I’m with rowuk and trumpet520 on this one! Here’s some input to support these ideas and expand on what has already been said.
Here are two excerpts related to posture and breathing from a
masterclass that I attended given by David Krauss (Principal Trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera in New York). You may enjoy reading the entire post (click on the blue link).
The Posture
David stressed that there are three things that are critical when you watch any fine singer in any role…sitting up, laying down, jumping through the air…Posture is always present. Posture in this case means:
- • The head is always back,
• the shoulders are always down, and
• the chest is always in a prominent position.
When you watch the greatest trumpet players, the same aspects of posture are always present. He said, “there’s no excuse for me to be sitting in the pit in my tuxedo in a comfortable chair and not have this set-up”.
Then he got to one of my favorite illustrations of his entire presentation. He told us that he is a Dad with twin 7-year-old boys that are both very into Superman and Batman. He said, “When you watch these cartoons…” and then he imitated what you would expect to see a Superhero do, “chest is out…Superman…ready to go!” I just loved that example! By taking a Superhero pose, a very vivid image is created in my mind, and posture naturally follows from this very simple mental queue.
What a Singer Looks Like When They Breathe
This portion of David’s presentation was very telling of the influence that the vocalists at the Met have had on him. He said, “most of the progress that I have made lately in my playing is directly related to watching singers breathe. You never see a singer take a big gulping breath.” He said that when singers breathe their breaths are varied in speed and are generally slower than those of instrumentalists. Then he made a reference to Enrico Caruso and said Caruso would advocate nose breathing because not only does it slow the inflow rate,
it puts the air in a better place, setting up a Superhero pose. So, in essence, this posture allows you to take a good breath, and this type of breathing sets up good posture! I think that is a HUGE concept! Everyday that I have practiced since the conference, I have been very conscious of breathing through my nose and envisioning Superman. I am literally putting myself in a position to arrive at some of my very best sounds! This posture then dovetails into the next very important concept.
I recently had a lesson with David and he suggested that my intake breath was too fast and I would benefit from a slower nose breath when there was time (especially the first phrase of a piece). He commented again about Caruso’s suggestion and provided me with the specific reference:
Quote:
The tone once launched, one must think how it may be properly sustained, and this is where the art of breathing is most concerned. The lungs, in the first place, should be thoroughly filled. A tone begun with only half filled lungs loses half its authority and is very apt to be false in pitch. To take a full breath properly, the chest must be raised at the same moment the abdomen sinks in. Then with the gradual expulsion of the breath a contrary movement takes place. The diaphragm and elastic tissue surrounding and containing the stomach and vital organs and the muscles surrounding, by practice acquire great strength and assist considerably in this process of respiration and are vital factors in the matter of controlling the supply which supports the tone. The diaphragm is really like a pair of bellows and serves exactly the same purpose. It is this ability to take in an adequate supply of breath and to retain it until required that makes or, by contrary, mars all singing. A singer with a perfect sense of pitch and all the good intentions possible will often sing off the key and bring forth a tone with no vitality to it, distressing to hear, simply for lack of breath control.
This art of respiration once acquired, the student has gone a considerable step on the road to Parnassus.
To practice deep breathing effectively it is an excellent plan to breathe through the nose, which aids in keeping the confined breath from escaping too soon. The nose also warms and filters the air, making it much more agreeable to the lungs than if taken directly through the mouth. In the practice of slow breathing make sure that the lungs are as nearly emptied as possible on the expulsion of the breath before beginning a new inspiration, as this gives extra impetus to the fresh supply of air and strengthens all the breathing muscles.
If this is not done, moreover, the effect is like two people trying to get in and out of the same narrow door at the same time.
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Hope these ideas are helpful to you. Discuss them with your teacher and have him help you incorporate them into your daily playing!