[HS127]

Not sure if this is in the right forum, but anyway,

I have a few questions on various aspects of playing.

1. When trying to breathe from my diaphragm, I have some issues and stuff. What I try to do is breathe from what seems to me where my stomach or lower lungs might be. My stomach expands and my shoulders don't raise, but when I breathe like this, I have much less breathe than shallow breathing. Is this because I'm doing it wrong someway or I need to develop the potential of diaphragm breathing? Also sometimes I hear this sound from that area, it sounds like a cross between a whoopie cushion and a very short burp but muted, but usually I don't. Anybody know what that is?

2. When practicing all my triads and stuff, I practice one type ex. C dim and move on to the next type ex. C min. however, my fingers seems to confuse them because they're so similar. Does anyone know how to fix this?

 

[gary]

1. When trying to breathe from my diaphragm, I have some issues and stuff. What I try to do is breathe from what seems to me where my stomach or lower lungs might be. My stomach expands and my shoulders don't raise, but when I breathe like this, I have much less breathe than shallow breathing. Is this because I'm doing it wrong someway or I need to develop the potential of diaphragm breathing? Also sometimes I hear this sound from that area, it sounds like a cross between a whoopie cushion and a very short burp but muted, but usually I don't. Anybody know what that is?

Don't know why you are having a problem because it sounds like you are doing it right. Things to consider:
- are your shoulders lowered and your neck relaxed?
- are you inhaling from the bottom up, e.g. like a glass is being filled by water.
- are you bringing air into your lungs like a hand bellows does, e.g. the vacuum is beginning from your diaphragm area, and filling your lung cavity, again, from the bottom up.

2. When practicing all my triads and stuff, I practice one type ex. C dim and move on to the next type ex. C min. however, my fingers seems to confuse them because they're so similar. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Yes. Practice them very, very slowly until you cannot make any mistakes. You can also play the few notes in the scales that are different from one another very slowly, mistake free, to teach the fingers the correct movements. The muscles have memory, that's why you have to practice at a speed that they make no mistakes because it is that mistake-free movement that you want your muscles to remember.

 

[HS127]

"- are your shoulders lowered and your neck relaxed?"

This is no problem for me

"- are you inhaling from the bottom up, e.g. like a glass is being filled by water."

I'm pretty sure I got this down too, when I breathe its from the lowest area I can breathe from.

"- are you bringing air into your lungs like a hand bellows does, e.g. the vacuum is beginning from your diaphragm area, and filling your lung cavity, again, from the bottom up."

I think this may be my problem. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this, but I think what you're saying is that inhalation starts from the bottom and then you fill your upper lungs with air for a full breathe (or something along this line). However, I don't really get how to do this; I've tried different ways to fill that area with air but it doesn't seem to work. Would this be why I have such a small breathe capacity (along with lack of dillegence for long tone studies?)

 

[Pete Thomas]

I think this may be my problem. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this, but I think what you're saying is that inhalation starts from the bottom and then you fill your upper lungs with air for a full breathe (or something along this line). However, I don't really get how to do this; I've tried different ways to fill that area with air but it doesn't seem to work. Would this be why I have such a small breathe capacity (along with lack of dillegence for long tone studies?)

Think of breathing in three stages: low middle top, in that order, in or out. But I think all you need do is exercise.

See this article
http://tamingthesaxophone.com/saxophone-diaphragm-breathing.html

And these exercises:
http://tamingthesaxophone.com/saxophone-breathing.html

Those exercises came from the great saxophonist, Sonny Rollins