introduction

Breathing, for the average person, is only related to the mouth, nose, trachea, and lungs. However, physiologically, inspiration is not carried out by the force of the lung's self-expansion and contraction, but is passive. The operation of the respiratory function begins with the coordination of the diaphragm or rib muscles, which we will discuss in detail below. In music, the exhalation and inhalation must correspond to and match the physical and performance movements. In general, inhalation is relatively simple and easy to understand, and can be achieved in a short period of time through two very simple exercise methods. But the exhalation requires constant practice and understanding, and even most beginners need to gradually master the key after six months or a year, and then jump over the threshold and understand how to achieve a rounded tone, a thick bass, and a precise and broad treble, but also for the future "musical" and "intonation" performance. A good foundation has been laid.

inspiratory

In addition to the head and limbs, the human body can be divided into the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity, both of which are bounded by the diaphragm to form an airtight vacuum. The correct inhalation practice is actually exactly the same as the natural inhalation method, only at the beginning there is a little more artificial control: When inhaling, the brain first orders the voluntary muscles of the abdomen to bulge out as far as possible, causing the diaphragm's falling rib muscles to push the ribs upward slightly open at this time, the rapid and large amount of air is inhaled between the slightly opened lips, through the slightly opened larynx into the lungs with more space, so that the inhalation exercise is completed. See FIG. 1 for the structure of the human chest and abdominal cavity and FIG. 2 for a medical illustration of natural breathing using the Hertzian apparatus

Figure 1 Shows the structure of the human chest and abdominal cavity

FIG. 2 Medical Hershey tube device

Principles and myths

Through the Magdeburg hemispheres theory, which was experimented with in Germany hundreds of years ago (two hollow hemispheres that are sealed, after pumping out the internal air to form a vacuum, due to the effect of inward compression of the external atmospheric pressure of 360 degrees (at sea level, each atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch, even if the two sides are pulled by two horses), The volume of any vacuum body, if subjected to general external force, its volume is unchanged but its shape is changeable. However, if the volume cannot be changed or the external force is greater than the bearing capacity, it is easy to be compressed or destroyed. When we naturally inhale, the voluntary muscles of the abdominal cavity bulge out and the diaphragm drops, just like when the vacuum body is subjected to external force, the volume remains unchanged but the body shape shifts. Therefore, we need to learn to control the abdominal bulge first in practice, resulting in the diaphragm falling. Give a lot of alveolar space in the lungs, at this time the excess air can be automatically inhaled by the mouth. These movements are based on the same theoretical basis as Taoist breathing, yoga breathing, vocal singing, but because of the fast and large amount of air needs, the natural rapid inhalation from the half mouth is definitely much faster than the nose with two small holes.

It is often said that the breath should be sucked into the stomach. This is the most misleading of all. There are only organs in the stomach such as the stomach, and if the gas is really sucked into the stomach, if there is no hiccup, it will only go out from the back, of course, it is absolutely impossible to go out from the front.

In fact, the correct method of playing breathing is natural, and should also be in line with physiological health. Every second of the day, humans breathe in with the abdominal muscles forward (the way the abdomen is distend), which is the most standard and most natural way. However, as soon as the untrained person is aware of the inhalation, this natural movement is immediately taken over  transformed into a shrug (expansion and contraction of the rib muscles) or some other wrong way. The human inhalation, as long as it is not controlled by the subconscious mind, is 100% expansion through the abdomen. The other kind of shoulder shrug causes the rib muscles to expand and contract, leaving less room for the lungs to expand, not to mention the vibration or tension caused by the corresponding exhalation can interfere with the musical expression. Of course, the inability to hold the breath and the wrong compression of the lungs during the exhalation negates this inappropriate method in advance. (String instruments also need to use the opposite breathing method, or the shoulder shrug while lifting the instrument upward will not destroy the momentum of breathing in one breath?) What is the appropriate approach? At this point, the abdominal inhalation becomes our only option, because it is a natural human behavior. Here we provide a proof method, you just gently lie down, relax yourself, slowly inhale, your stomach naturally, inhale at the same time to drum out your most correct inhalation method, and you have learned the first inhalation exercise.

We can ask a friend to pay attention to the position of your abdomen and your daily breathing movements in the side without warning, so that this natural abdominal bulge will not disappear with awareness and will be easily observed. But if the observer notices that someone is paying attention to the breathing, the natural method immediately disappears, and the method of rib muscle expansion and contraction is used. In addition, the rib muscle expansion and contraction inhalation, with arms extended and shoulders extended, to increase lung capacity, is a human being able to do it anytime, anywhere? In a confined space? In your sleep? Of course, the most natural abdominal inhale is the only correct choice! And once you get it right, abdominal breathing will last you a lifetime and give you healthy lungs in the long run.

Simple exercise method

Whether it is the lungs or the diaphragm, these are involuntary muscles, they are like the heart, we do not move. Can we make the heart or lungs stop? The so-called diaphragm, in addition to medical students probably also few people know there (see Figure 1)! ? The only thing we can command is the abdomen (which is also a natural movement that humans are born with), but where is the abdomen?? Is it the lower abdomen? Or around the navel? Upper abdomen, right? Does the bag include the stomach? Let's not talk about these, please lie down first, according to the first inhalation exercise method above, after lying down, look at the natural bulge there to know what position is the abdomen! ? But one percent of people can't do it for a while because they're nervous. This time we can use the second inhalation exercise method, this time we don't have to lie down, we can sit in a chair, feet on the ground, the upper body forward, the abdomen against the legs of the arms to grasp the calf, and then inhale, this time there bulge, there is the correct position of the abdomen inhalation!!

