Saxophone Breathing Tutorial By Saxophonist Amonn AL-Mahrouq

Saxophone breathing should be an extension of your normal breathing.

• Stand up straight, as if walking, slightly bend your knees.
• Put a hand on your stomach. Breath in slowly and continually until it is impossible to inhale any further.
• The aim of this exercise is to feel your hand being pushed outwards, in a controlled fashion. This exercise teaches you to achieve a feeling of expansion from all areas of your waist and lower ribs.
• When exhaling, push out the air in a controlled fashion
• Always focus your air supply.

Exercise 1

• Take a piece of paper, hold this in front of you, about 1 to 2 feet from a wall.
• Hold the paper to the wall with one hand.
• Breath in, using your diaphram.
• Focus your breath supply on a spot on the paper, let go off the paper, but keep the piece of paper on the wall using only your breath supply.
• When you breath in, you must always ensure you take in the maximum volume of air possible and release it in a controlled and focused manner.
• Whilst practicing this excersise try to think of a cone shape for your air supply.

Exercise 2

• Lie down flat on your back on the floor.
• Place a book on your diaphram/stomach and try to lift the book as far as possible using only your inhaled air supply.
• When breathing out, do this in a controlled but consistent way.
• Relaxation is important.
• You should always maintain a constant rate of air speed as you push the air into your mouthpiece by the muscles of your abdominal wall using the warm air method.

Warm air is the type of air used to fog up a mirror. Using this method will allow you to use a very large air stream, creating the best balance between your embouchure, throat and breath support.

DO NOT GET STRAIGHT UP - ROLL OVER ON TO YOUR SIDE