Breathing device videos

Working with air

If you have followed my practice sessions, you know I generally incorporate breathing, what brass player doesn’t? It is so critical to what we do, it is also full of habits. To help me with those habits I make use of various breathing devices in a focused way as a bridge between conception and playing (read the book Song and Wind)..

I have been fortunate to work with some of the best breathers out there (most of them studying with Jacobs at some point, or one of Jacobs' students). Breathing devices can be complicated, or simple depending on how we use them. What they do allow us to do is introduce strangeness into our air, and provide a means of visual information and feedback. We can then use that information to inform our playing.

Since everyone doens’t have access to the same resources I am slowly releasing videos that deal with the use of various breathing devices that I use and have been with me for awhile.

The first two are below and more are on their way.

Happy practicing.

(My youtube channel - feel free to subscribe as I am planning some other videos on playing beyond breathing)


Practice session - General morning

Today’s session is another mixed bag. It isn’t based around anyone book, it is “practice aid heavy” but that is alright. It is also going to be a pretty quick one, so lets go.

The Session

  • Breathing exercises (5 min)

    • Inhalation with a Triflo

      • 4 reps with each ball

    • Peak flow meter 8 reps going for target

  • Long Tones (pick 4 pitches, do them in all octaves with hairpins)

    • Do these with a tuner or pitch visualizer for stability

  • Scales numbers are scale degrees

    • 1-5-1-5-1-9-5-9-5-9-1-3-5-8-10-12-10-8-5-3-1 (in 16th notes, various articulations, pick several scales)

    • Major Pentatonic scales over 3 octaves

    • Whole tone scale from G over the entire range of the horn slurred and tongued

    • 1 octave descending scales with flutter tongue, going over the break

  • Lip slurs (recorded and reviewed.)

    • Farkas style

      • Play the quarter note version that starts on middle C (or Harm 5 of whatever valve combo you are using) complete the exercise. Take a deep breath and do the 8th note version from the bottom (harm 2)

  • Etude

    • Kopprasch no.13 with repeats

      • As written and down the ocatve.


That is it, another quick and focused one, the next post will be some insight into why I don’t have a set routine. So until then, happy horning.