Euphonium Breathing Techniques 2: How to Apply Natural Breathing to Y…

SUMMARY

Key takeaways

In euphonium playing, utilize your natural human breathing rather than a special breath for the instrument
Confirm your relationship with the surrounding space and aim for natural sounds like wind and waves
Override habits that develop when holding the instrument (raising shoulders, over-engaging abdominal muscles) by making natural breathing a regular practice

Euphonium Breathing Techniques: Applying Natural Breathing to Your Playing

In performance, breathing technique forms the foundation of tone quality and expressiveness. A common pitfall for many players is beginning to focus on producing a "special breath" the moment they pick up their instrument. However, applying natural breathing to your playing is the key to producing natural sounds like wind and waves. By confirming your relationship with the surrounding space and directly applying your natural human breathing rhythm to your performance, you can achieve effortless and expressive playing.

NG and OK Examples: Playing with Forced Breathing vs. Playing with Natural Breathing

The NG example is a state where, the moment you pick up the instrument, you start focusing on producing "breath for the instrument," causing your shoulders to rise and your abdominal muscles to become overly tense. In this state, your breathing becomes unnatural and the sound becomes strained. On the other hand, the OK example is a state where you confirm your relationship with the surrounding space and send air into the euphonium while maintaining your natural human breathing rhythm. The ideal is for the quality of your breathing to remain unchanged before and after picking up the instrument, and by making natural breathing a regular practice, you can override the habits that develop when holding the instrument.

Characteristics of Natural Breathing

Natural breathing occurs without raising the shoulders, without over-engaging the abdominal muscles, and while sensing your relationship with the surrounding space. Like the blowing of the wind or the rolling of waves, it has a natural rhythm and flow. By applying this naturalness to your playing, you can produce effortless and expressive sounds.

⚠️

Common Pitfall

When you pick up the instrument, you tend to unconsciously focus on producing a "special breath," which causes habits such as raising your shoulders and over-engaging your abdominal muscles. These habits need to be overridden by making natural breathing a regular practice. By continuing to practice recalling your relationship with the surrounding space even just once a day, natural breathing will become the foundation of your playing.

🔒

Members only beyond this point

Full article, examples, and practice steps after this heading are for paid members. Sign up or log in to unlock the rest.

ログインして続きを読む

Practice Steps

To apply natural breathing to your playing, follow these practice steps. Confirm your relationship with the surrounding space and aim for a state where the quality of your breathing remains unchanged before and after holding the instrument.

Confirm your relationship with the surrounding space: Without holding the instrument, practice natural breathing while sensing the space around you
Learn the rhythm of natural breathing: Imprint the sensation of natural breathing into your body—without raising your shoulders and without over-engaging your abdominal muscles
Reproduce the same breathing while holding the instrument: Even when holding the instrument, maintain the same natural breathing as when you are not holding it
Override your habits: When habits such as raising your shoulders or over-engaging your abdominal muscles emerge, recall your relationship with the surrounding space and return to natural breathing
Make it a habit: Continue practicing recalling your relationship with the surrounding space even just once a day, making natural breathing the foundation of your playing

You can breathe naturally without holding the instrument
Even when holding the instrument, your shoulders do not rise and you can maintain natural breathing
While sensing your relationship with the surrounding space, you can produce natural sounds like wind and waves
You can play with a natural breathing rhythm without over-engaging your abdominal muscles
When you listen to a recording, the sound is natural and effortless

Tips for Sensing Your Relationship with the Surrounding Space

To sense your relationship with the surrounding space, be aware of the flow of air around you, the movement of the wind, and the rhythm of the waves. By breathing while feeling this natural rhythm and flow, naturalness will also emerge in your playing.

Summary: Enhancing Euphonium Expressiveness Through Natural Breathing

In euphonium playing, utilizing natural breathing is a crucial element for improving tone quality and expressiveness. By applying your natural human breathing to your playing rather than a special breath for the instrument, you can produce natural sounds like wind and waves. Confirm your relationship with the surrounding space and override the habits that develop when holding the instrument by making natural breathing a regular practice. By continuing to practice recalling your relationship with the surrounding space even just once a day, natural breathing will become the foundation of your playing, enabling more expressive performance.