[Trombone-l] Importance of Breath Support WAS: Valsalva

[Daryl Burch]

Dear Steve et al,
Well here's one I have to directly attribute to time in drum corps. Had 
it not been for the daily stretching and breathing exercises, coupled 
with light yoga techniques, I no doubt would have run into this 
condition.

As part of the daily regimen in the Boston Crusaders, we spent the 
first 10-15 mins. of each day's rehearsal (that could last sometimes up 
to 8hrs.) doing simple full body stretches and breathing exercises that 
relaxed the whole body and opened up the lungs for maximum intake.

It was also the brass instructors' mantra to disconnect breath support 
from phrasing. Some of the exercises were to take a deep breath and 
blow "through the phrase" applying it to 4 bar phrases and working up 
to 8 or 10 bar phrases. The point of the exercise was to keep the 
breath support solid, consistent and strong without being pinched. If 
we tensed up, the instructors would hear it and call us on it. Made a 
huge difference in how we approached playing.

These practices enabled us to sound 2-3xs the size we were while 
marching at 160bpm. (Maybe this explains my love of strong coffee & 
vast quantities of snicker doodles now.)

To this day, those techniques come into play every time I hit the 
stage. So much so, that I've been lecturing the trumpet player in one 
of the bands I'm in to improve his breathing to open up his sound and 
not sound so forced/pinched/squeaky/SMALL! (That one got his 
attention.)

He's also a long-distance bike rider and uses similar techniques on 
rides but NEVER thought to bring breathing with him to the horn.

So, to Steve's point, it really points back at the teacher to instill 
this approach. Fortunately for me, going into drum corps compounded the 
instructions of my junior high band director who used to yell 
"BREEEEEEAAAAATTTTTHHHHH!!!!!"  at the top of his lungs at us.

We spend a lot of time working on articulation technique and timber and 
worrying about which horn sounds better without paying much attention 
to the foundation that makes the sound in the first place: embouchure + 
breath support.  If you're not supporting your embouchure right with 
proper breath support a $5k horn can and often does sound like a $250 
Bundy.

{Not to offend any Bundy's out there. The one I started on in 5th grade 
is the one I used on my auditions and got me into conservatory. I 
didn't get the big guns till I got to school.}

  Anyway that's my $0.02 on why breathing is so important. (And if you 
don't, things tend to quickly go dark.)

Cheers!
-D-
www.radionoise.com <- Rock star by night
www.burchinteractive.com <- Tech-nerd by day #;-)


On Sep 18, 2006, at 10:29 AM, Steve Gamble wrote:

Hi Phil,



Valsalva is a completely natural bodily function.  It is a reaction to
various normal but strenuous actions.  Some people talk about it as
though it were some kind of disease.  It would be a disease if we didn't
have this function.  It becomes a problem in brass playing when a player
has learned an approach to playing that is strenuous in character.  The
trick to not triggering the natural tightening of the throat is to learn
a relaxed approach.  Somewhere along the way, your student's mind and
body have collaborated in believing that playing the trombone is
HAAAAARRD.  I don't remember a situation where I had to deal with this
problem in a student where it wasn't a result of mindless and careless
practicing.  I know this sounds a bit severe.  But since the solution
requires mindful and careful practice, anyone who is successful in
dealing with throat tightening will eventually see that, indeed, they
had been practicing inattentively.



To begin, you and your student must find a condition under which the
throat doesn't tighten at all.  No fudging.  In real life, a little
tightening might be something we can get away with, but in solving the
problem you have to start with zero tightening.  (Just like most
difficulties we encounter as we learn our instrument, to the casually
observing player, the symptoms of bad technique don't show up until long
after the point where the problems actually began; back where a problem
was the smallest and therefore the easiest to fix.)  Usually, that
beginning point from which he will progress is going to be something
soft and low (not strenuous).  Or it might not be playing at all if the
problem is severe.  Just find something related to playing where the
throat doesn't close.  This is where you start.  Every micro-step toward
conquering the problem must be built entirely on this beginning point.
No skipping.  No testing.  Just a steady methodical progression where
the student continues to relate the next step to the previous one.
(This is yet another description of what I mean by "do what you CAN.")
It is extremely important to keep priorities straight.  The old
successful things are always more important than what ever new thing has
you're attention at the moment.  New skill must be born out of old
successes.



OK, all that is very general.  Since you and your student are in the
'trenches' it'll be up to you to figure out the specifics that fit the
generality.



Here's a couple of things you can try, though.  While buzzing the mp,
have your student gently place his free hand just above his larynx.  It
is very easy to detect the slightest tension.  I find that consciously
relaxing the tongue (drool mode) can make the throat relax.  Try
glissing up, stopping at the point where the slightest tension is
detected.  (For some students this can be discouragingly soon.  You will
need to have your cheerleader hat on.)  Go back down in pitch just a bit
and, at that point (the point at which he is at the limit of his skill)
practice, practice, practice until it is very easy and natural.  Just to
clarify, 'easy' is the opposite of HAAAAARRD.  You can also substitute
change in dynamic for change in pitch in this exercise.



The other thing to try is related and uses an incentive spirometer.  I
have one that was designed to inhale through.  But if you turn it upside
down, the little ball will respond to blowing instead.  Put your
student's mouthpiece into the tube and have him very easily blow into it
to show how little effort is actually required to move the ball.  Now
try buzzing a note.  Typically, the student is very surprised to learn
how much unnecessary effort he is using to buzz the mouthpiece -- and
how little air is actually going through.  This is because the airway is
blocked somewhere, usually the throat.  You will also occasionally find
that the problem originates in the lips being pressed together too
tightly, with the throat tightening sympathetically.  Again the exercise
involves going to limit of where everything is very easy and successful
and NO further, and then spending a great deal of time at that level and
only going on when everything is EASY.



It is very important that this process of discovering the best starting
point be utilized at each and every practice session.  It won't be the
same starting point each time.  A starting place that was fine yesterday
or even a minute ago, may not be the best place to start right now.
Also the skill limit might change from day to day and moment to moment.
What matters is what is possible now, not what he could do yesterday.
Patience and consistency are absolutely essential.  The line into
whatever causes tension must not be crossed.  Then it won't be long
before closing of the throat is history.



Phil, if there's anything you'd like me to clarify, just let me know.
There's really no reason why anyone should suffer with this valsalva
thing.



Steve Gamble, Librarian

Tucson Symphony Orchestra

2175 N. 6th Ave.

Tucson, AZ  85705

520-792-9155 x118 office

520-792-9314 fax

520-991-7056 cell

sgamble at tucsonsymphony.org

www.tucsonsymphony.org





-----Original Message-----
From: trombone-l-bounces at maillists.samford.edu
[mailto:trombone-l-bounces at maillists.samford.edu] On Behalf Of Phil
Brink
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 3:52 PM
To: trombone-l at server5.samford.edu
Subject: [Trombone-l] (no subject)



Friends, boners and countrymen:



I have discovered a problem with one of my most talented students. Found
it

out today, in fact. He says [and his playing today gave evidence of
this]

that he has a problem with the so-called Valsalva maneuver. I have heard
of

this and I know that some fairly high-level players have suffered with
this

and have sought to deal with it. What I need to know are some remedies
or

coping strategies for Valsalva.



Huge thanks in advance for any experience, wisdom and/or advice.



Phil Brink



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