How to Breathe When Playing the Flute

The flute is a beautiful wind instrument, yet it is one of the most difficult to play as well. Musicians must learn proper breathing techniques in order to produce a tone that is both warm and melodic. Use the following suggestions on how to breathe when playing the flute.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Breathe using your diaphragm. Your diaphragm is a muscle that sits just below the rib cage and separates your lungs from your abdominal cavity. When breathing properly, your diaphragm lifts up and causes your abdomen to expand. Your chest and shoulders should remain stationary when breathing with your diaphragm.

2. Try circular breathing. Flute players use this strange technique to sustain the sound of their instrument while simultaneously inhaling. In essence, you are breathing in to expand your lungs while breathing out to play your flute.

3. Use breathing techniques to practice your embouchure, which is a term that refers to the formation of a flute player's mouth and lips. Place the mouthpiece of the flute to your lips, take a deep breath from your diaphragm and maintain a sustained flow of air. If you practice this breathing technique often, you will see an increase in stamina and tone.

4. Mark the measures of your score to indicate where you should take a breath. Part of breathing properly while playing the flute is learning how to phrase. Proper phrasing results in a piece of music that flows together smoothly, as opposed to one that sounds choppy or fragmented.

Resources

• Learn more about using the circular breathing technique.

[flutestar123]

on 4/9/2009 Nice article! I knew about circular breathing, but I wasn't sure if it was possible with the flute.