The stomach is also the abdomen Some people use thorax and abdominal breathing which is technically correct in the sense that the breath is directed into the lungs but considering that the involuntary muscles in the upper abdomen in front of the stomach are forced to be used as voluntary muscles it is quite unnatural and difficult not only is it painful over time but it does not expand enough to affect the inspiratory volume and it is not what we want

We have proved the correct position of the inhalation by the above two natural human movements, and the remaining problem is how to overcome the conscious situation of the belly bulge, at this time, with hands on the waist, thumb in front of the rest of the fingers, hard pressure, or ask someone to use the fingers or pencils, pens, sticks, fists, Pressure has been measured at the center of the abdomen (just below the navel) to remind the player of the position of the head, and then at the same time through the mouth, and will to direct the abdominal muscles at the pressure synchronously bulge out (as a habit), as long as the pressure part of the suction bulge is completed. However, the most important thing to note at this time is that the bulge of the abdomen must be completed quickly, the bulge part needs to be a large number of outward (including the back), and it must not walk upward and lead to the stomach and even the chest bulge. With hands akimbo type, the front abdomen and back waist should be bulging at the same time for the highest realm (bending practice method can be naturally done). However, you must remember that you must breathe deeply every time you inhale, (stomach bulge will lead to upper abdominal pain and completely contrary to natural physiology will inevitably cause disease over time, so the bulge position must be careful and the chest breathing speed is very slow, which is difficult to control and affect the performance of the instant change) hanging crotch or crotch lifting method is also incorrect.

Western scholars often adopt a more natural method to teach students in teaching. First, they let students quickly blow out the exhaust gas in the lungs continuously and vigorously (up to several times but without blowing out any sound). In the process, the teacher does not deliberately ask for another inhalation, so that students can breathe in the natural way unconsciously At this point the correct abdominal breathing will appear again but without careful explanation the student will only know how but not why

myth

Chest and abdomen breathing is unexplainable in life forcing the stomach to protrusion over time can cause problems and we have to think carefully about using the correct inhalation and luck method

exhalation

Exhalation, which is not only the compression of the lungs, so that the air is blown out of the mouth even if the end, here the head can include the air pressure, the air speed, the size of the outlet, the duration of the pressure and the increase or decrease, and so on, especially the position of the pressure is absolutely not wrong.

Principles and myths

General people's wrong exhalation method is caused by incorrect inhalation method, shrugging inhalation is easy to lead to direct pressure on the chest (lungs) when exhaling, which is the most unhealthy, not only the exhalation due to high pressure point will affect the stability of the music, Laryngeal atretic also affects tone and intonation and puts pressure on involuntary muscles of the lungs for a long time, forcing them to act as involuntary muscles is against the laws of nature. So how do we use pressure to produce high-speed air and push it through narrow funnel-like mouthpieces or thin, vibrating whistles? Since we have said that the lungs themselves cannot be compressed from the outside, where is the pressure place? The larynx? Do you press your lips to your horn? Do the teeth bite hard into the tip of the whistle or the piece of the whistle or the upper abdomen (stomach)? The lower abdomen? We seek the answer by deletion, and the answer is that the lower abdomen, which is responsible for the most important part of the inhalation, is again responsible for being the source of all music!

When we were young, we must have had experience watering flowers with a water pipe and even competing with each other in terms of range, is it not possible to use a big thumb to put small pressure on the nozzle of the water pipe, so that high pressure and shooting distance can be achieved? The farthest Angle of 45 degrees can be shot is not discussed here, but this method of making the pipe diameter smaller and the unit flow rate unchanged to produce speed is not that after the player is lucky, the speed is obtained through the reduced mouth shape (don't forget that the brass music has a horn to pressurize again). Then the question comes again, what if the pressure is still not enough, how do we increase the pressure? Have you ever seen a fire department fight a fire? How can fire department hoses shoot so far with so much pressure? Yes, they also have a conical copper nozzle in front of the pipe (similar to our thumb pipe effect but to get the spray, six stories high as the distance of the fire brigade is not enough pressure), the point of this time is to have a motor (pump) behind the constant pressure support. But where is the source of stress for our musicians? Isn't it the lower abdomen mentioned above?? !!!!!!!!! If you do not use this source of pressure then your music is either flat or oscillating up and down like a wave or falling straight down like a parabola

The correct method of exhalation lies in the technique of pressure, when the air is inhaled, the source of pressure must remain pressurized, and the lower abdomen must continue to press forward and not relax, until the last remaining percentage of the total can gradually subside (the next chapter will discuss in detail how to use these remaining percentage of the total to recreate the good residual value). This method of luck creates a high pressure atmosphere, which not only gives a stable tone, but also avoids the tight and dead tone caused by the pressure of the lips on the horn or flute head (it is completely unnecessary to hang the instrument to practice pressure free playing). Of course, we also have to add, easy and beautiful finishing, a moderately tight tone, and so on. We will introduce these to you gradually in the future.

Simple exercise method

In learning, we must use the daily practice method, that is, beginners must practice for 10 minutes before falling asleep every day, when lying flat on the bed, slowly inhale, puff up the abdomen, and then according to the essentials, exhale from the mouth, at this time the abdomen must be forward (upward). Until the consumption of seven hundredths of the natural recovery. After practicing for a long time, you will become a habit. In addition, you must practice the long notes of the instrument every day, and you must practice the notes repeatedly, so that you can gradually develop a habit, and then you can slowly solve the most difficult part. But even if the abdomen is in the right position, it is still possible to use slightly wrong force during the inhalation and cause the body to shake. At this point, you must lie down and reposition (or use a second inhalation) to avoid the mistake. Female students remember that this exercise will not make your abdomen protrude or expand, but rather make your abdomen firm and muscular