- Breathing with
a) inhalation, which consists of swallowing the necessary (not the greatest) amount of air in as short a time as possible and to store it in the correct manner.
b) exhalation, where breathing technique starts its decisive work which is dependent on a very important psychological factor, which I have called the “vertical pressure”. This vertical pressure should make possible a maximum concentration of air with a minimum amount of effort. The psychological factor mentioned is contained in a mental effort, or to be more precise, in the utilization of our fantasy. I see the advantage of this technique as being that a bodily reaction, as for example the muscular tension necessary for the concentration of air, can be guaranteed by the creation of a “mental picture-factory”. - The physiological mask: that is everything which surrounds the mouth: an egg-shaped structure, which has its origin under the nose, runs around the corners of the mouth and has its lower limit at the line which separates the lower lip and the chin. It is a question of using the facial muscles in such a way that they hold the corners of the mouth in a position in which the lips are not tensed, do not pull out sideways and in which the air pressure does not press the lips apart.
The discussion of these two important points form the first two chapters of the “Traité méthodique de pédagogie instrumentale”¹, which I have written, in order to make possible a more complete work in the sphere of breathing, without at the same time neglecting the instrumental technique. The teacher no longer needs to use his time explaining the whys and hows of breathing technique, because the pupils can read it up for themselves and practise it. The first few moments of the lesson should suffice in order to check the pupil’s work. The section dealing with breathing is split up into lessons, corresponding to a progressive scheme and which furthers rapid and sure acquisition.
The third chapter is necessary for the simultaneous application of the points discussed in the first two chapters. Here are the introductions to the execution of new “subjective techniques” with the instrument as regards a further improvement of breathing technique. The first part of this book concludes with circular breathing and double notes. Circular breathing is a firm exhalation of air, whereby the sound is held for several minutes at a time without being interrupted. A double note is produced when at the same time a note is played and another is sung.
During the work on this teaching book I have become convinced that it is important to call the attention of the students and the teachers to the various subjects touched on in the second part. It is in fact difficult if not impossible to express oneself through a body which is always tense and a mind which cannot be controlled. We must prevent our body from becoming an obstruction for virtuosity, for agility and artistry, and even worse for correct execution, for the expression of sensibility, the force of creativity and imagination. The various techniques which are dealt with in the second part and the exercises which belong to them (Hara, relaxation, do-in, breathing, autohypnosis, etc.), should make every instrumentalist, every artist whatever his speciality (singing, dance, acting, painting etc.), capable of becoming more and more receptive and expressive through a deeper knowledge of oneself and better self-control.
After summarizing this book let me return to the “air column”. It has already been said that a great deal of importance is attached to the air, but that also the muscular system of the lips is equally most important. I would even like to assert that the efficiency of a perfect breathing technique is in relation to the quality of the mask. I would therefore like to submit to proof the importance of the lip muscles by using an example.
A rule which has equal validity for all wind players says that we must press the lips more and more together the higher we wish to play, in order to let out the air stream through the smallest possible opening. The tinier this opening is, the faster the vibrations are and the higher the note produced. We must all have heard at some time or other someone “playing” folk tunes on a bicycle pump: the opening is more or less stopped up by the palm of the hand or gold-beater’s skin and the neck of the balloon is more or less pulled sideways which narrows the walls and lessens the air stream, so that the tone rises.
In the face of this experience I will suggest the following example to illustrate the meaning of the muscular activity in the lips. Just imagine that you are holding a small flexible rubber tube. With the thumb and index finger you press the walls of the tube together at one end as if you wanted to throttle it, but leaving a tiny opening. The other end of the tube is attached to the water tap which is then turned on. What happens? The water fills up the tube up to the other end. But because the diameter is much smaller here and the water is not let through in a free stream, there results under the pressure of water a compression inside the tube. A very thin but forceful stream of water escapes through the opening at the end of the tube which is pressed together, which leaps far forward (similar to the way a garden hose works, where the jet can be regulated by turning it). The harder the end of the tube is pressed together, the thinner and stronger the stream of water is. The strength of both fingers must however be sufficient to be able to press the end of the tube together without giving way, in spite of the water pressure.
In this example we find the basic principle which we must employ: thumb and index finger stand for the lips, the water tap for the pressure, the tube for the lungs and the water represents the role of the air. From this comparison we can deduce that the air or water escape under higher pressure, the smaller the opening is through which it flows. To execute this however, one has to have at one’s disposal muscles which are strong enough to prevent the lips from widening which would increase the size of the orifice. We can therefore infer from this that the pressure stands in a certain relationship with the size of the opening, and that this in turn depends on the structure of the lip muscles. Logically enough the pressure also depends on the lip muscles... therefore we have our two essential departure points: breathing and the physiological mask.