The other day I was reading Bret Pimentel’s blog, and I came across a post of his simply titled, Breath Support. As I mentioned in my comment to him, it is without a doubt, the best article I have read on breath support in wind instruments.
Much like Steve Goodson’s explanation of resonators and how they work in a saxophone, which I mentioned in a post a few days ago, what makes Breath Support so good, is that the definition that Bret has provided, is easy to understand and grasp.
Breath support is the engagement of the abdominal muscles (including the sides and lower back) during exhalation.
That’s it. That’s all.
I’m a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. method of teaching. Bret’s is not only an excellent definition to use with your students, but also an excellent example of how a rather complex concept, can be made simple, and easy to understand.
What makes his article work really well, is that Bret touches on some of the myths of breath support that we’ve all heard (or perhaps even still believe ourselves) for example, breath support comes from the diaphragm. He then concludes by briefly mentioning some of the other problems that can be cleared up when proper breath support is used, things like poor intonation & saggy tone.
While there are certainly longer & more detailed articles about breath support out there, this is a great intro. Moreover, just as importantly, it provides a great working definition, as well as model for how teachers can simplify difficult concepts.
Thanks, Helen!