Breathing

Breathing and the physiological mask

Air is not everything: Michel Ricquier challenges the “air column” myth, revealing how breathing and the “physiological mask” together unlock control, power, and ease.

By Michel Ricquier

Part 5

The Trumpet and the Cornet in Jazz and in Popular Music

Breathing

Breathing, Valsalva, mouthpiece position and daily practice collide with received wisdom as trumpet technique is reconsidered from the body outward.

By Michel Laplace

Fundamental trombone performance technique

Teaching and application

Technique becomes musicianship when breathing, vibration, resonance, articulation and slide movement cease to be separate skills and begin working as one.

By William F. Cramer

Brass players athletes

Brass players are athletes. Bengt Belfrage reveals how training, recovery, breathing, and mental focus—borrowed from sport—can transform performance and endurance.

By Bengt Belfrage

Tonguing

A tiny shift in tongue movement changes speed, endurance and clarity, turning articulation from a mechanical attack into one of the trumpet player’s subtlest tools.

By Louis Davidson

Basics in breathing

An Outline to a Better Sound

From breathing awareness to sound production, practical exercises link physical relaxation, air control and rhythmic precision in everyday brass playing.

By Joel Elias

Phonetics in the articulation and expression of the language of music

Rethinking articulation: Francis Orval challenges traditional teaching—revealing how phonetics, language, and psychology shape sound, phrasing, and musical expression.

By Francis Orval

Advices from an expert brass clinician: Robert Pichaureau, Paris

What if everything you control is wrong? This radical approach to brass playing shifts focus away from the embouchure — back to the true origin of breath and sound.

By Alfred Willener

Oscillatory Mechanism of the Glotis in Horn Playing

A horn note may begin before it is heard, as subtle vocal-fold oscillations appear to prepare the airflow that the lips will ultimately shape.

By Philippe-Henri Dejonker, Francis Orval, R. Miller, R. Sneppe

Horn singing

Earl S. Saxton advocates a “singing” approach to horn playing, emphasizing tone production through vibration, breath control and vocal-inspired technique.

By Earl S. Saxton

Part 4

Zen and the Art of Horn playing

From meditation to distance running, horn playing becomes a way of quieting mental noise, linking breath, concentration, and daily life.

By Jeffrey Agrell

The column of air

A System of Breathing for Brass Players

Explains the role of the air column in brass playing, focusing on breath support, airflow control and their impact on tone, articulation and sound quality.

By Robert Bouché

Valsalva Maneuver - Why?

A familiar breathing technique becomes a source of resistance and tension, as William F. Cramer argues instead for an open throat and freer airflow.

By William F. Cramer

Science in the service of music

Interview with René Périnelli

Where trumpet teaching once relied on intuition, René Périnelli and Jean-Jacques Greffin brought physiology, medical imaging and science into daily practice.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

The attack

Precision often begins with doing less, not more—a principle Louis Davidson places at the heart of trumpet playing with surprising practical consequences.

By Louis Davidson

A talk with Rolf Quinque

What if strength is the wrong approach? Rolf Quinque traces his shift from force to mastery through controlled breathing, discipline, and relaxed playing.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

The lead trumpet player

A survey of training, practice and equipment

Article on lead trumpet playing, covering training, practice methods and equipment for achieving accuracy, endurance and style.

By John Harding

Part 4

Practical Hints

A single Clarke study becomes a lesson in note placement, breath control and continuity, as James Stamp reshapes a familiar exercise through preparation.

By James Stamp

Some thoughts on the euphonium and euphonium technique

The euphonium revealed: Barrie Perrins explores its history, technique, and expressive power—making a compelling case for its place as one of brass’s most versatile solo voices.

By Barrie Perrins

The founders of the French Trumpet School

Merri Franquin, Eugène Foveau and Raymond Sabarich

Franquin, Foveau and Sabarich appear through their Paris careers, teaching legacies, recordings and role in shaping modern French trumpet playing.

By Michel Laplace

Relaxation and musical performance

Breath, fingers and muscular tension form a hidden technical chain in wind playing, as Michel Ricquier links virtuosity to bodily awareness.

By Michel Ricquier

Singing lessons for brass players?

Explores how vocal training can benefit brass players, improving breathing, phrasing, tone production and musical expression.

By Heinz Knodt

A scientific study of pulmonary function

As applied to wind instrument playing, with emphasis on the study of lung function in trumpet playing

Do trumpet players breathe differently? William W. Bing shows not really—except for greater lung capacity tied to endurance, with no harmful effects.

By William W. Bing

Science and Technology in Trombone Teaching

What if tone production depended less on instinct than on understanding how the instrument, the lips and the air function as one interconnected system?

By Sergej Gorovoj