NATURAL AIRFLOW

What is Natural Airflow?

Natural Airflow is the unforced movement of air. Most problems on the trumpet are caused by inefficient use of air which leads to over exertion of the embouchure muscles and your abdominal air support muscles.

There are two types of airflow:

1. Natural Airflow - unforced air leaving the body due to the equalisation of air pressure inside and outside of the body.

2. Supported Airflow - where the abdominal muslces are used to push the diaphragm upwards into the lungs sac increasing air pressure in the lungs (for higher and louder playing only).

To develop into a top line player with a full sounding range from the pedal register to the altissimo register, an understanding of Natural Airflow is essential. Of course there are exceptions to this, i.e. natural players who just play without knowledge of what they are doing or how and can play to an exceptionally high level.

What percentage of all trumpet players in the world can actually play the way that they want to? Why are people constantly looking for answers on how to play better? Why is range always an issue? Why are you reading this page? The answer to all of these questions is that the trumpet (really just a fancy bit of pipe) is not an instrument that is natural to play.

Firstly, let’s establish that blowing faster increases volume not range! The Aperture Posture must become firmer to play higher. The added support you feel from your abdominal muscles is purely for volume purposes. You can slur two octaves without changing the intensity of the blow and the notes will get higher but much softer very quickly. To keep the dynamic level consistent, faster air is required as you ascend.

How can I experience Natural Airflow?

Take a deep breath and sigh out loud. An even better example is a yawn. Imagine a balloon filling up inside your rib cage as you fill your lungs. The air inside the balloon (your lungs) is now under higher pressure than atmospheric pressure therefore due to laws of equalization, the air must come out! The WindBag and Windstick are great tools for practicing, visualizing and experiencing Natural Airflow.

Let’s imagine a line of equalization; that is atmospheric pressure. Above the line of equalization is higher than atmospheric pressure and below the line is lower than atmospheric pressure.

HIGH AIR PRESSURE (Full Breath)

————————————— Line of equalization – ATMOSHPHERIC PRESSURE

LOW AIR PRESSURE (Empty Lungs)

Playing the trumpet is a co-ordination or balance between two main functions:

AIR and APERTURE

Only a perfect balance between these two functions will allow a perfect sound.

The most common problem with most players is that the Lip Aperture is too tight, so to compensate, they push their air too hard which creates all kinds of tension issues all the way back from the lips into the throat, chest, shoulders. Would you ever sing with so much strain in the body?

How is the aperture going to vibrate effectively if it is being pinched? You can see the problem here.

The Aperture is too tight, you then push the air harder to make sound happen, then there is too much air (over blowing) so you then tighten your aperture to hold back the air.

All the while the abdomen and throat are locking and pushing against each other – the valsalva maneuver. This scenario is the complete opposite of Natural Airflow.

Natural Airflow happens when a Complete Breath passes through a relaxed throat (imagine fogging up a mirror) then through the oral cavity on to a relaxed aperture that can vibrate easily (imagine that there is a tiny, delicate feather between your lips that you are gently blowing).

How do I find the line of equalization?

Take a full breath like you are about to jump into a freezing pool. Now pretend you are blowing out a candle but do not push the air with your abdominals. The air will stop flowing when the pressure in your lungs reaches atmospheric pressure. Notice that you still have plenty of air in your lungs. To move the remaining air out, you must push it with your abdominal muscles; this is supported airflow, the opposite of Natural Airflow.

It is possible to do all of your playing using supported airflow but it is not the most efficient way to play!

All playing should be done above the line of equalization. Most people breathe just above the line of equalization and go way below the line forcing the air out, creating all of the problems we have already spoken about.