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Ordering the DVD, The Breathing Gym, by Patric
Sheridan and Sam Pilafian, is the best investment I've made in a long
time. I could feel improvement the first time I did the exercises. WOW!
By the way, this "WOW-sound" is in fact used in the exercises 
A
problem with breathing exercises found in brass method books, apart
from the
difficulty of understanding them, can be that they are not derived
from good sources. The validity of
the exercises was never questioned. Not so with Sam
Pilafian and his exercises, they are all derived from good sources
over a long period of time. In an interview,
Pilafian says:
In the same interview,
Pilafian also explain what changes he observed in those using the
exercises:
What changes have you
seen in the performance of musicians who use these exercises?
Performers using
these exercises develop better sound production
because they have less tension and better airflow. Performers applying
Breathing Gym exercises tend to be able to work less for more sound and
make difficult music sound easy. Also, these exercises help to negate
the effects of performance anxiety (stage fright) by lowering the
body’s metabolism and allowing the performer to breathe calmly and
correctly under pressure. Correct breathing becomes a practiced skill.
There are five types of exercises:
You should also get the book. In it you
will find more tips and info. When you have worked with the DVD (or
video), you can use the book as a reference to the exercises. In the
back of the book is an exercise plan.
Order info:
I ordered this DVD (and book) from www.dillonmusic.com