Air

[Savio]

Air! We often hear it is the secret. Often use as much as possible. Especially on bass trombone. I would throw in a stone and say it is the opposite. The secret is to use just enough for what we are going to do. If we use too much, our sound can be forced. Too little and it becomes thin. The common advice is to use as much as possible.

Even air flow regardless of articulation or dynamic is what I try to teach. I think Arnold Jacobs had a big point. You have to know what you are aiming for. Hope this will create some honest discussion because I am unsure what "lot of air" or "throw in a lot of air" really means?

Leif

[robcat2075]

I am unsure what "lot of air" or "throw in a lot of air" really means?

Those are vague and un-useful phrases, of which there are many in brass teaching. It is something a teacher can say and feel like they have given advice.

I think those directives are an attempt to remedy a tone problem. A small, unimpressive, tone problem.

However, my seventh-grade self would have heard those and thought, "Oh... play louder," and sounded no better for it.

The problem is likely something other than the amount of air used.

In the teacher's mind, using more air was the solution to his or her tone problem at some point, not fully recognizing other things they did that were the real cause of improvement.

Since we can never SEE the complete path of tone production we may develop imaginary notions about it.

"Support the tone from your diaphragm!" is a classic.

[Burgerbob]

Air is very much a Goldilocks situation. You need to use JUST the right amount for you and your instrument and your music. Any kind of Goldlocks thing is nearly impossible to teach, especially to young students that are barely figuring things out at all.

Since most early students are not using enough air and are compensating elsewhere in their bodies, the common refrain is to "use more air" to get them closer to the middle of the Goldilocks zone. I don't think this is necessarily problematic until it's applied as a panacea for all playing issues, which of course happens often enough.

I have definitely gone down that particular road a few too many times myself, including recently... but I've fallen on the wrong side of the zone just as often. It's definitely harder for some of us to make consistent than others.

[sirisobhakya]

I believe “enough air” means an amount that makes the wave reflected from the bell strong enough for the embouchure to lock in on a particular note securely. A horn with large bell is potentially an “air hog” since larger bell reflects the wave more weakly than smaller bell, requiring more air to feel and sound secure.

I note that for beginners, the amount of “enough” air is much more than that of advanced players, since advanced players are potentially more sensitive and can sense the wave more readily than beginners. Also, for young beginners, the amount of air they can put in a horn is already barely enough. So I would recommend beginners to use as much air as they can as long as their embouchure is not stressed and their body is not tensed up, and to try feeling the “focus” (the reflected wave) of notes. When they are used to the focus, they can then back off and use less air while maintaining that focus.

[LeTromboniste]

Air! We often hear it is the secret. Often use as much as possible. Especially on bass trombone. I would throw in a stone and say it is the opposite. The secret is to use just enough for what we are going to do. If we use too much, our sound can be forced. Too little and it becomes thin. The common advice is to use as much as possible.

Even air flow regardless of articulation or dynamic is what I try to teach. I think Arnold Jacobs had a big point. You have to know what you are aiming for. Hope this will create some honest discussion because I am unsure what "lot of air" or "throw in a lot of air" really means?

Leif

I agree with your post overall, except I'm puzzled with this:

Even air flow regardless of articulation or dynamic

I think I am not understanding correctly what you mean. How are dynamics created if not by changing the air flow?

[AndrewMeronek]

When I was teaching, and had young students who had obvious problems just blowing enough air, my phrase was not "use more air". It was "play louder". It seemed to work pretty well. It is a natural tendency for a lot of kids to be tentative.

With more mature students, an "air" problem I sometimes see is to decrease the flow of air during articulation, especially legato articulation. But this is a totally different thing.

[Savio]

Air! We often hear it is the secret. Often use as much as possible. Especially on bass trombone. I would throw in a stone and say it is the opposite. The secret is to use just enough for what we are going to do. If we use too much, our sound can be forced. Too little and it becomes thin. The common advice is to use as much as possible.

Even air flow regardless of articulation or dynamic is what I try to teach. I think Arnold Jacobs had a big point. You have to know what you are aiming for. Hope this will create some honest discussion because I am unsure what "lot of air" or "throw in a lot of air" really means?

Leif

I agree with your post overall, except I'm puzzled with this:

Even air flow regardless of articulation or dynamic

I think I am not understanding correctly what you mean. How are dynamics created if not by changing the air flow?

