Professional Documents
Culture Documents
March 1999 7
that there would be any purpose in compartment. There’s nothing as com- “He doesn’t want the one that immo-
imposing a different pattern. If the plex on this planet as the human being; bilizes, and he doesn’t want the one that
player did it once and ran out of air, but man has magnificent controls, and creates great isometric contractions that
the next time he’s going to breathe a he functions through this control system. have no movement potential. Because
little more because he knows he has to. “By this I mean that there are divi- a continuous flow of air requires move-
Cugell referred to the Nature arti- sions in the brain that are going to con- ment, the player should go to respira-
cle, which describes the test Bouhuys trol all sorts of physical functions: tion.
conducted on four flutists playing cutting up food, bringing it to the Move Air as Wind
Debussy’s Syrinx. One of these men was mouth and chewing it, handling the “The psychology of blowing is
first chair in the Concertgebouw body for sleep at night, or even going always to blow outward, to work with
Orchestra of Amsterdam, one was a insane. The thinking part of the brain wind rather than air pressure. The psy-
good amateur, and two were young pro- is free to cope with life around us, it chology of it is important. Take your
fessionals. Recordings from a pneumo- does not have to cope with life within hand, hold it at a distance, and blow
graph (an instrument designed to us. It’s with the thinking part of the onto it. Now where the air lands is the
measure chest movement during respi- brain that we begin to establish what area to concentrate on. Some teachers
ration) showed four slightly divergent we want in the way of product. will have the player blow through the
readings within the same general pat- “This, of course, is what players are instrument or through the far wall. It
tern, with slight tempo fluctuations. up against; in music, so often a teacher doesn’t matter what the technique is to
With the exception of one man, who makes the mistake of altering the motivate a student; the psychology of
had a slightly smaller lung capacity and machine activity rather than altering it is to move air as wind, not air pres-
took one extra breath, the performers the product or what he wants accom- sure.
adhered to the phrase-breath markings plished. The instructor is giving “With wind there is always air pres-
in the music. This test showed the machine methods of how to do it, and sure. With air pressure, there is not
extent to which the music determines people can’t work that way. None of us always wind. If you just concentrate on
a player’s breathing pattern. “So if we can. We have to look for the easy the air pressure – which can happen in
subscribe to the concept, with respect answer all the time. It is so simple. If any body cavity – the danger is that you
to instrument playing, that we will you want a lot of breath, just take a lot may have stimulated the Valsalva
spontaneously assume the most effi- of air. Don’t worry about where it goes. maneuver (in which you try to breathe
cient and effective pattern,” says If you want to blow, just blow. With out with your mouth and nose shut)
Cugell, “then it certainly makes good students a teacher should always try for or the pelvic pressure syndrome, or the
sense not to concern yourself with it the simple answers that bring out the isometrics, which do not involve move-
so you can concentrate on all the other proper motor response. That idea ments of air.
aspects of your playing.” belongs not in the realm of anatomy “But an instructor is never going to
Anatomy and Psychology but in psychology.” get this idea across by telling students
Arnold Jacobs bases his teaching on The concept that Jacobs introduces to push with this muscle or that mus-
all these other aspects of sound and students to is what he calls the “phe- cle. I get them to blow. Away from the
phrase – the products of music. He nomenon of wind” – the idea of blow- instrument I let them observe their
makes the distinction between anatomy ing air out through the instrument to body. I use special equipment, or I may
and function through what he calls the prevent pressures from building up have students blow up balloons or blow
computer activity of the brain, which inside the lungs. Most students who out matches, and then show how quan-
is separate from the thinking part of come to Jacobs have acquired the habit tities can be taken from any part of the
the brain. of thinking about air pressure instead thorax (the body area between the neck
“When you go to the product of of air in motion. Because these habits and the abdomen). In other words we
whatever you’re trying to accomplish, are difficult to break, he uses psychol- go through a certain amount of per-
you’ll find the physical action required ogy to create new habits, to get students spective training away from music to
to do it is based in the computer activ- to use their muscles for the proper func- become acquainted with the body, so
ity of the brain. In other words, the tion. that the studies of air in life are
conscious levels of the brain, where The respiratory muscles are involved involved.”
volitional thought takes place, handle in three ways. One is respiration, the The confusion of many teachers
the product. Another level of the brain, single complete act of breathing in and about both the role of the diaphragm
the thinking part, will handle motor out. The second has to do with pelvic and the idea of abdominal support of
impulses carried by nerves throughout pressures when the upper end of the air is largely responsible for many stu-
the body. The firing up of the systems airway is closed, forcing pressure down- dents’ preoccupation with the kind of
is handled at subconscious levels, just ward for such events as defecation and pressures resulting from misdirected
like the ability to walk or to talk or to childbirth. The third has to do with the muscular tensions. “First of all, the
run. The muscle activity will result isometrics of physical function, the term support raises questions in itself.
from what you’re trying to accomplish. kind of static muscle tightening Many people make the mistake of
With all machines there is a set of con- invoked in weightlifting and wrestling. assuming that muscle contraction is
trols, like an automobile, which has com- “A musician has to make sure that what gives support. The blowing of the
plex machinery under the hood but he is using the right approach when breath should be the support, not ten-
simple controls in the driver’s playing an instrument,” Jacobs says. sion in the muscles of the body, but the
March 1999 9
masterclasses at Northwestern Univer- what you want. The recognition is not that 1 have great difficulty using
sity, a woman asked how to help a bas- there so you overchange. You’re not diaphragmatic function.
