The Necessity of Breathing Well

An exploration of breathing for young flutists.

Breathe deeper. Breathe quieter. Not so shallow. Do not let your shoulders touch. If you can hear it, your breath is no good. Out of all the students in the band, the young flutist has likely heard it all when it comes to how to breathe. And yet, scholastic flutists often suffer from pinched, shallow breathing and tense upper bodies, thin, unsupported sounds, and the ever-consistent support your sound or it goes out of tune. As a scholastic flute teacher, I have heard all the above and then some. But I rarely hear directors talk to their students about what a truly productive breath should feel and sound like. Telling students over and over what is wrong will not lead to what is right.

Exploring breathing as it relates to the flute is a necessary conversation for any young flutist. Nancy Toff writes that “breathing is a musical tool”[1] in The Flute Book. It is more than simply breathing in as we would daily. Toff goes on to explain that breathing for flutists is essential to good tone production and fundamentals on the instrument. Which bares the conclusion: the later we wait to teach proper breathing to our flutists, the longer they have learned to sit with unsupported sounds.

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A little glimpse of my personal flute collection.

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Support is a commonly used term in the band room. One may have heard, Support the sound. or to the likes of it before in a rehearsal. But what does support entail? And how does it relate to breathing? Toff explains that there are steps to breathing: inhalation, suspension, and exhalation. “Inhalation” is the action of breathing in. Inhaling is rather intuitive, we need air, and our lungs naturally pull more in its absence. She goes on to explain that “suspension” is the momentary pause before the release of the air, which keeps the body from passing out. If we released air as soon as we inhaled, the body would hyperventilate as it would not be able to fully draw the oxygen it needs. “Exhalation” is arguably the most intuitive step of the three, as it occurs when air is released from the lungs. For flutists, this step is where support comes into play. The support of air is when one uses the abdominal muscles to provide pressure to push the air from the lungs. A common misconception is that the diaphragm does this. However, the diaphragm is a muscle that moves down and out of the way of the lungs to allow them to fully expand. Michael Debost writes “Don’t worry about your diaphragm. It goes up, it goes down; it goes down, it goes up. Like Timothy Tim’s ten pink toes, it goes wherever the air goes.”[2] Thus, support truly does come from the abdomen.

A wonderful exercise that I use to emphasize the understanding of breathing in this manner is one that my students call “Sips.” Adapted from ideas like Michael Debost’s concepts of “gasps” in The Simple Flute[3], the exercise emphasizes the use of the abdominal muscles and gets the student thinking about where they are breathing from. The student first blows out all air from their lungs. We refer to this as “stale air” – air that has been sitting in our lungs, not being utilizedto the fullest extent. The student pushes small bursts of air until they feel that they have no more air to release. The student is then asked to deeply inhale, through the mouth, for four counts (quarter=90 is recommended). They hold the breath in, taking in several sips of air as though breathing through a coffee stir. This should bring their attention to the sensation of fully utilizing their lung capacity. The measured breath is the ideal breath to begin a passage while the sips model the small breathes used in denser phrases. The teacher can ask the student to release the breath at the same tempo they breathed in, counting how many beats the airstream stays consistent. This can also be practiced using the airstream on a covered note (such as middle E or F). This exercise is beneficial to start a lesson or practice session and encourages the student to “feel their lungs.”

It is every teacher’s first and primary responsibility to expand their students’ toolboxes – devices and methods we build upon in their education – so they may use them when the teacher is no longer present. Our greatest joy is seeing them succeed beyond the time of our lessons and classrooms. It is due to this responsibility; that with great emphasis, I urge you to teach and consider the necessity of breathing well. Every flutist deserves the opportunity to have access to a full range of sound and support. By setting our students up to succeed in the highest possible degree, we empower them to go forth and do the same one day.

[1] Nancy Toff. The Flute Book. Third edition. Page 85.

[2] Michael Debost. The Simple Flute. Page 47.

[3] Michael Debost. The Simple Flute. Gasps are described as rapid breathes used in particularly rhythmic passages.

Works Cited

Debost, Michel, and Jeanne Debost-Roth. The Simple Flute: From a to Z. New York; NY, Oxford University Press, 2010.

Toff, Nancy. The Flute Book: A Complete Guide for Students and Performers. New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 2012.

Musically yours and forever cheering you on,

P. S. 

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