Posted by Steve Dedman on February 13, 2002 at 02:05:25:
I have a student with a very small lung capacity. This student is in the 10th grade, and he has a very good sound...for about a measure and a half. He works very hard, but we can't seem to get into the "effiency mode" that players with a small capacity live by. Since my capacity is on the generous side of average, this is a challenge that I haven't had to deal with on this level. Or maybe it's so automatic for me, I'm missing something.
I have used some of the Jacobs breathing exercises, and some I picked up other places, but it all comes down to the fact that the kid is hyperventilating to get through a phrase. I have started to have him play the Remington long tone exercises as loud as he can, just to get the air moving and turning around a lot of air very quickly.
Any other suggestions? Especially from those of you that battle the capacity obstacle daily on a personal level. What works/worked for you? How do you get past the hyperventilation? FWIW, he is also a competitive swimmer.
TYIA,
Steve