Posted by Roger Lewis on February 03, 1999 at 22:13:49:
In Reply to: Question: Circular Breathing posted by Robert G. on February 03, 1999 at 21:59:43:
Oh, yes, it's quite possible. I've been at it for about 25 years now and it comes in very handy. Chester Schmidt is probably the master at this technique and it lead to his development of the concept of continuous air flow which is quite remarkable.
Start working on only one note. Get it to the point where the changeover is as subtle as a bow change on a stringed instrument. One word of caution: be very careful that you do not get into a habit of closing your throat as a basis of air flow. It can creep into your playing so easily when you are focusing your attention on the process and then it becomes dificult to re-learn the proper feeling you should have under the normal air flow process.
You need to have clear sinuses and good air flow through your nose. AS you are playing a note, you do two things at once. You lallow your cheeks to expand as a reservoir of air, then breathe in through your nose while using the air stored in your mouth to continue the pitch. With practice it becomes a very useful part of your "bag of tricks". One of the main places I use this technique is in Til Eulenspiegel, the high A after the monsterous run. It allows you to make full use of the crescendo that's written in an audition environment.
Stay alert to the pitfalls and practice it on a single note to start. You can even double tongue while circle breathing with enough practice.
Good luck.
Roger Lewis