AIR
Air moving through the reed causes the blades of the reed to vibrate; without those vibrations there is no sound. AIR is the essential element for making sound on the bassoon, and breathing is how we manage our air supply so we can blow the steady stream of air needed to play well. That makes breathing and blowing the two most important things we do as bassoon players. The way the air moves through the bassoon affects all elements of the sound. Strong breath support and control of the airstream are fundamental for good response, intonation, and tone.
KEY POINT #1: Start with an Exhale
Breathing out gets rid of any stale air in your lungs. “Stale air” is air with less oxygen.
- Breath Out: Exhale to get rid of the stale air in your lungs and make room for fresh, oxygenated air.
- Relax your neck, shoulders, and torso.
- Inhale easily while forming the word “how” in the back of your mouth and throat and let your body (belly, sides, back, and ribs) expand naturally as you fill with air.
- The abdomen (belly) and muscles of the abdominal wall (belly, sides, and back) should expand as you inhale.
- Relax and let this expansion happen naturally.
- At the end of a complete inhale, the lower part of your chest will expand, and your shoulders may move slightly. Make sure any motion in your shoulders is due to air pressure in the lungs and not tension in the upper torso.
- Exhale: The abdomen and muscles of the abdominal wall will contract inward as you exhale.
- Maintain an upright posture and let your spine support your skeletal structure, upright but relaxed.
- Do not let your chest or abdominal region collapse onto itself as you exhale.
Breathing Exercise: Feeling Expansion and Contraction as you Breath
- Place your hands on your sides between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips.
- Breath out until you feel like you don’t have any air left to exhale. Can you feel your stomach and sides shrink as you exhale?
- Breath in until you feel completely full of air. Can your hands feel the expansion in your sides and stomach as you fill with air?
KEY POINT #2: Fill up from the bottom to the top.
Think about filling a glass with water. The water collects at the bottom first and the water level rises as more water enters the glass.
Do the same with your air. Pull the air into the bottom of your lungs and let the air level rise as you continue to inhale.
KEY POINT #3: Inhale should be mindful but effortless.
- The harder you work to “take a good breath”, the more restricted your body will feel.
- If breathing makes you stiff or tense, let the air go and start over.
- Breathing should be a relaxed, natural activity.
- Starting with an exhale will help you relax for a good inhale.
- Once you develop good breath support and control of your airstream it will become the source of energy and stability in your sound.
- Let your breath energize your body, mind, and sound.
KEY POINT #4: Breath Support takes Effort!
The effort happens after you draw in the air.
- Awareness and muscular effort are needed to pressurize, direct, and maintain the airstream as you blow air into the bassoon.
- This muscular effort comes from engaging the lower abdominal muscles.
- If you feel pressure in your chest and/or throat you are working too hard. Back off until you only feel the engagement in the muscles of your lower abdomen.
- Support needs to increase as you reach the end of your air.
- When you start blowing after taking a full breath your lungs are full of air and the airstream is naturally pressurized. As you blow, the volume of air in your lungs decreases and the pressure naturally decreases. At this point breath support from your abdominal muscles is needed to maintain the pressure in the airstream.
- Maintain good posture as you exhale and prepare for another inhale.
- It is easy to let your upper body collapse along with the lungs as you use up your air. Don’t let that happen. Maintaining good posture as you blow (exhale) will make it easier to quickly and completely refill your lungs with your next inhale.
How to Breathe When Singing: Inhalation by Ronia Peterson
This video demonstrates three exercises to increase awareness and control of the muscles involved in breathing:
- Hand on your belly breathing.
- Breathing through your fist.
How to Breathe When You Sing: Exhalation by Ronia Peterson
This video demonstrates two exercises to increase awareness and control as you exhale:
- Opening the Rib Cage
- Keeping The Rib Cage Open as You Exhale
Breathing Exercises for Health and Wellness
The next two videos are focus on two helpful breathing techniques. Although they seem simple, they take some time to master. Ideally, you should practice both exercises about 5 to 10 minutes every day.
Out with the old, stale air and in with new fresh air. That’s the theme of two useful breathing exercises—pursed lip breathing and belly breathing. Like aerobic exercise improves your heart function and strengthens your muscles, breathing exercises can make your lungs more efficient.
Pursed Lip Breathing by The American Lung Association
This exercise reduces the number of breaths you take and keeps your airways open longer. More air is able to flow in and out of your lungs so you can be more physically active. To practice it, simply breathe in through your nose and breathe out at least twice as long through your mouth, with pursed lips.
Start by breathing in through your nose. Pay attention to how your belly fills up with air. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly and notice which hand moves as you inhale. Make your exhale longer than your inhale. Be sure to relax your neck and shoulders as you retrain your diaphragm to take on the work of helping to fill and empty your lungs.
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