Breathing is the Key to Good Brass Playing

Because I haven’t changed anything in my routine this week, and I am trying to keep this blog regular, I thought I would post about what I feel is the most important aspect of brass playing, but that I feel is also neglected by a lot of players and is the root of most problems in people's playing.

Obviously, as a brass player I speak from my own experience, but as a teacher (in the classroom mostly, but also a teacher of brass to private pupils) I come across the same problems in others.  Players who have problems with playing loud, high or soft or with articulation or with tone, usually have inefficiencies or faults in their breathing.

There has been much discussion about this topic in the past, a quick ‘Google’ search for Arnold Jacobs yields hundreds of results, but still this is an issue for so many players – something many teachers and tutors also seem to neglect.  For me, the title of this post sums up how important awareness and understanding of breathing is.

Firstly, I would like to point out that for as many articles you will find online, or elsewhere, about the importance of good breathing for brass playing, you will most likely find just as many that contradict statements made in them.  One of Arnold Jacobs teachings is that over-thinking is just as bad, if not worse, than ignorance.  The detriment of over-thinking Jacobs labelled as ‘paralysis by analysis’ can have a negative on playing.  Instead of thinking about the music, we think about the science.  I feel that is you read too much about it you will do more harm than good.  What I am trying to do here is present an idea in a simple form that can be copied by a player, if they so desire, without too much thought.

My own approach to breathing is based on Claude Gordon’s technique.  His breathing mantra is quite simple – “Big Breath; Chest Up”.  Of course, the “chest up” is the antonym to much of the breathing techniques taught by those who say to use the ‘diaphragm’ to breathe properly.  Anatomically speaking, the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle and cannot control how we breathe.  For many years, in many circles, this has been the only approach to breath support that has been taught.  Although the statement is scientifically inaccurate, the sentiment is correct in that the support musculature for breathing is in the area around the diaphragm.

Claude Gordon acknowledged that this technique is inaccurate and so came up with his approach.  The muscles used to try to keep the chest up, are those around the diaphragm.  To begin to learn the “chest up” position, imagine puffing out the chest.  Develop this feeling by taking some relaxed breaths, keeping the chest in this position.  Now start adding force to the breath, during inhalation and exhalation, and learn how this feels.  For me, this “chest up” position feels like raising the abdomen towards the breastbone.

To develop the “big breath”, this is quite easy.  If you push the jaw forward slightly, which opens the oral cavity (a technique of Jacobs), and suck the air in until full you have taken a “big breath”.  Combining this with the “chest up” is the simplest form of Gordon’s breathing technique.  Gordon also has an exercise, that he easily extends, that develops this technique further and thus develops the players breathing efficiency.

Preliminary Exercise

This is a good way to begin learning the technique and can be a good exercise at the start of the day in which to ‘warm-up’ the breathing.

• 5 counts in – “Big Breath; Chest Up”
• 5 counts out – blow hard, completely empty
• Do this ten times in sequence

Developmental Exercise

• 5 counts in – “Big Breath; Chest Up”
• 5 counts full – keep the “chest up”
• 5 counts out – blow hard, keeping the “chest up”
• 5 counts empty – keep blowing, keeping the “chest up”
• Do this at least ten times in sequence

This exercise is developed by first increasing counts one at-a-time to ten, over a lengthy period of time.  Then do the exercise (from 5 to 10 counts) whilst walking, then jogging.

Application to the Instrument

When playing, the best way to use this technique is to replicate the inhalation (take a “big breath”, with the jaw forward, sucking the air in, filling up) and the exhalation (blowing hard, keeping the “chest up”).  Put simply, “Big Breath; Chest Up”.

For further reading into the Claude Gordon technique, refer to his book "Brass playing is no harder than deep breathing".

Also make sure to visit www.trumpetherald.com - a forum for trumpet players, with a dedicated forum to Claude Gordon.