Musicroom

No matter how long we've been playing the saxophone, breathing and breath control are really vital.  

Maybe because we can take it for granted (of course we know how to breathe!) it can be easy to overlook this vital area.  For me, the most telling sign that I need to pay attention to my breathing is that the sound suffers.  Of course it's also important in order to be able to play long phrases without running out of air.

So, how to breathe for a really good saxophone sound?  Here are a few reminders and a couple of exercises to try.

Open your throat

This bizarre sounding idea really helps to ensure the passage of air is uninterrupted - both when breathing in AND out.  If you think about how your throat feels when you yawn - that's an open throat.  I try and think of a yawn and a then a sigh, which opens the throat and also raises the soft palate at the back of the mouth.  This way you get a maximum size of oral cavity and take in air quickly and fully.

Get in touch with your diaphragm

Most people know that the diaphragm is important for good breathing - it's often the first thing that is mentioned. ("Ah yes, breathe using the diaphragm, of course!").  However, there is a problem which is that the diaphragm is not under our direct, conscious control.  In order to use it we therefore have to think about controlling other parts of our body, and INDIRECTLY control the diaphragm.

The best way I have found to do this is to imagine that breathing happens in the abdomen, not the lungs.  By focussing on the abdominal area and feeling the stomach and back expand as you breathe IN, and deflate as you breathe OUT, you will in fact allow the diaphragm to flatten, which in turn creates a nice big vacuum in the lungs, and air rushes in (through that open throat).

Some exercises to try

There are lots of exercises you can do to help develop your breathing.  The good news is that lots of them can be done without the instrument, making it easier to find a few minutes throughout the day to think about your breathing.

Here are a few to get you started.

1. To check you are breathing correctly, lay flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your waist, fingers pointing towards your belly button.

Focus on filling up your stomach from the bottom to the top taking a slow deep breath. (The aim is not to fill yourself to bursting but to inhale enough air so that you can feel the difference between a shallow breath taken when breathing from the chest).

You should feel your stomach rise and your hands being raised gently up and outward until you feel your chest expanding. The expansion is not only at the front of the body but also to the sides and back as well.

Breath out slowly to a count of 5.

2. To develop the good technique further, in a standing position put one hand on your abdomen and the other hand on your back. Feel both hands moving away from each other as you breathe in deeply into the the abdomen.  Don't forget to keep your throat open.

When you feel this is working well, exhale forcibly so that your stomach muscles push in and the air comes out rapidly.   Breathe through your mouth.  As you go faster you may find that you've fallen back into the old habit of breathing vertically again. In that case, stop and start over by breathing slowly and gently into your lower lungs until you have the feeling again.

3.  To help develop good control take a good deep breath and as you exhale count aloud, slowly.  See how far you get and as your technique improves you should find you can get to a higher number!  Also, playing long notes on the saxophone are always a good idea - try timing yourself to see how long you can manage, keeping a good tone at all times.

• Why is it that some music affects us emotionally?
• Do we have an instinctive response to music?
• Do we inherit our musical preferences?
• Why (and how) do some performers connect so well with audiences?
• Is there a part of the brain that we use for listening and responding to music?