Wayne Downey's Brass Advantage: Discussion

[Dennis Argul]

Joe Exley for President.

[kalijah]

Tuba joe wrote:

the human body's respiratory equilibrium is at about 20%-25% of vital capacity. Therefore, when utilizing the respiratory system for brass playing, we are almost always dealing with POSITIVE pressure INHERENT. This is a crucially important factor.

The inherent pressure varies depending on how much air you hold. At a point of muscular equilibrium there is still air in the lungs. But no pressure above ambient (zero). Engage the respiration muscles at this point and you can continue the flow of air. This is a region of less than zero air pressure (relaxed) where there IS air in the body.

So the "inherent" air pressure due to elasticity alone will vary with the amount you have in the lungs. From some positive pressure for full lungs to a negative pressure for empty lungs.

The simple fact that there is air IN the body means that there is already inherent positive pressure.

Not necessarily. There is only inherent pressure if there is more air than the relaxed lungs hold. And even then this pressure varies with fullness. It is not constant. Just above "relaxed" is not enough for any but very soft / low playing.

On top of that, the inherent positive pressure, combined with the basic elasticity of the abdominal muscles (etc) creates MORE than enough pressure to power the art of playing brass instrument without artificially adding to it.

Only if you are playing a continually diminishing volume on a note. (And obviously you never played anything smaller than a tuba.)

The inherent positive pressure IS due to the elasticity of the body (not "combined" with).

Also, if you are playing a tone that is significantly long. You must engage the muscles of exhalation as you approach and cross the point of neutral pressure.

And, if one plays a very soft, low note, even on trumpet, the "inherent" pressure of the "full" lungs is too much for the dynamic and the player must engage the muscles of inhalation to adjust the pressure. Now most players will deny that they engage in such action but they indeed do that.

YES, A player SHOULD use the inherent pressure of full lungs to his advantage. And when I discuss air "pressure" provided by the player I am NOT disregarding that pressure contribution.

However the player MUST adjust the TOTAL pressure, the pressure required for the musical dynamic they are playing at the time, by engaging (or sometimes reversing) the muscles of exhalation, and this is a constant process.

Edited August 14, 2007 by kalijah

[kalijah]

Tom wrote:

kalijah wrote

"By "quantity" I assume you mean flow."

No, I mean the physical quantity of wind, moving or not. (call it volume?)

So I guess you mean the physical quantity of air, moving or not. That is "volume".

Wind is a flow of air. Flow=Volume/time.

You can have high air flow and very little air volume,. Example: a very loud but short note.

You can also have low flow and high volume. Example: A very long soft note.

So to be accurate. Flow and volume are not the same. You must consider the dimension of time.