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.

Bibliography

Articles

Flutter, John. “Biochemistry and Physiology of Breathing.” The Negative Effect of Mouth Breathing on the Body and Development of The
Child. Myofunctional Research Co. old.myoresearch.com/cms/index.php?id=152,213,0,0,1,0. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Friedman, Jay. “Trompete!” Jay Friedman: Principal Trombonist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 11 Apr. 2004.
www.jayfriedman.net/articles/trompete_. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Northwestern University. “Rhythm of Breathing Affects Memory and Fear.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 6 Dec. 2016.
neurosciencenews.com/memory-fear-breathing-5699/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2017.

O’Hehir, Trisha, and Amy Francis. “Mouth Vs. Nasal Breathing” Dentaltown, vol. 24, no. 9, 2012.
www.dentaltown.com/dentaltown/Article.aspx?i=297&aid=4026. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Audiovisual materials

Ferguson, Maynard. “Maynard Ferguson Clinic: 06. Breathing Exercise.” YouTube, uploaded by JudeCincy, 30 Jun. 2009,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXP4OE3XyTs. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Blog posts

Ortego, Nick. “5 Benefits of Mouth Breathing.” Run Better Now. 30 Jan. 2016.
www.runbetternow.net/2016/01/30/5-benefits-of-mouth-breathing/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Reser, Jared Edward. “Breathing in Through Both the Nose and Mouth Simultaneously.” Observed Impulse. 7 Apr. 2014.
www.observedimpulse.com/2014/04/breathing-through-both-nose-and-mouth.html. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Books and eBooks

Campos, Frank Gabriel. Trumpet technique. Oxford University Press, Oxford, NY, 2005.

Miller, Richard. English, French, German and Italian Techniques of Singing: A Study in National Tonal Preferences and How They
Relate to Functional Efficiency. The Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, NJ, 1977.

Miyamoto, Musashi. “The Water Chapter.” The Book of Five Rings. Bilingual ed., English trans. by William Scott Wilson, modern
Japanese trans. by Michihiro Matsumoto. 7^th ed., Kodansha International, Tokyo, Japan, 2007, pp. 72-111.

Nelson, Bruce. Also Sprach Arnold Jacobs: A Developmental Guide for Brass Wind Musicians. Polymnia Press, Mindelheim, Germany,
2006.

Ramacharaka, Yogi [Atkinson, William Walker]. The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath. W. & J. Mackay & CG., Chatham, UK, 1903.
Arfalpha, www.arfalpha.com/ScienceOfBreath/ScienceOfBreath.pdf. Accessed 27 Mar. 2017.

Steenstrup, Kristian. Teaching Brass. Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium, Aarhus, Denmark, 2004.

Stoep, Carol Vander. “The Secret: Beauty, Brains, and Body Balance.” Mouth Matters: Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body: How Your Mouth
Ages Your Body and What You Can Do about It. 2^nd ed., Ianua Pub., Austin, TX, 2013, pp. 177-208.

Online databases

Khan, Inayat. “The Control of the Breath.” The Sufi Message of Inayat Khan, vol. 8.
hazrat-inayat-khan.org/php/views.php?h1=28&h2=21. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.

Lao-Tzu 老子. “Di sishiba zhang” 第四十八章 [Chapter 48]. Dao De Jing 道德經 [Tao Te Ching].
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Trumpet method books

Arban, Jean-Baptise. Famous Complete Trumpet, Cornet and Saxhorn Method: I. The Elements of Technique. – General Technique.
Rev. by Jean Maire, Editions Musicales Alphonse Leduc, Paris, France, 1956.

Caruso, Carmine. Musical Calisthenics for Brass. Almo Pub., Miami, FL, 1979.

Clarke, Herbert. Elementary Studies for Trumpet. Carl Fischer Inc., New York, NY, 1936.

Clarke, Herbert. Setting Up Drills. Carl Fischer Inc., New York, NY, 1935.

Colin, Charles. “Breath Control: You are the Instrument.” The Charles Colin Complete Modern Method for Trumpet or Cornet. Charles
Colin, New York, NY, 1980, pp. 172-179.

Freistadt, Harry. “Notes on the Schlossberg Method.” Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trumpet, by Max Schlossberg, M. Baron
Co., New York, NY, 1965.

Saint-Jacome, Louis. Grand Method for Trumpet or Cornet. Carl Fischer Inc., New York, NY, 1915.

Schlossberg, Max. “Introductory Notes.” Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trumpet. M. Baron Co., New York, NY, 1965.

Shuebruk, Richard. Graded Lip and Tongue Trainers for Cornet or Trumpet: Grade 1. Carl Fischer Inc., New York, NY, 1923.

Stamp, James. Warm-ups + Studies. 3^rd ed., Editions Bim, Bulle, Switzerland, 1981.

Vizzutti, Allen. The Allen Vizzutti Trumpet Method Book 1: Technical Studies. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., USA, 1990.

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