Abstract
Wind instrumentalists require a sophisticated functioning of their respiratory system to control their air stream, which provides the power for optimal musical performance. The air supply must be delivered into the instrument in a steady and controlled manner and with enough power by the action of the expiratory musculature to produce the desired level of sound at the correct pitch. It is suggested that playing posture may have an impact on the abdominal muscle activity controlling this expired air, but there is no research on musicians to support this theory. This study evaluated chest and abdominal expansion, via respiratory inductive plethysmography, as well as activation patterns of lower and upper abdominal musculature, using surface electromyography, during performance of a range of typical orchestral repertoire by 113 woodwind and brass players. Each of the five orchestral excerpts was played in one of four randomly allocated postures: standing; sitting flat; sitting inclined forwards; and sitting inclined backwards. Musicians showed a clear preference for playing in standing rather than sitting. In standing, the chest expansion range and maximum values were greater (p < 0.01), while the abdominal expansion was less than in all sitting postures (p < 0.01). Chest expansion patterns did not vary between the three sitting postures, while abdominal expansion was reduced in the forward inclined posture compared to the other sitting postures (p < 0.05). There was no significant variation in abdominal muscle activation between the sitting postures, but the level of activation in sitting was only 2/3 of the significantly higher level observed in standing (p < 0.01). This study has demonstrated significant differences in respiratory mechanics between sitting and standing postures in wind musicians during playing of typical orchestral repertoire. Further research is needed to clarify the complex respiratory mechanisms supporting musical performance.
Highlights
Playing a wind instrument is one of the most strenuous activities of the respiratory system (Deniz et al, 2006), with the requirement to blow into resistances of up to 120 mmHg creating extraordinary ventilatory demands (Fuks and Fadle, 2002)
The following measures were obtained: Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) and the proportion of the total lung volume that can be expired in 1 second (FEV1/FVC)
The activity levels varied significantly between the postures [F(3, 333) ≥ 20.2, p < 0.02], with post-hoc tests showing no significant difference among the three sitting postures with mean activity levels of approximately 8% Maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVCs) in both muscles (p = 1.00), but higher activity during standing where mean activity increased to approximately 12% MVC in both muscles (p < 0.001)
Summary
Playing a wind instrument is one of the most strenuous activities of the respiratory system (Deniz et al, 2006), with the requirement to blow into resistances of up to 120 mmHg creating extraordinary ventilatory demands (Fuks and Fadle, 2002). Wind instrumentalists require a sophisticated functioning of their respiratory system to control all aspects of their air stream for optimal musical performance (Gilbert, 1998). A column of air must pass through a vibrator mechanism—the lips or a single or double reed system—into a brass or woodwind instrument in a steady and controlled manner, and with enough power to produce the desired level of sound at the correct pitch (Sataloff et al, 1998). The air provides the power behind all wind playing, while the reed apparatus or lip opening controls much of the air column vibration and output rate (Farkas, 1962). The ventilatory demands of playing a wind instrument change according to musical requirements and require changes in the intra-oral and intra-thoracic pressure, mouthpiece pressure and flow rates (Iltis, 2003). While many wind music pedagogues advocate correct breathing as being essential for musical performance, little evidence or consensus advice exists as to how this should be done (Sehmann, 2000)
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