Clarinet Lessons: Big Breaths

The clarinet, aside from your fingers, requires strong lungs to be played properly. After all, you can’t make smooth note transitions if you can’t blow air properly, smoothly, and in a continuous manner. Worse, you won’t be able to improve if you keep breathing that way. This said, if you find yourself being short of breath, here’s a nifty tip on how to improve your body’s air support system.

The secret to good clarinet playing is being able to produce big breaths. Most of the time, beginners tend to crunch up their shoulders and slouch when they inhale. When you do that, you’re not breathing properly. When you’re slouching, your diaphragm won’t have enough space to expand and contract—which, then, causes you to have shortened breaths. Instead, try breathing with your shoulders and back straight. This will let air to move in and out of your lungs in a smooth, easy manner. On top of that, you’ll also have an easier time taking in and exhaling out air. The result: you’ll be able to blow more air through your clarinet without too much effort.

This takes time to practice. So, before and after your clarinet lessons, be sure to practice breathing exercises to let your lungs adapt. You should also try breathing this way even if you’re not playing. This way your body would “think” that breathing in this manner is already second nature. So, practice big breaths and you’ll be playing the clarinet without getting short of breath.