How to Use Breath Support to Fatten Your Sound and Fix Intonation

SSmith1226

I know that there have been multiple discussions in the past on “Air Support”, but today I stumbled on an informative article from a saxophone site, “thebestsaxophonewebsiteever.com”. Perhaps some of you may find the perspective of a saxophonist interesting. I am not trying to stir up a high energy contentious debate, but hopefully will stimulate a productive discussion, since air support is necessary not only for all wind instrumentalists, but for vocalists as well. The link to the full article is:
https://www.bestsaxophonewebsiteever.com/how-to-use-breath-support-to-fatten-your-sound-and-fix-intonation/

The main “meat” of the article is below:

DECEMBER 6, 2022
How to Use Breath Support to Fatten Your Sound and Fix Intonation
By Doron Orenstein

To anyone who’s ever played a wind instrument, the advice to use proper air support is not exactly “insider information”. We’ve all heard it before, many times.

Over the course of my years on the saxophone, I certainly have been advised to “support the air from the diaphragm” , but I have to admit – for a long time, I didn’t know the exact reason that breath support mattered so much.

A Game-Changing Revelation
Some time ago, I had the privilege of a private lesson with the great altoist, Will Vinson (here’s a link to an ancient interview I did with him many years ago). I told him that I was struggling with a thin and shrill quality in my upper register, to which he dryly replied, “you do realize you play the alto saxophone(?)“.

In addition to his reassuring and hilarious response to my admission of upper-register challenges, upon watching me play, he shed some light on my above-the-staff woes by pointing out that I wasn’t taking very big breaths in between phrases. And I’ve come to find out that the size of my breaths was at the heart of my problem.

The “Garden Hose Method” of Breath
To illustrate the importance of maximizing my breath support, Will offered me the best analogy I’ve heard on the topic to date, and it goes a little something like this…

Let’s say you have a hose with a weak flow of water that isn’t traveling very far. Now, one way to make that water shoot out farther would be to partially cover the opening at the end of the hose with your thumb – and that does get the water moving out a bit farther. But, although the water is indeed traveling farther, you’ll notice that the flow is also unfocused, since your thumb is causing it to splinter into two or more separate trajectories.

The better way to provide the desired water pressure is to, of course, simply have a stronger and more focused flow of water coming out of the pipes in the first place, so that you don’t need to compromise its power and accuracy using the thumb on the hose hack.

“Thanks for the gardening lesson, but how does this apply to my playing?“
And the answer to that question can be found in our tendency to pinch the mouthpiece more and more as we move up to those notes at the upper end of the horn’s register. So because those higher notes require more air power, our lower jaw is, in effect, acting like a thumb on the garden hose.

Don’t “Thumb Your Hose” at Proper Air Support
Just like the boosted water flow from the obstructed opening at the end of the hose, when we artificially boost the air pressure by clamping down on the mouthpiece, it’s as though our sound is getting splintered, resulting in a less focused tonal quality. On top of that, the added pressure from the jaw dampens the vibration in the reed, making for a “thinner” sound that’s devoid of the diverse array of overtones and partials that make for that big and rich saxophone sound we all strive for.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, adding to our unfortunate smorgasbord of tonal issues is poor intonation, as the tightened jaw for the upper register notes brings the pitch up excessively in proportion to the octave below.

Transferring Your Energy
One concept that’s been quite helpful to me has been thinking of taking any energy that I am using in my jaw to clamp down, and transferring that energy to my diaphragm/air flow. That might sound sort of odd, but thinking about it this way allows me to keep the jaw pressure for the upper register more or less the same as it would be for the octave below, with the main difference being the slight rolling in of the lip for the higher notes and vice versa for the lower.

The Result
Once you’re in the habit powering those high notes with air volume rather than air constriction, you’ll find that your sound in the upper register is:

bigger and “richer” as a result of the reed being freed up to allow for more overtones/upper partials
more in tune
more consistent in timbre to the lower register, giving you an added level of evenness of sound
On top of that, you’ll find that you are able to play for longer without your jaw muscles getting tired out.

“Three-Part Breathing” Explained and Demonstrated
One way to add air support is a technique known as “Three-Part Breathing”, and I’ll leave it to one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic of saxophone sound production to teach you that – none other than the legendary Dave Liebman.

The links below will take you to an intro as well as a demonstration of this method, which is a progression of simple exercises you can do with each practice session to increase the amount of available air behind your sound.

The following videos are taken from Liebman’s course, The Ultimate Guide to Saxophone Sound Production, which in my (totally unbiased but honest as the course’s publisher’s) opinion, is, literally, the best video course on the subject you will find anywhere.

Three-Part Breathing (the intro)
Three-Part Breathing (the exercises)
Conclusion
So by now, hopefully you have a better understanding of why it is that we’re told to “support from the diaphragm” and in watching the videos above, have a new technique for doing just that.

So I encourage you to take this information to heart, and to the shed, and see for yourself just how much you can “fatten” your sound and fix your intonation with killer air support!
Doron Orenstein
I've been playing the sax since the late 80's, but my musical journey has run quite the gamut. The musical rap sheet includes tours with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and reggae master Half Pint, center stage at the L.A. Music Center, cozy cafes, raucous night clubs, gear-drenched studios, and the pinnacle of any musician's career - playing weddings in New Jersey! (duh). There's a lot of other stuff too, but you should be reading these blog posts and leaving comments instead. Now off you go!
→ Doron Orenstein

Kehaulani

So, all of that text means . . what?

