How to Breathe While Playing the Trumpet

Playing the trumpet is a rewarding experience, but one that requires practice and knowledge of proper playing techniques. Two of the most important skills to master when playing the trumpet are fingering and breath control. Proper breathing makes trumpet playing easier and the resulting music sound better.

Instructions

1. Practice breathing before playing, which makes putting those techniques into practice much easier when you're playing the instrument. Sit quietly and practice breathing in deeply to a count of 3. Breathe out just as evenly, counting to t3 again. Maintain a pattern so that your intake and output of breath require the same amount of time. This will make your tone and pitch more even when playing the trumpet.

2. Understand what method of breathing maximizes your oxygen intake to make it easier to breathe correctly when you play the trumpet. Place a hand on your stomach and a hand over your lungs and chest. Breathe in and out deeply. Feel that your chest expands outward when you breathe in and the hand over your stomach moves up. This means that you are breathing from the bottom of your lungs.

3. Breathe from the bottom of your lungs and draw your breaths from deep within in order to maximize your breathing capabilities. Taking shallow or uneven breaths can make your playing sound uneven too. If you find yourself breathing fast or unevenly when you're playing, take a break and do some more deep-breathing exercises to get your breathing back under control.

4. Maintain good posture. Hunching or slouching over decreases the ability of oxygen to get to your lungs and it can also decrease your playing abilities. Sit up straight, hold your head up high and keep your elbows out at your sides to breathe properly and give yourself a good trumpet-playing posture.

5. Stay calm even when you're frustrated with mistakes or difficult passages. Only when you're calm can you practice proper breathing. If you find yourself getting discouraged or frustrated, take a break, do some breathing exercises and resume playing when you are calm.

Resources

• Learn more exercises to help you play the trumpet at Breathing Exercises.