Windpower
"When a man does not know what
harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind."
– Seneca
Just as gasoline fuels your car, wind fuels your instrument. Virtually every aspect of brass performance is related to the quality and efficiency of your wind production. Tone, intonation, articulation, endurance and range are all affected by it. The cheapest grade of fuel at the gas station will definitely make your car run, but it runs much more efficiently with the higher grade stuff. The idea is the same with brass performance, except that we can get the highest grade wind for the same price as the low-grade wind. Air is free! Use it up! Waste it! Use it to get your instrument running at its peak!
The first thing to do is to get your body prepared. If your posture is incorrect or if you are holding excessive tension, you will be using your lungs inefficiently and hampering your ability to produce a beautiful sound and the necessary technical abilities. Proper posture can be boiled down to three instructions:
- lengthen
- widen
- relax
Sit or stand as tall as is comfortable and widen the torso and shoulders, while allowing the arms to hang easily. Now relax. It is amazing how tension anywhere in the body will affect your breathing. Relax your feet, legs, buttocks, chest, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, neck and face. While standing, proper body alignment is achieved when you can draw a perfectly vertical line which bisects your ear, shoulder, chest, hip, knee and ankle.
When you take your breath, feel the wind rushing in past your lips. It should not feel distinctly as though it is rushing past your teeth or hitting the back of your throat. Concentrate on keeping an "OH" shape, sucking the air into your lungs as though you were whistling backwards. Your ribs were designed to expand, so allow them to do so. When you expel the air, blow easily from the abdomen without squeezing your chest. Your lips should be the first point of resistance to the wind as it flows out your body.
Your lungs, along with your heart, share the space contained within your thoracic cavity, also known as your rib cage. Calling it a "cage" is misleading because it brings to mind immoveable bars that confine and restrict your lungs. In reality, your ribs are like individual fingers which move up and out upon inhaling and then return to their original position upon exhaling. Trace along your own bottom ribs to become aware of just how low your lungs go. Realize also that your lungs do not strictly lie forward of your spine; in fact, at least half your air is drawn into the portions of your lungs which lie alongside your spine. This is what is meant when you hear the phrase "breathe into your back," to which you should add "breathe into your sides." Proper awareness of your lungs positions in your body will help keep you from breathing too shallowly. Be sure to fill your lungs completely!
Only a small amount of force is required to
produce the
sound
when exhaling. Imagine you have a lit match a couple of inches from
your lips. Only the smallest puff of air is needed to blow it out. Use
the same degree of wind to produce your initial attack. Within the
phrase, imagine spinning a pin-wheel with your wind. It should be that
easy!
Think of your lungs being divided into thirds. Breathe often enough to keep your lungs in the top two thirds of their capacity; in general, avoid getting into the final third of your fuel supply. More effort is required to blow as the lungs get emptier, since the body’s natural instinct is to suck in air when it is running out of it. When your lungs are full, there is a natural need to expel air, doing much of the work for you. In addition, it takes less time to fill your lungs if you are constantly topping them up, rather than having to inhale your entire capacity each time.
Some players try to hide the fact that they are taking a breath within a phrase, often resulting in clumsy and inefficient breathing (and phrasing). Your audience knows you are breathing! Make each breath as beautiful and as natural as any other note in the phrase. It’s part of the music!
Strive for the most efficient air stream with the least amount of effort. Along with a strong musical imagination, this provides the basis for great performance.