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Circular Breathing 1a
[Music: Opening Bassoon Solo to Vivaldi's Concerto in E minor]
Several people have been interested in my ability to circular breathe through their
viewing of my video on YouTube in which I circular breathe in a performance of “Flight
of the Bumblebee.” At the time you are viewing this video you may not be able that (original)
video. Restrictions by the television station that recorded the concert will only allow
me to leave it on the website until June 2007. This video and the video following it will
be dealing with two different aspects. This video is going to deal with the principles
and mechanisms for circular breathing.
This is a picture of the air flow that is normal for (playing) bassoon reeds. So you
have coming out of the lungs the air comes up behind the tongue here into the oral chamber
above the tongue and into the bassoon reed and on out. So that is the normal air flow
we have for bassoonists. Notice that the soft palate, this little muscle area is closed
off. If there is fatigue in the soft palate and there is air that escapes there will be
a snorting sound or something for players. Some players do have a soft palate that doesn't
close all the way or fatigues easily but in the normal air flow the air should go in this
particular motion.
When we prepare to circular breathe or at least when I prepare to circular breathe I
inflate my cheeks. Now Jane (Orzel) mentions in her article that she slides the back of
the tongue forward and shortens the air chamber inside the mouth. I haven't been as effective
in doing that so I inflate the cheeks therefore creating a bigger cavity for the air to flow
out of my mouth. Once my cheeks are inflated the tongue is then raised in the back of my
mouth to close off the passage. I have a reservoir of air right here in this part of the mouth
that continues (the air) going forward.
Now when I circular breathe at the very same time I raise the tongue to the top of the
soft palate here I also drop the soft palate at the back of my mouth to allow for the flow
of air coming in through my nose, through the sinus passages.