- Circular breathing is a technique where you store air in the cheeks and push it out while simultaneously inhaling through the nose, enabling uninterrupted playing of long phrases
- Start with practicing storing air in the cheeks and pushing it to the instrument — without this, the sound will break
- The stored air should be squeezed out gradually, while the nasal inhalation should be a quick, momentary breath. If reversed, the sound will break
- Practicing on a single sustained note is very difficult, so practicing with trills or scales while moving between notes is more effective
In saxophone performance, playing long phrases without interruption is an important technique for enhancing expressiveness. When playing a sustained note or a long phrase in one go, normal breathing may not provide enough air, causing the sound to break mid-phrase. By mastering circular breathing, you can solve this problem and achieve beautiful, uninterrupted playing. Circular breathing is a groundbreaking technique of storing air in the cheeks and pushing it out while simultaneously inhaling through the nose, and is an indispensable skill for maintaining long phrases. However, mastering this technique requires understanding the correct mechanism and following a step-by-step practice approach.
The Problem: Running Out of Air During Long Phrases
When playing the saxophone, you may face problems like running out of air during long phrases, being unable to sustain a single note for long, or having the sound stop mid-phrase. When a piece has continuous long phrases or requires holding a single note for an extended time, normal breathing falls short and the performance is interrupted. At first glance, this may seem like simply not having enough air, but the root cause is actually not having mastered circular breathing technique. Without circular breathing, you fall into the normal breathing pattern of exhaling completely then inhaling, which inevitably causes the sound to break. To play long phrases without interruption, the technique of exhaling and inhaling simultaneously — circular breathing — is absolutely essential.
To master circular breathing, it is important to start with the fundamental action of storing air in the cheeks and pushing it to the instrument. If you cannot store air in the cheeks and push it to the instrument, the sound will break, so begin with just the pushing-out practice. Repeatedly practice the action of gathering air in the cheeks as a 'savings account' of air, then pushing it out.
Once you can store air in the cheeks and push it to the instrument, the next step is simultaneously inhaling through the nose. The key here is that the stored air should be squeezed out gradually, while the nasal inhalation should be a quick, momentary breath. If you exhale from the mouth and then try to inhale through the nose after the air runs out, the sound will inevitably break. If this is reversed, the sound immediately breaks and the inhalation time becomes too long — an undesirable outcome. Controlling this timing is the most critical aspect of mastering circular breathing.
Steps to Achieve Ideal Circular Breathing
To master circular breathing, it is important to follow a step-by-step practice method. Start with the fundamental action of storing air in the cheeks and pushing it to the instrument, and once this is achievable, add simultaneous nasal inhalation. Practicing on a single sustained note is very difficult, so practicing with trills, scales, or other moving notes is more effective. Practice going from trills to sustaining the same note for a long time, aiming to achieve circular breathing with as little wavering as possible.
- Step 1: Practice storing air in the cheeks. Repeatedly practice gathering air firmly in the cheeks as a 'savings account' of air
- Step 2: Practice pushing the stored air to the instrument. Repeatedly practice the action of pushing the cheek-stored air out, starting with just the exhaling practice
- Step 3: Add simultaneous nasal inhalation. Practice inhaling through the nose while simultaneously pushing out the cheek-stored air
- Step 4: Practice with trills and scales. Single-note practice is difficult, so practice circular breathing while moving between notes with trills and scales
- Step 5: Focus on timing control. Be conscious of squeezing out the cheek-stored air gradually while making the nasal inhalation a quick, momentary breath
- Step 6: Aim for stable circular breathing. Practice going from trills to sustaining the same note for a long time, aiming for circular breathing with as little wavering as possible
Summary
By mastering circular breathing on the saxophone, you can play sustained notes and long phrases without any break. Circular breathing is a groundbreaking technique of storing air in the cheeks and pushing it out while simultaneously inhaling through the nose, and is an indispensable skill for maintaining long phrases. To master it, start with practicing storing air in the cheeks and pushing it to the instrument, and once this is achievable, add simultaneous nasal inhalation. The stored air should be squeezed out gradually, while nasal inhalation should be a quick, momentary breath — controlling this timing is the most critical aspect, and reversing it will cause the sound to break. Single-note practice is very difficult, so practicing with trills and scales while moving between notes enables effective mastery of circular breathing. Practice going from trills to sustaining the same note for a long time, aiming for circular breathing with as little wavering as possible, and you will develop stable circular breathing and achieve richly expressive playing.
