To Breathe or Not to Breathe

For me, the question of respiratory function and playing piano has been filled with frustration and uncertainty. To be we must breathe, and the way we breathe greatly impacts our quality of life and musicianship. I’ve seen many pianists hold their breath while playing, and in fact I was one of those pianists! For much of my career, I experienced light-headedness, painful muscle aches, and headaches after performing. At first my interest in breathing was limited to my musical endeavors, but it soon became obvious that I was hyperventilating and intermittently holding my breath during one-hundred percent of my waking life.

There are few resources for musicians with regards to breathing, unless the musician uses their breath to power their instrument like singers or wind players do. In search of information, I recently read a chapter titled “Mapping the Breath” in the book What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body by Thomas Mark. I adore this book, but felt frustrated by the all too common simplicity of his recommendations. After giving a brief and basic overview of respiratory anatomy, Mark suggests that one must simply improve their body map to breathe with ease. (Remember your diaphragm and ribs…) In The Art of Piano Fingering, Rami Bar-Niv devotes one page to breathing, (which is a lot!) and suggests that breathing should be linked to the movement of the wrist as well as the meter. I appreciate the more detailed recommendations, but his approach also requires a basic amount of control over the breathing process.

It took me nearly ten years to develop a kinesthetic understanding of my diaphragm and this post tells the story of my journey. I hope it will be elucidating to others who struggle with breathing. I question whether the amount of difficulty I’ve experienced is common, but I also know I can’t be the only one! If you hold your breath, breathe through your mouth, have a persistently clogged up nose, breathe loudly, or experience shortness of breath, this post is for you.

Breathing and the Nervous System

Respiratory function is impacted by the autonomic nervous system, biochemistry, psychological tendencies, anatomy, as well as the individual’s kinesthetic understanding of their anatomy.  We breathe differently when we walk, run, swim, lift weights, sleep and in virtually every other situation, unconsciously adjusting our breath to meet life’s demands. The complex and involuntary nature of respiration has made it a bit of an enigma, but recent pioneers (author James Nestor calls them  “pulmonauts”) have been creating fantastic new educational resources for the general public. (These are mentioned at the end, so keep reading.)

Scientists have recently discovered that modern human skulls have smaller jaws and narrower airways than the skulls of our ancestors. These changes in anatomical structure are leading to an epidemic of  breathing disorders, which are growing more common than ever before. Unfortunately, when the airway is extremely narrow, developing a proper understanding of anatomy may not be enough to improve breathing, although it is still an important thing to learn!

My Story

I snored and breathed through my mouth as a young child. I struggled to sleep through the night and experienced nightmares and daily headaches upon waking. In adulthood, my health began to impact my ability to play piano. I tried very hard to improve my breathing and issues with muscular tension, but my lack of progress was extremely frustrating.

Eventually I completed a sleep study and was referred to a TMJ doctor specializing in sleep dentistry. I never received a formal diagnosis, but the doctor did suggest that I have upper airway resistance; a term that describes an airway that narrows during sleep, but doesn’t completely stop the flow of air. My adaptations to my own anatomy at least partially explained why I awoke each morning in such a funk. My neck was often stiff from using my secondary breathing muscles to keep the air flowing all night and my body and mind had become habituated to a lifetime of hyperventilation. 

After undergoing treatment with the TMJ doctor, working to expand my airway and also retrain my breathing, I’ve noticed massive changes to my piano playing. I can move with more ease, playing with more enjoyment and less frustration. For the first time I feel calm and centered, even in performance situations. I am more touched by the sound of music because my breath flows naturally with the rhythm and phrasing. It is finally possible to be fully present and absorbed in the music rather than in thought. The difference has been so dramatic that I wonder how I ever managed to enjoy playing piano before. Restoring my respiratory function is one of the best things I've ever done for my musicianship.

An Opportunity for Improving Health

My story is evidence that the self-awareness a person develops through music practice can be an entry point for addressing overall health and well-being.  In this way, and many other ways, music can be an important part of a person’s healing journey. While the issue of disordered breathing is not something that should be tackled in a music studio, music teachers should at least consider the impact that respiration will have on a person’s playing.

Resources for Improving Breathing

Eventually I plan to share more tools for bringing breath work into music lessons, but as a general guide, breathing exercises must be performed in a safe and comfortable environment without any expectation of accomplishment. Effortless breathing is more readily attainable when playing easy pieces, and elevated shoulders and clenched jaws are telltale signs that something is awry. Teachers can learn to observe the quality of a student’s breath and can listen for the way the breath influences musical phrasing and tempo control. Respiration is a complex, delicate, and personal thing and should always be treated as an inquiry rather than something to be corrected.

Every person breathed before they developed a sense of self and long before they developed a sense of self as a musician. Our breath is something that is and and has always been there for us, supporting our existence as our eternal life force. Perhaps to make the most of this life-force in playing, teachers should simply encourage students to investigate their relationship with the breath. This is a lovely way to connect deeply with the self to find an authentic, expressive musical voice.

The Piano Studio of Katie O’Rourke digital library* features a lengthy, prerecorded workshop that covers the ins and outs of breathing as well as six breathing etudes to bring it back to the piano. Click here to check it out! *Sliding scale rates are available for access to digital content.

Reflection:

  • Observe your breathing patterns away from the piano. How do they change throughout the day? How do you breathe when you first wake up in the morning?

  • How do you breathe when you play piano? Do you breathe differently if something is easy vs. challenging?

  • What have you been taught about the “correct” way to breathe? Do you know if this is indeed accurate?

  • If a student breathes abnormally in playing such as gasping for air, breathing loudly, or breathing with the mouth open, do you address this in lessons? If so, what do you do?

  • What breathing exercises do you practice, if any?

  • How has your own health impacted your ability to play your instrument with ease?

Additional Resources:

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