[Trombone-l] Altitude vs Lung Capacity?

[Daniel Pliskin]

I used to do a lot of high-altitude skiing, in The Rockies.  Normally, my rule of thumb is that if you lose your breath up high, you'll just need to ski, out of breath, down to 9000 feet, where you'll be able to catch your breath again.  

But one year the altitude was getting to me so bad that I needed to take a nap at the top lodge, at 11000 feet.  After that, about an hour of sleep, the altitude didn't bother me at all.

As for the air at higher altitudes, yes, there's less oxygen.  But there's also less air, because it's at lower pressure.  On the other hand, there's also lower pressure everywhere else, including inside the trombone.  With less air pressure, it may be harder to play as loud, but I can't see how higher altitude might effect anything else.

DanP 

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