by Manolo Pérez, Spanish Brass
Through the pedagogical aspect of my work, giving masterclasses in many parts of the world, I can see that the level of students is constantly rising. But I also see that many people still have what we might call fundamental problems. One of these is breath control.
Often, players do very strange things to be able to play, and they aren't even aware of it, but I don’t believe this should be the case. I often compare breath control to what string instrumentalists do. Players work for months, even years, on bow control—pressure, placement, continuity of movement—all to achieve technical consistency and, above all, good sound quality. For us brass players, the bow movement would be the breath column. And we should give it the same importance: striving for the most continuous and relaxed air column possible. When I say “relaxed,” I obviously don't mean that there is no muscular work involved. We have to use the diaphragm, the corners of the mouth, and all the muscles necessary to play. But all that work should be at the service of the breath and not interfere with it.
If we have good control of the air column, many other things start to work better. We can achieve a good range, both low and high, we can produce a good sound, and we can also improve technical aspects such as intervals, large leaps, and lip trills. For example, many students tell me they have problems with staccato. Most of the time, they think the problem is with the tongue; but the real problem lies in how they are using the air. First, we must get the air to flow naturally and continuously, and then position the tongue. The tongue shouldn't be what controls the air or interrupts it. That is why I think it is very important to do very simple exercises, like trying to play a chromatic scale very slowly without making any unnecessary physical movements. Simply focus on letting the air out, on letting it flow, without changing the position of the throat and without doing anything strange with the mouth. Of course, everyone is different. Each person has a unique morphology, playing style, and physical characteristics. But precisely for that reason, I believe we should always look for the simplest and most natural way to play. When a student asks me what they need to do to hit high notes, improve their staccato, or execute a trill, they are probably asking one of the most common questions I hear worldwide. And my answer is always the same: control the air column. Practice very slowly, practice chromatic notes, and focus solely on making your breath continuous and natural. Don't try to solve every problem by doing something different with your throat, your mouth, or your posture. Control your breath first. From there, everything else will be much easier.