I believe I was thinking about legato. That the air should go out evenly. But i think also evenly with other kind of articulation? You are right, I should not have written dynamic. We have to change air stream when changing dynamics.

I teach a lot of children and right now I have a project with legato playing. Even air stream seems to be a problem for many?

[ghmerrill]

Those are vague and un-useful phrases, of which there are many in brass teaching.
...
The problem is likely something other than the amount of air used.
...
Since we can never SEE the complete path of tone production we may develop imaginary notions about it.

"Support the tone from your diaphragm!" is a classic.

Yes. Another classic is "fill the instrument with air". I remember being quite puzzled by this instruction as a young saxophone student since it just didn't make any sense to me.

There are a number of demonstrations readily available (and also a number of pretty goofy and misguided reactions to them) showing that the only function of air in playing is to create and affect the "buzz" (I.e., the vibration) that will resonate in the instrument -- and that this can in fact be done with NO air going into the instrument at all. Certainly "air flow" is somehow critical in this, but often not in the way people are inclined to think.

For what it's worth, here's my best take on it ...

I am unsure what "lot of air" or "throw in a lot of air" really means?

The lips “buzz” and so produce a vibration that is resonated/amplified by the instrument. A certain amount of air is required for this buzz/vibration, and to sustain it. This is what produces the pitch. You need to put enough air through the lips (roughly speaking) at any specific "tension" of the lips to produce that frequency/pitch. So simply producing the pitch requires “throwing” a certain “amount” of air (better: volume at a certain speed) through the lips.

The loudness of that sound (at that pitch) is affected by the amplitude of the vibrating lips (not the frequency – which sets the pitch). You need more/faster air in order to produce this higher amplitude (louder sound). Anything else in terms of description is pretty much a metaphor – which may be intended to help the player accomplish the desired goal, but may also be misleading in one way or another. The “support the tone from your diaphragm!” and “fill the instrument with air” are examples of these metaphors.

[blast]

Air is very much a Goldilocks situation. You need to use JUST the right amount for you and your instrument and your music. Any kind of Goldlocks thing is nearly impossible to teach, especially to young students that are barely figuring things out at all.

Since most early students are not using enough air and are compensating elsewhere in their bodies, the common refrain is to "use more air" to get them closer to the middle of the Goldilocks zone. I don't think this is necessarily problematic until it's applied as a panacea for all playing issues, which of course happens often enough.

I have definitely gone down that particular road a few too many times myself, including recently... but I've fallen on the wrong side of the zone just as often. It's definitely harder for some of us to make consistent than others.

THIS.

[tbdana]

The word that came to my mind while reading Savio's OP was "efficiency." A certain amount or speed of air is required for a certain situation. Whatever the minimum requirement is, that amount, and no more, should be used.

I'm coming from the opposite perspective of teaching kids. I'm coming from the place of a senior citizen coming back after having played in her youth. At this age, I simply don't have air to waste. I've had to learn to use what air I must, but not to waste a single molecule, and this turns out to be a great approach.

I think I'm echoing Aidan's "Goldilocks" approach, just not saying it as well.

[sf105]

I'm coming from the opposite perspective of teaching kids. I'm coming from the place of a senior citizen coming back after having played in her youth. At this age, I simply don't have air to waste. I've had to learn to use what air I must, but not to waste a single molecule, and this turns out to be a great approach.

Similarly. What did you do to make this work?

Thx

S

[Kbiggs]

My personal philosophy: I believe that addressing situations, problems, concepts, etc., from several approaches helps gain perspective, and you never know which approach will be the one that elicits the “Ah ha!” moment from a student.

Experimenting with different speeds of air flow away from the horn helps.* I’ve used pinwheels for little kids. For older kids, something like The Breathing Gym is helpful. David Vining’s books The Breathing Book for [tenor trombone, bass trombone, horn, bassoon, etc.] are very good for accurate information on breathing anatomy and physiology in an easy-to-read format. Vining also includes good exercises. You can find them here: www.mountainpeakmusic.com.

*One easy exercise is paced breathing. Start with a 4-count inhale, 4-count exhale. Then vary the count: 1 in, 4 out; 2 in 7 out; 1 and 8; 8 and 1, etc. Then vary the tempo. Walking while doing these exercises is especially good: your legs keep the pace so you can focus on breathing.

[JTeagarden]

In college, I came down with the flu, but needed (or probably wanted) to practice, and found that the diminished lung function actually greatly improved my sound, I was using too much air in producing my sound, and was unable to while sick.

