Breathing while playing.

[Josh Blagg]

I know this is a problem I have, so I thought I would bring it up. *I tend to breath irregularly when playing, especially when going for a particularly hard or fast lick. *What I'll do is hold my breath for certain runs then catch up breathing when there is a slight break in playing. *I've heard people say that this is bad for your playing and can totally destruct your rhythm and flow. *However, I've also heard guitar greats have this same quirk on their albums, most obviously Joe Pass playing solo jazz guitar. *I do the breathing thing subconsciously and sometimes don't even realize what I am doing. *Has anyone had this problem and overcome it?

[Mirrored CAT]

Funny, I never thought about my breathing...

[jem7vwh]

hmm..no-I have the opposite thing. *When I play, I breathe very slowly. *In fact, as I get faster and faster, the breathing slows down. *When I'm completely concentratring, I sometimes forget to breathe and by the time the song is over, I get the hiccups.

[bachle7]

I usually hold my breath for an entire song... especially when singing :sarcasm: *Nope, I've never noticed that my breathing is different while playing. *Is this like walking and chewing gum at the same time? *

[littlegreenman]

I agree, it's important to breathe, even when playing guitar! *

[chilln2music]

I actually used to breath a little heavier when I played something that was pushing my technical ability. Ever since I started to relax more when I practice I stopped...

however there's this one INCREDIBLE piano player I know and I clearly remember him breathing heavy during intense and faster parts in some of his classical pieces.

If the staggered breathing is making you tired I would suggest just relaxing more. Believe me you won't play any better if your tense (although during the heavy driving rythms of some songs its fun to get tense and into the music!)

[Devo]

I guess we're freaks cause I have that irregular breathing thing too, especially when it comes to solos
and its destracting because Im very conscious of it.

but Ive learnt to control it as of late by playing non stop solos for hours on end so I have to breathe or die... seems to be working, but I still have moments like in FTLOG I dont breathe throughout the whole sweeping bit

[guitarpicker2006]

If you think about it, breathing helps woth your phrasing. Which is probably why your saxophone player has better phrases than you! Think about it, your sax/horn/whatever playing has to blow throught their instrument. Thus, they make human-like phrases where there are breaks and fast, long runs. As a guitar players (And, bassists, drummers, keyboard, etc) we need to learn when we play a solo or whatever to breathe with it. Thank means, play something while holding your breath. Then, take a breath without playing something else. See if you can do it.
Here we go, a nice familiar melody,
--------------------------------------12/10----7-----------------------------
--------------10----10/12-------------------------8-----10/12-------------
----------7-------------------------------------------------------------------
------/9----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bi bo/bi bo etc.

bi=Breathe In
bo-Breathe Out

Apply that to everything you do, it'll make your phrases better.

[Texter]

When I'm wearing earplugs and I'm playing I start humming myself and then I can't hear myself and what the rest is doing. That's even more worrying...As far as I can tell...you automatically tend to phrase a lick as if you're trying to say it...that's why you hold your breath...

[BrianH]

back when I could barely play a run fast and I had to pay such close attention to where my fingers were going, I'd 'forget' to breathe and hold it until an easy part came up. But now that most everything is rather easy to play I just breathe normally. I also don't have to concentrate on where my fingers go, they just do what they do now. Many hours of excercises have gotten me to this point.

[Vai the god of Sound]

I think it would be better if you didn't worry about how you breathe when you play, because if you're focusing on both at the same time, you'd better be pretty talented because attempting to keep your breathing in a certain time-manner it might through your playing off time.

What is important is to do what comes naturally...your body and memory can take control of your breathing if you've been doing it without thinking for so many years...

remember...we sleep and we still wake up alive in the morning...how many of you dream of focusing on your breaths? (not intended for insomniacs!)

[Knightmeir]

Well, if you aren't dead, then your breathing isn't really a problem.

I figure breathing patterns can be easily associated with reactions to different situations. It's merely a matter of how you are as an individual.

[sniperfrommars1]

I used to do it more than I do now, but Its kind of the same thing body builders do they strain and hold a breath basically forcing it into lung tissue giving a little more oxygen than normal (none of this has ever been proven just basic theory out of medical books). I suppose thats why I try to do it myself

[Ving]

Erm, that's actually pretty dangerous...the 'holding your breathe while straining' in bodybuilding bit. Not advisable at all You should take a deep breathe before you start a movement and exhale as you do it. Straining is not advisable either

Anyway, to get back on topic...

I tend to breathe with the music. I'm not sure what I do when soloing, but certainly during some rhythm sections where the rhythm is very off-beat I'll breathe in the gaps. I guess it helps me 'get into it', as well as to keep the timing solid. No matter what you're playing though, I think it's good to breathe with the same kind of feeling as the way you are playing. After all, if you're doing some frantic heart-felt solo getting your whole body in with the vibe, and that includes movement as well as breathing, can only add to the delivery.

Well that's my theory anyway

I guess 'do what feels comfortable to you' is the best thing.

[Ekim]

When I first bought my double bass pedals for my drums, I was playing a really fast, continuous bass drum roll along with Asian Skies (no, I wasn't playing the song right, who cares?). All of a sudden, my chest starting hurting really bad. I'm wondering what's going on until I realized I'd stopped breathing! Bad habit. I don't advise it at all.