just thought i'd randomly share a phrase i found in my biology textbook..

'You can exercise voluntary control over your breathing muscles. You do this when you shout, sing, sigh or play the saxophone.'

WHAT?! why only the saxophone?! so flautists can't control their breathing? or brass players? and there's only 4 choices for when you can control your breathing? ahh give me strength! even the text books talk rubbish

apologies, i just found it quite entertaining and completely ridiculous (work does strange things to your brain..)
hoxie
x

Haha! Yes that's rather odd! Made me giggle though yay

it's just such a strange and completely surreal sentence! think that was what made me laugh -i had to keep reading it again, looking for the 'some examples of controlled breathing are...' part of the sentence.

but no, that's it!

I believe it's attempting to be emphatic. As in, "YOU do this when you SHOUT, SING, SIGH [or EVEN] play the saxaphone!" You also do it lots of other times when you speak etc., but it's trying to show a range. If it had said "play an instrument", you would be laughing at it and going, "When do pianists control breathing?" So the authors had the choice between one example, or a long list of all instruments played using controlled breathing.

well... they couldve just said 'wind instrument'... that wouldve made sense

I'm sure trumpet players would be thrilled with that

haha yeh the brass-playing biology students would have had a petition going! i think the 'or even' part would have made a difference it's just the wording of it really made me laugh

but brass IS a part of the wind family...

Well it is! Do you or do you not use wind power to make a noise from a brass instrument? And why are they always in wind bands?

haha yeh but most of the brass players i know want it to be their own unique little section, so they would classify themselves as brass players before wind players


this was part of the discussion in our music group the other week - the exam asked for two 'wind instruments' heard on the extract, we all immediately assumed it was woodwind instruments, but no, just wind! so brass did count as an answer!