Ever wondered how some wind players circular breath? What is circular breathing anyway?
Check out my first episode of The Classical Music Minute podcast for the answer to this burning question.
If you’re interested to hear the oboe piece I mentioned in the podcast check out the recording. See if you can spot this circular effect in action!
Featured Soundtrack for this episode, “The Nose: A Brief Moment In Time”.
About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
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Hi, I’m Steven Hobé. Ever wondered how some wind players circular breath?
A few years back, I was really fortunate to work with a talented oboe player on a piece I’d written for clarinet and piano.
It was then I learned of circular breathing, also known as nasal breathing in music.
He explained it to me.
In essence, he could produce a continuous tone without interruption, accomplished by breathing in through his nose, simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth, using air stored in the cheeks.
Players practice this with a straw in a glass of water, blowing bubbles, using the resistance of cheek muscles to keep the bubbles going, while inhaling through the nose. I didn’t try it!
Circular breathing in western orchestral technique is pretty recent, but more and more players are learning this approach for both familiar repertoire and new music.
If you’re interested to hear that oboe piece, I’ve included the link in the description. See if you can spot this circular effect in action!