Posted by Roger Lewis on March 10, 1999 at 15:41:40:
In Reply to: Inhalation posted by David on March 09, 1999 at 18:14:03:
There are some very good things you can do to facilitate enhanced inhalation. Some tricks that I use:
1. When you take a breath, remove your lower jaw (lip) from the mouthpiece and use your whole mouth to take in the air. I've found that corner breathing only works effectively for instruments with smaller mouthpieces. Our challenge as tuba players requires us to get as much air as possible.
2. Say the word "hope" as you inhale. This will turn the inside of your mouth and your throat round, which will allow you to get more air in quickly. Remember, fluid mechanics dictate that things move easier through a cylindrical cavity than they do in an oblique channel.
3. As a training aid, as you inhale - focus on the sound of the air comming past the lips, not on the actual inhalation process. There is 'way too much to think about if you go to that level. Keep it simple and focus on the air at the lips and the inhalation syllable.
As to improving breathing function you can either go and buy a $5,000 spirometer or take up swimming. I recommend the latter. Go to the pool and see how far you can swim underwater each day. Practice this each day. If you are inhaling to full capacity you will find that after a session your ribs will be sore. This is because you are beginning to stretch the intercostal muscles between the ribs and they aren't used to this. If you are friendly with you family physician, have him run a spirometric baseline test on you before you begin your training regimen, and have him check it against the baseline every so often. You will see great results. My current numbers are: capacity - 127% of normal; exhalation speed - 123% of normal. The measurement that the rispiratory specialists base there numbers on is that, an average person, when asked to take a full breath, will only be able to fill 80% of their actual space. This then becomes 100% of function which means my numbers are actually around 95 to 97% of my actual capacity.
Sorry this got so long winded (oops), but I hope it helps.
Good luck to you in your efforts and keep us posted.
Roger Lewis