Hi I read Pete's excelent article on diaphragm breathing which I am very familiar with. I boarded with a great NZ mezzo, Anthea Moller, in my uni days, and it was perfectly normal to come home and find a lovely young lady lying on the lounge floor as Anthea got her pupil to concentrate on breathing. Her recommendation watch Shirley Bassey on tv, no YouTube in those days, as the lass from Tiger Bay was given to bare midriff outfits and had great breathing technique.
However I have always admired the circular breathing of the Arnhem Land didgeroo players and for some unknown reason put it down to a cultural thing. Anyway I saw Trombone Shorty doing it on youtube and thought how dumb am I? Of course all wind players would benefit how else would flute players like James Galway do those long blows. Now I am learning music I listen completely differently and realised that Idriess Suleiman's 60 second hold on the trumpet in Juicy Fruit on the Hawk Flies High is probably impossible without it. Sonny Rollins seems to use it regularly etc..
Does anybody know a good way to learn it? My choked splutterings are clear evidence that I have not got the idea right. By the way I understand the record for one blow using the technique is 46 minutes !!
However I have always admired the circular breathing of the Arnhem Land didgeroo players and for some unknown reason put it down to a cultural thing. Anyway I saw Trombone Shorty doing it on youtube and thought how dumb am I? Of course all wind players would benefit how else would flute players like James Galway do those long blows. Now I am learning music I listen completely differently and realised that Idriess Suleiman's 60 second hold on the trumpet in Juicy Fruit on the Hawk Flies High is probably impossible without it. Sonny Rollins seems to use it regularly etc..
Does anybody know a good way to learn it? My choked splutterings are clear evidence that I have not got the idea right. By the way I understand the record for one blow using the technique is 46 minutes !!
I have just been watching Dizzy Gillespie, now he extends the cheeks beyond belief. Pete's article and links very informative. Interesting he learned via the didgereedoo. As for Kenny G, hey its so simple I should have it cracked by next week. In fact I also watched James Morrison doing an excellent rendition of Mozart's horn concerto on a garden hose. Now THAT IS EMBOUCHURE.