There's for sure such a thing as too much air.

[RustBeltBass]

A lot of people of people talk about breathing, but in many cases more emphasis should be placed on blowing.

Heard that in an video with Ian Bousfield and that helped me a lot to this day.

[JeffBone44]

When I try to use "more air" or "a lot of air" I run out of air too quickly, which means that I need to interrupt a phrase in order to take another breath. So that can't be it. Instead, I think of air support, and using a large volume of air while not wasting it.

[TomInME]

"Air support" is an improvement on "use more air" but in my limited experience with younger players (and myself), bigger breaths are usually what is missing.

Before you can spend more, you need more income.

[GabrielRice]

Some of the thoughts that guide my playing and teaching, in no particular order:

In order to make the sound I want and have the facility I want, especially in the low register, I need to have a lot of air in my body. Like a well-inflated exercise ball.

Your lungs are in your chest. Nowhere else.

Air = energy. Take every opportunity to replenish that energy in order to make the sounds you want to make. Make every inhale count.

With all respect to Ian Bousfield, the idea that we blow into the trombone to make sound is not wrong...but it's dangerous. I can blow into a trombone all day long and make no trombone sounds. Air is the energy that feeds the vibration that makes the sound.

Visualize a bow on a string. It needs two things in order to make sound: MOTION and CONTACT. Those two things need to be in balance. Air needs to be in contact with the vibration, and it needs to maintain that contact while it's moving.

[GabrielRice]

And one more:

What needs to be open to take a full, fast breath is not the front of your mouth but the back. Inhale as simply as possible while keeping the lips as close to playing position as possible. There are a of of great players who don't do this, but paying attention to this aspect of efficiency was a game-changer for me.

Actually, one more:

Sometimes the above means breathing through my nose in various ways - as I'm starting a long inhale, in very short rests or between separated notes, etc. I've even found that sniff breathing is a gateway to circular breathing, which I started doing at some point without even entirely realizing it. Again, some will fight me on this, but I do it all the time with only benefits, no adverse effects. Both Doug Yeo and Chester Schmitz, formerly bass trombone and tuba of the Boston Symphony, inhale through their noses constantly. Chester is the most masterful circular breather I've ever witnessed. Norman Bolter does it too.

[tbdana]

In order to make the sound I want and have the facility I want...I need to have a lot of air in my body. Like a well-inflated exercise ball.

Air = energy. Take every opportunity to replenish that energy in order to make the sounds you want to make. Make every inhale count.

Keeping these principles firmly in my mind made a huge difference in my playing. Especially my jazz playing, which might seem odd. But with all that air/energy comes the ability to play anything you need to play, at any time, and with it the ability to go on in long phrases.

Prior to that I had been lazy breathing, taking in only enough air to get through whatever phrase I was about to play. When I made it a habit to take big breaths, the whole world opened up for me.

Sometimes the above means breathing through my nose in various ways - as I'm starting a long inhale, in very short rests or between separated notes, etc. I've even found that sniff breathing is a gateway to circular breathing, which I started doing at some point without even entirely realizing it. Again, some will fight me on this, but I do it all the time with only benefits, no adverse effects. Both Doug Yeo and Chester Schmitz, formerly bass trombone and tuba of the Boston Symphony, inhale through their noses constantly. Chester is the most masterful circular breather I've ever witnessed. Norman Bolter does it too.

It would be nice to be able to do that, but I have a very hard time breathing through my nose. I've actually considered surgery to correct it.

But on a good day, when my nose is cooperating, I find myself circular breathing and taking "sips" of air through my nose as often as taking regular breaths. I'm actually pretty good at circular breathing *if* I can inhale through my nose. And breathing that way (both nasal "sips" of air and actual circular breathing) is a very useful tool. For the life of me, I don't get why people with functional noses don't circular breathe all the time. It's a tool every trombonist should have in their tool box, and it helps other aspects of playing, as well.

[LeTromboniste]

I think the analogy of air being like the hair of a string player's bow is very good.

For me, air control is the no. 1 musical tool. Varying the amount and speed of the airflow is what makes phrasing, shaping, shading and changing tone colours possible. My approach is to really micro-manage the airflow and — rather than think in terms of a more constant, relatively large-volume flow — to constantly and drastically (but very purposefully and controllably) change the airflow to give each note its own shape, and its own role within musical gestures, which themselves have their own shape and their own role within phrases. This happens in conjunction with articulation of course, but articulation alone is not enough to adequately create this variety.

