Breathtaking: An alternative approach to breathing for trumpeters

Danny Teong

Name: Danny Teong Main Subject: Trumpet, Early Music Performance Research supervisors: Wouter Verschuren, Susan Williams Title of Research: Breathtaking: An alternative approach to breathing for trumpeters Research Question: Breathing simultaneously through the nose and mouth: What are the benefits for trumpet playing? How can this technique be learned? Summary of Results: Breathing in trumpet pedagogy is a controversial area. Trumpet method books contain seemingly conflicting instructions, and breathing through the mouth and focusing on low abdomen breathing dominates conventional brass pedagogy. This research attempts to explore the teachings of Willem van der Vliet, a retired trumpet teacher, who presents an alternative approach of including the nose in the inhalation process. I have used interviews, surveys, and investigated scientific and esoteric sources to attempt to explain the breathing mechanism and to understand how and why Willem’s approach to breathing works, and how it can be learnt. Biography: Danny started playing the natural trumpet since 2011, and has freelanced with early music groups in the Netherlands and Germany. He is intrigued by the limitless rhetorical possibilities of early music and enjoys the portrayal of a singing trumpet via variations in articulation and sound colour. Danny is currently doing his master’s degree with Susan Williams in Koninklijk Conservatorium, with support from Adriana Jacoba Fonds.

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Name: Danny Teong

Main Subject: Trumpet, Early Music Performance

Research supervisors: Wouter Verschuren, Susan Williams

Title of Research: Breathtaking: An alternative approach to breathing for trumpeters

Research Question: Breathing simultaneously through the nose and mouth: What are the benefits for trumpet playing? How can this technique be learned?

Summary of Results: Breathing in trumpet pedagogy is a controversial area. Trumpet method books contain seemingly conflicting instructions, and breathing through the mouth and focusing on low abdomen breathing dominates conventional brass pedagogy. This research attempts to explore the teachings of Willem van der Vliet, a retired trumpet teacher, who presents an alternative approach of including the nose in the inhalation process. I have used interviews, surveys, and investigated scientific and esoteric sources to attempt to explain the breathing mechanism and to understand how and why Willem’s approach to breathing works, and how it can be learnt.

Biography: Danny started playing the natural trumpet since 2011, and has freelanced with early music groups in the Netherlands and Germany. He is intrigued by the limitless rhetorical possibilities of early music and enjoys the portrayal of a singing trumpet via variations in articulation and sound colour. Danny is currently doing his master’s degree with Susan Williams in Koninklijk Conservatorium, with support from Adriana Jacoba Fonds.

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