GeorgeB

Well, nothing really new there. Heck one of the first most important things I was taught was the importance of good solid air support.
George

SSmith1226

@kehaulani said in How to Use Breath Support to Fatten Your Sound and Fix Intonation:

So, all of that text means . . what?

As I said in my introductory paragraph, the purpose of the posting of the information expressed, at least to me, was to open an updated non contentious discussion of “air support”, which is a universal important aspect of wind instrument and vocal performers, centered on the perspective of a woodwind performer. I realize that you are a professional who is proficient in multiple brass and woodwind instruments, so this discussion may not seem relevant to you, but perhaps it is relevant to others, or perhaps not.

Kehaulani

Fair enough. I will say, though, that whether performing on sax or trumpet, I was never conscious of my support being different.

GeorgeB

The one thing I do know is that anyone who took lessons for trumpet or any other kind of wind instrument should know how to use breath support properly, but there are some who don't. Perhaps their teacher never showed them how to breath properly.
There is an older 2nd trumpet lady in our band who has been playing for about 4 years now. She never took lessons but feels she learned about air support watching you tube. Well, she didn't learn. We more experienced players try to help her but it is a waste of time. When I hear here crying about how her lips are giving out after only 10 or 15 minutes of playing I remind her about using proper air support. But it goes in one ear and out the other.

Trumpetb

@GeorgeB

A sad story george and I sympathise.

Forgive me for jumping in with no knowledge of her and you may have already fully investigated her playing.

Could it be perhaps that her mouthpiece is not helping.

She has only been playing for 4 years and perhaps has moved to too large a mouthpiece for her chops in an effort to cultivate richer tones. A common problem when starting out.

If this is true she may be suffering as well with an abridged and compressed range due to the rim size being too big, If the rim size is too big it doesnt support the lips so more effort is needed to play well in all ranges.

This can then lead to too much pressure trying to compensate, which then causes endurance issues as her embouchure collapses under the strain and the pressure.

I am sure you are right about her air use but there might be some other things at work here as well.

Apologies for all the speculation and the interference, but I had to mention it. 4 years is not a long time and her embouchure and chops are not perhaps as well developed as in your good self. And there are many things that can affect endurance and could be looked at again.

Even a rim shape change can help sometimes with endurance.

For me good endurance comes from not over using or straining the chops and low mouthpiece pressure plus good use of air support. (and several other things as well)

And you know if you can make a few suggestions about the mouthpiece size and rim shape and use of low pressure and those tips end up helping her even a little, then her confidence in you will grow and you never know she might start listening to you about air use as well where it really counts.

Thats my 2c

flugelgirl

One of the things some will neglect when talking about breath support is posture. Without good posture, it is almost impossible to breathe properly. I see this in my students all the time, and the second I remind them their breathing and sound are immediately better.

GeorgeB

@trumpetb
Yes, both myself and our first trumpet lead, who has the most experience, have told her to downsize from the 3C she is using to perhaps a 5C or even better a 10.5C. Unfortunately, she is a retired math teacher and perhaps she just doesn't like being taught by someone else. Anyway she always agrees when told something, she just never takes action.
Thank you for your suggestions, trumpetb.
George

GeorgeB

This post is deleted!

GeorgeB

@flugelgirl

The lady I have been talking about has also had her poor posture pointed out to her, but again, she doesn't do anything about it.
George

SSmith1226

@kehaulani said in How to Use Breath Support to Fatten Your Sound and Fix Intonation:

Fair enough. I will say, though, that whether performing on sax or trumpet, I was never conscious of my support being different.

I frankly never gave any thought to woodwind instrument air support before reading this article, but it makes perfect sense that they would be the same. The same hold true for vocal air support. It was interesting for me to read this individual’s experience as well as to hear your interpretation as well, being both a professional brass and woodwind player.
As far as George’s experience, getting lessons early in his exposure to trumpet, which included concepts of air support, he was very fortunate. I started playing the trumpet in 1957 and quit in 1972 or 1973. I took lessons, not only in school, but over the years, privately as well. I do not recall any discussion or instruction about air support. It was not until my comeback in 2016 that this concept became known to me, first on YouTube Videos and then multiple teachers and colleagues. Without exception, my current colleagues of my age range, who are comeback players had a similar experience of lack of exposure to these concepts in their earlier phase of playing.

GeorgeB

@ssmith1226
That is really surprising, Steve, to hear that you didn't recall anything about air support at school or other instructors in 1957. But I must admit that I learned nothing about airsupport either from The Maritime Conservatory of Music in Halifax in 1953 when I took up the horn. In fact the month + I spent at the Conservatory was a waste because at the time I studied there, they had lost their trumpet instructor and the head music director was filling in and he never once blew a note on the trumpet. I left after 6 weeks and found a professional trumpet player, who turned out to be one of the top players in Eastern Canada. Number one on his agenda was posture and air support, and he showed me how to do both properly.

J. Jericho

@ssmith1226 "Without exception, my current colleagues of my age range, who are comeback players had a similar experience of lack of exposure to these concepts in their earlier phase of playing."

I'll add my exception to GeorgeB's. Every year on day one of junior high school/7-9th grade band, the director explained the concept/practice of filling the lungs from the bottom and using abdominal pressure to expel air along with practicing proper posture. He said this habit would provide adequate healthy oxygen to the body, regardless of one's activity or rest. In high school/grades 10-12, when the director heard a weak sound, he reminded the player to practice breath support. My trumpet teacher also mentioned breath support and posture as fundamental to proper playing.

barliman2001

When I started on trumpet, at the tender age of 22 after winning a trumpet in a tombola (!), no one mentioned air support or posture to me...
but then, I was an experienced choir singer and already in the second year of voice studies at university...