It requires having a very efficient buzz that is able to function on almost no air at all, and a very efficient and disciplined use of air, using never more than necessary for the desired sound.

[Savio]

I think the analogy of air being like the hair of a string player's bow is very good.

For me, air control is the no. 1 musical tool. Varying the amount and speed of the airflow is what makes phrasing, shaping, shading and changing tone colours possible. My approach is to really micro-manage the airflow and — rather than think in terms of a more constant, relatively large-volume flow — to constantly and drastically (but very purposefully and controllably) change the airflow to give each note its own shape, and its own role within musical gestures, which themselves have their own shape and their own role within phrases. This happens in conjunction with articulation of course, but articulation alone is not enough to adequately create this variety.

It requires having a very efficient buzz that is able to function on almost no air at all, and a very efficient and disciplined use of air, using never more than necessary for the desired sound.

I feel familiar with what you say! Air is the clue to make all this small neuances to change our tone and shape it like we want. It feel it doesn't necessary have to be that big change to make phrases sound like a story. But air is the definitely the clue.

I try to get my high register better but struggling. Found this video in my search and he have som good advices I will try. He speaks about "Wedge breathing" I think I understand but not sure. Anyone of you have more experience with this?


https://youtu.be/Ertdcy-oBYY?si=2RX2UvfCVF8BD57L

Leif

[timothy42b]

I've read that Science of Breath article he references, supposedly written by a yogi. I might even have it somewhere.

I suspect it's a mental image that works for him in the video, but may not be quite exactly what he's doing physically. He certainly has a solid double high Bb.

(Ramacharaka is one of many pseudonyms used by Chicago lawyer William Walker Atkinson.)

[Kbiggs]

I think the analogy of air being like the hair of a string player's bow is very good.

For me, air control is the no. 1 musical tool. Varying the amount and speed of the airflow is what makes phrasing, shaping, shading and changing tone colours possible. My approach is to really micro-manage the airflow and — rather than think in terms of a more constant, relatively large-volume flow — to constantly and drastically (but very purposefully and controllably) change the airflow to give each note its own shape, and its own role within musical gestures, which themselves have their own shape and their own role within phrases. This happens in conjunction with articulation of course, but articulation alone is not enough to adequately create this variety.

It requires having a very efficient buzz that is able to function on almost no air at all, and a very efficient and disciplined use of air, using never more than necessary for the desired sound.

Maximillien, you’ve noted elsewhere that you primarily play early music on pre-1750 instruments (sackbuts, sacbuts, saquebouche, etc.), and less and less on modern trombone. Because you work in both worlds (so to speak), what differences do you notice in use of air between playing an early vs. a modern trombone?

[LeTromboniste]

I think the analogy of air being like the hair of a string player's bow is very good.

For me, air control is the no. 1 musical tool. Varying the amount and speed of the airflow is what makes phrasing, shaping, shading and changing tone colours possible. My approach is to really micro-manage the airflow and — rather than think in terms of a more constant, relatively large-volume flow — to constantly and drastically (but very purposefully and controllably) change the airflow to give each note its own shape, and its own role within musical gestures, which themselves have their own shape and their own role within phrases. This happens in conjunction with articulation of course, but articulation alone is not enough to adequately create this variety.

It requires having a very efficient buzz that is able to function on almost no air at all, and a very efficient and disciplined use of air, using never more than necessary for the desired sound.

Maximillien, you’ve noted elsewhere that you primarily play early music on pre-1750 instruments (sackbuts, sacbuts, saquebouche, etc.), and less and less on modern trombone. Because you work in both worlds (so to speak), what differences do you notice in use of air between playing an early vs. a modern trombone?

That's a very fair point. They obviously react differently, and sackbut obviously takes less air, and is more responsive to a wider palette of articulations. I used to think I couldn't do the style of playing I do if I played modern trombone, but I've gotten recently convinced that I was probably wrong. I don't see any reason anymore to think the same basics don't apply, as there are modern trombone players who do this as well. I'll be re-acquiring a modern trombone actually, in the next couple weeks, and I'll be experimenting with how much my approach translates, and what tu need to adjust to make it work on modern trombone.

I can also see that it would work better on some modern trombones than others, but then that's an equipment choice. It's a choice to select equipment that doesn't let us use certain musical tools.