soon student who lets the air get “like doing it with the music, so there’s no “If you need large volumes of air, you
a brick wall” – constricted and tense – damage. will use the entire respiratory system.
which apparently resulted in quite a It’s the Tone If you’re playing an instrument that
horrible sound. “But wind is finally only a minor doesn’t require as much air, you’re never
“First of all,” he said, “get her away part. Tone production is the major. You going to use a full breath; however, you
from the bassoon. You don’t have to use use the wind as fuel. With a wind should be able to. Performers have to
the reed; just put something in her instrument, the horn resonates sound take sufficient air in to be able to com-
mouth. Have the student start blow- waves; it’s reacting to sound and plete phrases. This involves taking in
ing or start blowing against something amplifying it according to acoustical quantities of air based on judgements
in order to see that the air will do some- properties. Our air isn’t used to fill an of how much air will be left at the end
thing where it lands. The importance instrument, it’s used by the embou- of a phrase. Standing while seated is the
of this approach is not to correct what’s chure as energy so the lips can vibrate. best posture because players have the
wrong, but to establish what should be “So players certainly shouldn’t worry greatest ability to move air in and out
right. about the air, but about the quality of of the lungs. However, if you are
“I would give her a couple of straws tone. When you get the tone, you will breathing with comfort, the posture
and have her blow at the pages of a have all the requirements of tone; you doesn’t have to be that way. As long as
book and watch what happens on the will have all the requirements of tone you are in the upright position, you
other side. Have her blow at some at the subconscious levels. The blow- should have more than enough air. If
matches or blow up a weak balloon, but ing is an incidental part; the tone you’re a large person with large lung
always with the thought of becoming doesn’t exist without the blowing, but reserves, posture is not that important;
acquainted with air, rather than air the blowing can exist without the tone. however, people who have small lung
pressure. Studying childbirth and As an artist you go for the product – volumes must stay upright and make
coughing gives the picture of what air the product is sound and phrase and use of whatever nature gave them.
pressure will do. However, when you all the emotions in music – you use “In this art form,” Jacobs concludes,
study a burn and cool it by blowing on thought processes that stimulate motor “we are dealing in sound. Respiration
the hand, or when you’re doing what I function, but you don’t worry about the is made too much of. We need suffi-
used to do, blow peas at people with a function. You worry about the sound. cient quantities of fuel so that we can
pea shooter, then you get a different You will use the breath as needed. You use it easily – as I say, waste it, it’s free
picture of what air will do. will do it primarily without awareness – but don’t make a big deal out of it.
“Start mechanical movements with- of air. The air should be used freely – We don’t start anything with skill; skill
out the instrument so the student waste it, do anything you want. A play- is developed over a period of time in
experiences change in the abdominal- er’s awareness is of the communication spite of yourself. We have to recognise
diaphragmatic relationship. Deliber- of sound to whoever he is talking to.” what we’re trying to accomplish; the
ately have her create massive motions There are, of course, many ways stu- orders that come from various parts of
in the abdominal region, sucking the dents and professionals have of inhib- the brain must be based on the sound
belly in, forcing it out, pushing it up iting their ability to express sound of the instrument. We have to make
and down – this is the region where freely. sure that we don’t take the level of the
she’s been stabilized. Now deliberately Probably the most common is poor brain at which we have volitional
destabilize it. Start the muscle activity posture. “Posture is very important,” thought and try to take charge of the
of change in front of a mirror so the Jacobs acknowledges. “We’re structured human machine through its individual
senses work together to strengthen each so that the maximal use of air comes in components. We can’t handle it. You’ve
other. Don’t tie it into music, though, the standing posture, as if you would got to get out of the way and allow your
or else she’ll have to fight her own hab- run or fight for your life. Standing body to function for you. The point is
its. offers the greatest ability to move large to try to sound great when you play.”
“Then tie in the movements of air volumes of air in and out of the lungs.
by using motion – every day – blowing The closer you get to the supine, the – Kevin Kelly earned degrees in music
out matches, taking in lots of air and poorer it becomes. criticism and English at Northwestern
enlarging. Allow a few weeks, where she “There is no such thing as a full University, where he played horn in the
has to be practicing this every day. In breath without the use of the sternum major wind performance ensembles.
the abdominal region where the student (the compound ventral bone and car-
was stable, she will begin to establish tilage that supports the ribs). If I lean
mobility of function. It has to be rec- back on the chair and reach over my © 1998 The Instrumentalist Co.
ognized in this manner before you head, the motion pulls the rib cage up, Reprinted by permission. Subscribe
apply it to the bassoon. Then you do it which is already in the expanded posi- to The Instrumentalist (200 Northfield
with just some reed squawks, but with tion. That means I can’t use it for Road, Northfield, Illinois, 60093
exaggeration. breathing in or out. If I bend forward USA), 12 issues for US$24 plus
“Exaggeration is one of the impor- over my belly, pressure in the abdomi- delivery or call 1-847-446-5000.
tant tools. Doing things just right is not nal region under the diaphragm is such