FINALLY-trumpet player acknowledges and corrects information gleaned from other players. The trumpet community needs this. I've always favored sit ups as great exercise to increase power AND CONTROL of airflow. Never got the word about the Ah EE tongue in combination with exhale push while maintaining a relaxed embouchure. Tried it and immediately left high C in the dust. Thank you for excellent and fun videos.
In fact, it is the same muscular mecanics involved in classical singing. In French, what you just described is called the "assiette", or the fundements of air flow control by the singer. I think that the way to build these muscles usefully is by copying what singers do almost everyday: vocalises. This is what I do anyway in my trumpet routine, as I used to also practice classical singing. Cheers!
The concept of „building muscle“ in connection with breath control has always been a bit troubling, at least to myself. I tried to „build muscle“ for most of the beginning of my career. I started to realize that this must be a misconception when my first son showed me that one could literally scream for hours on end, for weeks, and months!! and he was only one month old! (He had digestive problems, it lasted a few months.. but 28 years later, he is doing fine!) We don‘t need to build muscle to control the diaphragm, (.. or calculated release/control of air might be a better, non professional description) We need to train (or fine tune) the muscles we have, not through concentration on the building of certain muscles but by developing our concept of sound / music, through practice and experimentation! (we can influence our sound and musical concept, we can’t purposely influence the individual muscles involved: roughly paraphrasing Arnold Jacobs)
Thanks very much for this video. I'd add that when we are playing, we are doing two things with the diaphragm: we're first contracting it to inhale, then holding it in that contracted state while we are pressing with the core muscles. Of course, we eventually relax it to exhale remaining air naturally, but that depends on how much we expelled using the core, during the blow. (The diaphragm is basically a dome, and muscles contract -- they get shorter. When the diaphragm contracts, its fibers get shorter, and it pretty much changes from a dome into a flat disc, meaning that the top of the dome moves down, forcing the lungs above to expand and take in air. When it relaxes, its fibers lengthen again, restoring it to its dome-like shape, and the lungs go back to their relaxed, smaller shape.)
Another "diaphragm " myth among brass players is that rhe diaphragm is "involuntary" . Once we take conscious control of the breathing to play an instrument it is no longer involuntary during that activity.
Obviously we tell the body "breathe in" and the body goes "diaphragm moving", that's "voluntary" or at the very least "volitional". I think it's a word choice error. I think what really needs conveying is that the diaphragm isn't /isolated/? Maybe that's better.
@theKobus in any case, when manipulation of air pressure occurs while playing. The exhalation and inhalation actions are conciously controlled. This suspends or overrides the involuntarily diaphragmatic respiration of when breathing occurs without conscious action.
My favorite breathing exercise is a specific way to do the "yoga" measured breathing: done with the airway open the entire time. That is, when doing the "completely full" and "completely empty" counts, I'm still engaging all the muscles I need to inhale or exhale even though I can't do any more. This can't properly happen if the airway gets closed, which so many people naturally do in this exercise. If there is any question about which muscles you use during each phase of breathing, paying attention to how this feels will clear that mystery up quickly.
I’m loving these fun educated videos🎺👏👏 I’m a comeback player (15 year gap) and had lip surgery 10 stitches bottom lip but by using all these supporting elements it really helps with recovery time🎺bit like a golf swing using your core muscles 💪 Thanks for these (now saved) tutorials 🕺🎶🎶
I only discovered you today through a student, who questioned the previous video related to this one. I appreciate your willingness to amend your message. Would you consider the same with the previous video that overlooked the physics of the aperture formed by the lips?
Upon inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and flattens and the chest cavity enlarges. This contraction creates a vacuum, which pulls air into the lungs. Upon exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes and returns to its domelike shape, and air is forced out of the lungs...
I have watched loads of similar content videos and dvds by well known trumpet players but I still fail. I attended a master class by Haken Hardenberger over 30 years ago and he demonstrated playing a high note. He sat in a chair (the usual plastic and metal one used in say, a village hall) on a laminate floor and had someone hold their fist and straightened arm against his tummy. Then he played the note and was propelled backwards across the floor as the chair skidded across the slippery surface. I just play for fun these days and have lost interest in trying to achieve what for me may be an unattainable goal due to my natural upper lip formation. I base this on the book The Balanced Emboucher by Jeff Smiley.
You're definitely being too hard on yourself. All of your content is excellent and you are clearly a great teacher. I do appreciate the comprehensive deep dive into respiration and physiology though.
When you are physically active, your abdominal muscles contract and push your diaphragm against your lungs even more than usual. This rapidly pushes air out of your lungs.
'Brass Master Class - The method for brass players' by Malte Burba. Maybe you've heard of him. He explains the anatomy, physics and biology for playing the trumpet. One of the best explanations I've came along so far! Check him out, it's worth it. It would be very interesting having your oponion on that! It's at least very interesting information for all trumpet/brass players. I recommend reading it.🙂 🎺🥳
But ANY effort can be done with varying intensity. That includes the exhalation action. It isn't necessarily "quick" or "forceful" it may need to be less intense depending on the air pressure required for the dynamic we are playing. Thanks for having an open mind. Now perhaps you may explore and reverse on other brass-player myths, such as the air-speed = pitch trope. All the best to you.
@@deezashmeeza3062 I'm curious. What is your "recent understanding" based upon? Did you somehow actually measure the "air speed" at some place in the sytem ? Or did you simply accept some player's verbiage? Also, what was your previous understanding of the cause of the frequency of tone before you were enlightened about air speed = pitch ? Thanks.
@@darryljones9208 I dont really believe i have any understanding of the science of creating a tone. Just a player's verbage basically. I have heard that faster air creates a higher pitch and slower air for lower pitches. Would be interested in another view point on this if you have any videos online or material would like to suggest
Nope, you STILL have it wrong. Exhalation involves the intercostals, the parasternals, the scalene and to a small extent, the neck muscles. Using the abs and the lateral obliques(!?) will only create dynamic tension which does not move air. If you're really interested, quit talking to trumpet players and talk to medical people... or find a first-gen student of Arnold Jacobs.
Ayyeee im early lol i love your videos. Greeaaatt teacher. I recently did a recording of “Gone Too Soon” by Michael Jackson on my page, and I would love if you give me some feedback and criticism
