Physiology of wind-instrument playing and the implications for pedagogy

Abstract

Finnish wind-instrument teachers' knowledge of physiology and their thoughts about its usefulness in pedagogy were mapped by interviewing them. The teachers considered proper breathing to be the basis of a good playing technique. Physiological knowledge was considered to be especially valuable in elementary grade teaching. Spirometry, intra oral pressure gauging, and measuring the location of breathing with belts constructed for this purpose were the methods to study breathing patterns associated with wind playing. The parameters measured were expenditure of air, blowing pressure, lung volume at the beginning of playing, and the location of breathing. Professional orchestra players and students majoring in wind playing at the Sibelius Academy participated as subjects in this investigation. During wind playing, both the expenditure of air and airway pressure were found to be beyond ordinary physiological limits most of the time. The players preferred low or even location of inspiration preparatory to playing. Especially deep preparatory inspiration was typical of brass players. EMG-recordings were conducted to get information about the type of muscular work involved in wind playing, singing, and some expulsive events. Professional wind players, singers ,and controls without any experience in wind playing and singing participated in this investigation. The use of muscles during wind-instrument playing resembled their use during normal expulsive events and singing. The spatial distribution of muscular activity depended on the depth of inspiration before blowing. This phenomenon was independent of former experience in pressure blowing. Inaccuracies in wind players' intonation were determined by simultaneous, graphical recordings of the changes in intonation, dynamics and airway pressure. The subjects were professional wind players. The failures in intonation were small. The biased tones tended to slide to the direction where the physical effort needed was smallest. To determine the intonation behaviour and blowing pressure demands of oboe reeds made of natural and artificial cane, electromechanical methods were used. Artificial reeds were lighter to blow but had more troublesome intonation than most natural reeds. However, one natural reed was almost as light to blow as the artificial reeds, and it had the most logically behaving intonation of all reeds measured. Adaptation to wind playing was determined by spirometry in student wind-instrumentalists and controls, and by Valsalva testing in experienced professional wind players. Both breathing patterns and Valsalva ratios were changed in the wind players indicating adaptation Occupational health hazards were mapped by questionary sent to the players of the symphony orchestras in Helsinki. According to the answers, wind players did not suffer more than other players from circulatory or respiratory diseases.