(19) Breathing, Swallowing

An important part of relaxation is maintaining the normal body functions, such as breathing, swallowing and proper posture. When stressed, these are the first functions to change, so that they are good indications of the level of stress. In addition, most people are unaware of the proper ways to breathe.

Breathing exercises are beneficial, not only for piano, but for general well-being. Sit upright with a straight spine, expand your chest, push your diaphragm down (this will make your lower abdomen bulge out), raise the shoulders and towards your back, and take a deep breath; then exhale completely by reversing the process. When taking deep breaths, complete exhalation is more important than a fuller intake because the objective is to exchange the carbon dioxide in the lungs for oxygen in the air; if you don't expel the carbon dioxide, the process is less efficient. Breathe through your throat, not through the nose (the mouth can be open or closed). Most people will constrict the nasal air passage if they try to suck air through the nose, which is normally the procedure for preventing nose drips. Dripping is prevented by narrowing the nasal passage so that air flows more rapidly up the smaller opening. To breathe, relax your nose muscles and suck air through the throat region close to the vocal chords -- even with the mouth closed, this procedure will relax the nose muscles, allowing more air to pass through the nose.

Most students think of breathing as pumping the chest, but the diaphragm plays a major role in breathing see Mark, Thomas, , P. 121. Chest pumping can interfere with rhythm and the playing actions, so that diaphragm breathing is especially important for piano. Breathing efficiency is maximized by using both chest pumping and the diaphragm, and maintaining good posture which increases the maximum volume of the lung.If you had not taken this type of deep breaths for a long time, it should cause hyper-ventilation -- you will feel dizzy after two or three such exercises. Stop if you hyper-ventilate. Then repeat this exercise several minutes later; you should find that you can take more breaths without hyper-ventilating. Repeat until you can take at least 5 full breaths in succession without hyper-ventilating; this may take several days. Now, if you go to the doctor's office and he checks you out with his stethoscope and asks you to take a deep breath, you can do it without feeling dizzy! Perform this exercise at least once every several months and incorporate it into your normal breathing habit, especially when playing the piano.

Performing at the piano requires a lot of energy, especially in the brain, so that breathing and posture, which affect the oxygen supply, are important. Yet, when we concentrate hard or become nervous, we often forget about breathing and swallowing, or even hold our breath. This is one reason why meditation, with emphasis on proper breathing, is helpful.

Not swallowing can result in dry throat or mouth and this change in condition can affect hand memory that we rely on for smooth performances. It is a good idea to bring a bottle of water to your performance.

We also need special breathing routines for eliminating nervousness [ (48) Origin and Control of Nervousness ] and falling asleep [Post Practice Improvement, Sleep].