TromboneChat

I was recording myself today -- I don't play very much anymore and record myself even less often -- and noticed that I couldn't hold a long tone without a rhythmic pulse being superimposed on the tone.

My breath control is terrible, I don't practice much, and in the years since I used to play more, I was a smoker for a while.

I'm trying to get back into it, my lungs are not what they used to be, but I am confused about this beating I'm hearing.

Have you experienced something similar?

I haven't experienced that myself, but as for heartbeat things, I know my heartbeat is visible on my ribcage if I lean back and stretch backwards over a chair.

My first suggestion is to see if having your heartbeat be audible in your long tones might change with posture changes.

I hope I don’t come off as an alarmist, but if you haven’t done so already, get a check-up from your doctor. Smoking has effects on the heart and vascular system, not just the lungs. Lack of regular exercise—playing the trombone is physically demanding, after all—can also have an effect.

Yes, most definitely have. I had some issues with this when coming back after being in the hospital for seven days due to pneumonia and flu. I had to really scale back long tones and work on a steady progression to avoid palpitation and pain associated with lung expansion. Been over a year now and still have some issues with it, but it’s getting better.

Honestly, if you are of decent endurance and don’t have issues with this during exercise, I would definitely speak with a doctor about it…

If it isn’t normal for you, than it isn’t right…

Thank you all for the thoughtful feedback!

My breath control is terrible, and I am due for a check up anyway, I appreciate the encouragement to bring this up, but thankfully after experimenting some more what I was hearing was apparently a weird side effect of the earbuds I was using to record. I can make it happen by moving my jaw around too.

Not to say my lungs are in good shape, but I think this was a weird side effect of monitoring via earbuds while I was playing.

That is unexpected but also can make sense!

hecanjog wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2026 3:40 pm

Not to say my lungs are in good shape, but I think this was a weird side effect of monitoring via earbuds while I was playing.

Marching band could help both being in shape and the side effects. <smiley>

(I've been watching DCI videos, because I'm marching a parade this weekend, and was having trouble with the horn bouncing on each step. It turns out I've been doing it wrong, no surprise. Their catch phrase is "get the feet out of your sound.")