circular breathing?

[jonathan_matos5]

do you do it ?

ive had people ask me how i was doing it and couldnt quite explain

how would you explain to sombody how to do it?

[sunburstbasser]

The only way I've heard it explained is to fill up your cheeks with air, then bring your cheeks back in to exhale that air WHILE you breathe in through your nose.

[thenagus]

^yeah. I can like maintain a constant stream of air on on my hand or something by doing that. but I've never managed to do it with enough power to be useful playing the trombone. What instrument do you play?

Theres a reasonable explanation on wikipedia:
The person inhales fully and begins to blow. Once the lungs are nearly empty, the last volume of air is blown into the mouth, and the cheeks are inflated with this air. Then, while still blowing this last bit of air out by allowing the cheeks to deflate, the person must very quickly fill the lungs by inhaling through the nose prior to running out of the air in the mouth. If done correctly, by the time the air in the mouth is nearly exhausted the person can begin to exhale from the lungs once more, ready to repeat the process again. Physiologically, the process is similar to drinking at a water fountain and taking a breath of air while water remains in the mouth, without raising the head from the water stream. The body "knows" to not allow water into the lungs. It is this same instinct that a circular breather taps to play their instrument.

My aunt (oboeist) can do it, and she's always said the best way to learn how to do it is by practising maintaining a water stream like that...

[jonathan_matos5]

Originally posted by thenagus
^yeah. I can like maintain a constant stream of air on on my hand or something by doing that. but I've never managed to do it with enough power to be useful playing the trombone. What instrument do you play?

Theres a reasonable explanation on wikipedia:
The person inhales fully and begins to blow. Once the lungs are nearly empty, the last volume of air is blown into the mouth, and the cheeks are inflated with this air. Then, while still blowing this last bit of air out by allowing the cheeks to deflate, the person must very quickly fill the lungs by inhaling through the nose prior to running out of the air in the mouth. If done correctly, by the time the air in the mouth is nearly exhausted the person can begin to exhale from the lungs once more, ready to repeat the process again. Physiologically, the process is similar to drinking at a water fountain and taking a breath of air while water remains in the mouth, without raising the head from the water stream. The body "knows" to not allow water into the lungs. It is this same instinct that a circular breather taps to play their instrument.

My aunt (oboeist) can do it, and she's always said the best way to learn how to do it is by practising maintaining a water stream like that...


i play trombone too and i could only play softly while using circular breathing. anything loud and i have to either breath during a break, or break the note/ passage to take a breath.

[thenagus]

I find that even when I play softly enough for it to work, it's very clearly audiable when my lungs take over from my cheeks, almost so much so that it sounds like a new note starting. Then again, I've never put a great deal of work into learning to do it smoothly.

[jonathan_matos5]

Originally posted by thenagus
I find that even when I play softly enough for it to work, it's very clearly audiable when my lungs take over from my cheeks, almost so much so that it sounds like a new note starting. Then again, I've never put a great deal of work into learning to do it smoothly.


it took me a year to get it down. i only used it to piss off the band director he would say play and hold out this note as long as you can and i would play for five minutes or until he stopped me :D i t was fun being the only one still playing and my volume never changed from lack of air

[soundministries]

As the only tuba player when I was in college it was very beneficial for me to be able to circular breath especially on the slower lyrical pieces where I had constant long tones but I was only able to do it on long tones. Try as I might I was never able to get it done on moving lines. Can't do it any more though. I was able to get a pretty good sound when I did it.

[jasper383]

Listen to trombonist Bill Watrous. You can hear him breathing through his nose while he's playing.

[Expressions]

If you've ever seen Blast, when they play maleguena, I think it's a baritone (haven't seen Blast in a while) plays a note for about five minutes straight!

Awesome, and I wish I could do it. Any tips, PM me.

[KeysBear]

I play sax, mostly tenor. Same goes for me that I can only keep a sustained note if it's soft. :cool:

[Kuhnfyoozed]

I play tenor sax and the whole idea confuses me. :(

Sounds useful though.

[trumpetfire07]

when i try to explain how to circular breath, i tell the person to store air in their mouth while they breath in through their nose.

the last person i tried to explain that to actually got it.

[rogersdrummer18]

i "figured out" how to do it last year when i was a senior in highschool, and everyone else in my section got really bitchy because they thought it was cheating that i can play a note a lot longer than them:mad: .
BTW, i play the flute and picc. so wheni do it i can keep it loud and sustained because flute doesnt require as much air as many of the other instruments. although on picc. i can only do a soft sustained note because it takes a whole helluvalot more air to keep it up.

[ryanizzle]

i'm working on this right now! hopefully i will be able to sustain a low A on my bari sax

[jonathan_matos5]

it takes alot of air to play the bari anyway good luck