at one of the most well known and respected music colleges in the U.S., not some randomly chosen YouTube “vocal coach” of dubious background and experience.

2. Please note that in the first video there is no discussion about, or coaching to distend the belly in an effort to get a deep breath. I’ve discussed in previous posts why that’s not necessary and is, in fact, a bad idea and poor form. You can clearly observe that when she inhales she is NOT pushing her belly out.

3. Also note that there is no FOCUS on using the accessory muscles (intercostals etc) during the inhalation phase as a way to get a deeper breath. Yes, of course allow your rib cage to expand as you focus on breathing DOWN with the diaphragm, however you will notice the emphasis on the intercostals comes into play on the exhale, at which point you are focusing on using the intercostals to prevent the rib cage from quickly dropping/contracting, which would force air out of your lungs more quickly.

4. With flute we tend to talk and think about our embouchure size, and perhaps the size of the flute bore and tone holes as being the factors that cause us to run out of breath quicker than we like, at least this is true for those new to the instrument. I think the second video presented here makes it quite clear that running out air quickly has little (practical)to do with any of those things: count how long she sings and talks on that long breath keeping in mind she isn’t singing and talking through some tiny little dime edge size flute embouchure, but rather and open mouth. :shock:

Here are the videos, hope they are helpful to some.


Part 1:
https://youtu.be/6afe69QwA9E

Part 2:
https://youtu.be/eypESWrWPI4
cac
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Re: Breathing : Something Useful

Post by cac »

Loren, I've viewed both videos a number of times, and they make a great deal of sense, but I have a question about the first one which I'll ask below. I was going to ask you what is wrong with the belly going out when you breathe because virtually every internet article on diaphragmatic breathing mentions this, and I remember reading that the flutist William Kincaid (or another flutist of that era) recommended lying on one's back and putting some heavy books on one's stomach to learn how to breathe. However, I did find this article which (correctly, and I think you may have mentioned this on another thread) points out that it is very easy to make one stomach go out without even breathing at all:
https://www.rachelhamstra.com/blog/2017 ... -breathing

Now my question: it is very difficult (is it even possible?) to feel the diaphragm going down when inhaling, so how does one learn to lower it when one can't feel it move? I judge that I've taken in a goodly amount of air when I feel my ribs expanding and the chest cavity enlarging from the bottom up, but I'm unable to feel the diaphragm at all. Chet
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Loren
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Re: Breathing : Something Useful

Post by Loren »

cac wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 10:30 am
Now my question: it is very difficult (is it even possible?) to feel the diaphragm going down when inhaling, so how does one learn to lower it when one can't feel it move? I judge that I've taken in a goodly amount of air when I feel my ribs expanding and the chest cavity enlarging from the bottom up, but I'm unable to feel the diaphragm at all. Chet
The short answer is, it doesn’t matter if you can feel your diaphragm moving down or not, because as long as you are still inhaling, it is moving down.

That said, movement of the diaphragm can be felt, but it’s subtle sensation compared with the feeling of say, flexing your biceps and triceps. So, it’s bit like being able to hear the difference between a flute and a sax, versus being able to differentiate between the sound of two “identical” flutes, one made from Blackwood and the other of Boxwood.

The value of the idea to pay attention to your breathing and have the thought and intention to breath downwards is primarily to get you to do the correct and natural thing, by keeping you from doing the wrong thing. This is because most untrained, or poorly trained people will, when faced with the need to inhale quickly or under stress, take an unnatural, shallow breath from the upper chest, while simultaneously sucking in the stomach, which inhibits the lowering of the diaphragm, essentially ensuing shallow breathing. I believe this scenario is the genesis of the whole “move your belly out while inhaling” thing, it started as a well intentioned way to cue people away from sucking in their stomach while inhaling for singing and woodwind playing because, after all, one can’t suck in one’s stomach and inhibit the diaphragm while the stomach is being bulged out, can one?

So, from a practical standpoint, imagine breathing in and down, keep your abdominals engaged but not sucked in, allow your ribcage to fill naturally and when you feel full (of air) you probably are. It all happens quite naturally when we do something like running, we just find ways to interrupt the natural process and make things difficult when the mind gets too involved or unusual (situational) stress is applied.

If you are determined to be able to feel the diaphragm moving, spend 5 minutes a day working on mindful breathing and just keep paying attention to the sensations you feel as you inhale and exhale. The awareness will come.
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Re: Breathing : Something Useful

Post by cac »

Thanks once more, Loren. I will do the mindful breathing you suggest (I generally do something similar every day anyway in connection with yoga, but haven't focused on the diaphragm before). Are you familiar with _Breath_ by James Nestor? I'm about a quarter of the way through it but it is a very long book. Much about and of interest to runners. I'd like to know what you think of it, and, with reference to playing the flute, what you think about his idea that we should inhale less and exhale more to increase the carbon dioxide in our bodies (he writes about it in connection with running, but I'm curious to know if you see a relationship to blowing the flute).
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Loren
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Re: Breathing : Something Useful

Post by Loren »

I’ve not read the book, only a synopsis and a few reviews, but it sounds like BS to me, and like so many books these days, simply a way to make money by playing off the fears of the moment.

Is this guy the one primarily responsible for the utter ridiculousness that is the current trend of exercising while breathing only through your nose?? I mean like even running while only breathing through your nose. I have clients ask me about this and I see people doing it and I think “Here we go again....” I mean, after 40 years I’ve seen so many of these things come and go. In the last 2 decades the number of solutions that have been created for problems that don’t exist in the health and fitness industry is staggering. I see this as just another one of those.

Perhaps there’s value in the book for some people, time will tell.

Now where are all those barefoot runners I used to see after Born To Run came out......oh wait, their stress fractures are still healing.
cac
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Re: Breathing : Something Useful

Post by cac »

Yes, he's the one.
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Loren
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Re: Breathing : Something Useful

Post by Loren »

Well now I know who to blame :lol: so thanks for that.

From what I’ve read there doesn’t seem to be much solid scientific backing for most of what’s in the book. But without reading it myself and then doing the research I can’t offer any other insights. Well, except that I have yet to be passed by a nose only breather while out on a run. We have a lot of runners down here in Boston as you can imagine, and I’ve seen a fair number of the nose breathers, but none that were actually moving at a fast pace. I mean, how are you going to run at lactate threshold while massively restricting your air intake? Not happening. At least not for long :P
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