How/When in your practicing do you focus on breathing? I see a really good opportunity for it when practicing scales and similar material, but I am unsure of specifically what to do.
Thanks
Thanks
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Double Bass Practicing breathing
- Thread starter Meddle771
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And please, please, play with your mouth closed! I can't stand when people sit there with their mouth open. Seriously.
Breathing patterns are linked to our emotions and thoughts as well as physical effort - when tense we often restrict breathing, clench the jaw and tighten up various muscles. By focusing on your breathing you can develop an inner awareness of how you think and feel. If you practice with relaxed breathing your playing will be more relaxed as well since you will be more tuned into overall effort and tension. Ideal breathing comes from the diaphram - the belly moves in/out as opposed to the upper chest and neck pulling up.
I highly recommend checking out The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi. There are a lot of great exercises (she calls them inquiries) where she walks the reader through how to be more aware of what's going on while they breath. Understanding how the breath works is incredibly helpful for understanding how to stay relaxed.
I don't have anything specific that I do to work on my breath. When I am practicing scales and other technique stuff is when I really try to focus on what is going on in my body (breath, posture, tension, etc.).
I don't have anything specific that I do to work on my breath. When I am practicing scales and other technique stuff is when I really try to focus on what is going on in my body (breath, posture, tension, etc.).
I recommend focusing on breathing before sleep. "Learning" how to breath is a great thing regardless of just playing bass. As mention it can help greatly with relaxation. I also highly recommend Progressive Muscle Relaxation to learn how to relax and become aware of one's body.
Personally, every time I feel my body temperature start to rise, I stop, take a deep breath and exhale. Since I have practiced it often, and I do not really know how to explain it otherwise, I have learned how to lower my body temperature. I have been standing outside in the heat, and focused for a moment. I gave myself the chills, and goosebumps from it. It only last a few seconds, but it did work wonders in that heat. Also, using ones breath to lightly blow on the arms helps give a physiological cooling feeling.
Personally, every time I feel my body temperature start to rise, I stop, take a deep breath and exhale. Since I have practiced it often, and I do not really know how to explain it otherwise, I have learned how to lower my body temperature. I have been standing outside in the heat, and focused for a moment. I gave myself the chills, and goosebumps from it. It only last a few seconds, but it did work wonders in that heat. Also, using ones breath to lightly blow on the arms helps give a physiological cooling feeling.
I was taught by my first teacher that opening your mouth actually helps your hands relax, as I would always play with my mouth open without being aware of it and asked him why. I don't really anymore, but there's logical reason behind it, if that is in fact true. Powerbass?
Thanks for all the advice keep it coming, I'll definitely be looking around for some new books.
My first instrument was the saxophone, where (like all wind/bras instruments) breathing control is neccesary to play. I still notice when playing bass that I tend to breathe out when bowing down, for example.
Chuck Norris's nasal passages cannot be blocked. Also, Chuck Norris only needs to breathe once per year.
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It's not so much practicing or focus as it is awareness. Tension manifests in many different ways; be aware of when you are holding your breath when you play. Breathing in going up or going down doesn't really matter so much, a relaxed diaphragm and tension free approach do matter.
I played next to a guy for a year who would take a highly audible gasp of breath after every phrase. Yep, he was also a tuba player. It was annoying.
If you sing the music you become very aware of how and when to breathe in relation to phrasing however in straight technical passages like scales and arpeggios I would advocate concentrating on everything else before worrying about breathing.
If you find yourself holding your breathe like you are swimming the length of the pool under water ( the analogy for Bill's comment above} then perhaps start your practice as follows _
Son File (Filay) was an old French abbot and violin teacher. He advocated suspending the bow stick in the finger- and thumb-tips with limp wrist and drawing it across a string VERY slowly with almost zero weight to make just a whisper of steady sound. In other words, not your usual French or German bow hold. Sure, there is a little "Morse Code" as the bow movement stutters a little but you should be able to make a bow stroke last for more than 45 seconds with a little practice. There is no way you can hold your breathe so just relax and breathe evenly. When you try to achieve the same result with your normal bow hold you cannot bow as softly or slowly but there is a calm and relaxed even-ness in your stroke and sound. And your breathing is slower and more even. I dare say you will have forgotten about it altogether.
I start my practice by doing several up and down bows like this on different strings. I also challenge my students to "slow bow races" to see who can make a bow stroke last longest. I find it helps "tune me in" to practice.
One more tip. Take a good firm up-breathe just before you start playing. This adds weight (gravitas?) to your first few notes, especially when performing. After that, unless there is good reason, just trust yourself to breathe normally. After all you trust this to happen when you are asleep!!
Best wishes,
DP
If you find yourself holding your breathe like you are swimming the length of the pool under water ( the analogy for Bill's comment above} then perhaps start your practice as follows _
Son File (Filay) was an old French abbot and violin teacher. He advocated suspending the bow stick in the finger- and thumb-tips with limp wrist and drawing it across a string VERY slowly with almost zero weight to make just a whisper of steady sound. In other words, not your usual French or German bow hold. Sure, there is a little "Morse Code" as the bow movement stutters a little but you should be able to make a bow stroke last for more than 45 seconds with a little practice. There is no way you can hold your breathe so just relax and breathe evenly. When you try to achieve the same result with your normal bow hold you cannot bow as softly or slowly but there is a calm and relaxed even-ness in your stroke and sound. And your breathing is slower and more even. I dare say you will have forgotten about it altogether.
I start my practice by doing several up and down bows like this on different strings. I also challenge my students to "slow bow races" to see who can make a bow stroke last longest. I find it helps "tune me in" to practice.
One more tip. Take a good firm up-breathe just before you start playing. This adds weight (gravitas?) to your first few notes, especially when performing. After that, unless there is good reason, just trust yourself to breathe normally. After all you trust this to happen when you are asleep!!
Best wishes,
DP
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Eastern practices such as yoga or meditation focus specifically on breathing techniques as a way to calm the body and mind. Stress reduction practices also recommend attentive awareness to breathing patterns since anxiety (sympathetic nervous system activation) will typically cause shallow, upper chest breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing on the other hand activates the parasympathetic nervous system which lowers the fight/flight response. So it may be very helpful to someone who gets anxious while playing or for someone who is not particularly self aware of muscle tension and thought patterns to use breathing techniques to create a sense of relaxed control without excessive tension or effort. These skills are particularly helpful for musicians who have pain or repetitive stress injuries, for these folks being more attentive to their body/self is essential for healing etc
I teach breathing coordination (as developed by Carl Stough) in my Alexander teaching. One thing I've learned is that if you think about your breathing while you are playing, you will screw up both. Breathing is a natural act, not dependent on conscious control.
Like the man says:
Like the man says:
When Alexander began teaching, he was known as "the breathing man" because improved breathing was an indirect consequence of bringing his students to homeostasis.
