i have been looked at a website and it says the amount air you play the flute is = the amount of air as you play a tuba

Certainly feels like it after practising for an hour!

I can believe it.... you "waste" a lot of air on the flute, because you are not putting all the air into the hole as you do with oboe/clarinet/recorder etc.

You don't use lots of air with the tuba, more with the cornet, and even more with a flute! I've tried

my friend switched from flute to tuba, and she says that it's true.

You actually use more air on the flute than on a tuba as a lot of the air is wasted on the flute!

Yep you use more air on a flute than any other instrument I think. When I was playing bassoon, I couldn't believe that - especially as I got so lightheaded from playing it but ... apparently its true

And apparently, playing the flute increases the volume of the lungs - so, it's healthy through and through!

Ah yes, the double-reed light-headedness I've blacked out on a few occasions when I was playing standing up under pressure.

You actually use a lot less air on double-reed instruments, to the point where you actually don't use enough of it.

The light-headedness is caused by a build-up of carbon dioxide in the lungs, and breathing in again just makes this worse!

When working out your phrasing, you not only need to work out where to breathe in, but where to breathe out as well.

After all, how do you expect all that air you're pushing towards the reed to escape through that tiny aperture?

This is probably also the reason we have a reputation for being ever-so-slightly ODD.

I remember that when I first started playing clarinet I used to get light-headed, and always assumed it was from needing to blow a lot of air through. It was only later that I learned you actually use more air for the flute.


..................

I never got lightheaded on the clarinet, but when I started the flute I could barely get to the end of a "Abracabra" piece!

lol... I guess it must be affected by what you started first/what you are used to!

It's rumoured that Mr (war, wot war?) Blair is "putting measures in place" to limit the amount of flautists allowed to practice at the same time in the UK.

A scientific study has shown that they are the cause of recent hurricanes. Your practice will be rationed according to your lastname. As to Ds can practice between 8am and 9.30am etceteera!

lol. Even now I still have dizzy spells brought on my playing the flute, not very often admittedly, but it tends to happen more when I'm nervous. (Nearly passed out in the middle of that fateful grade 8 exam)

I can quite well believe you use more air in a flute than a tuba.

I remember in Biology years ago we tested the vital air capacity of the lungs of everyone in the class. At the time I'd been playing the valveless trumpet for a year or two, and had the highest lung capacity in the class by around 25% (above someone who was very athletic, unlike myself); so I can easily imagine that percentage would be higher for someone who'd been playing the flute for years.

Yeah mine's way better than my Dad's or my brother's who are very atheletic and train every day! Ask em to go running with them, and I'll die by the end of the road!

I really like the lungs capacity fact because it means that I have a higher lung capacity by doing music, which requires a lot less energy (and sweat) than doing sports!!! Haha to all the athletes!!!
(I don't mind sports - I love playing tennis and swimming - don't get me wrong!)

i've been playing the flute for almost two years now and haven't heard that you use more air playing the flute than the tuba, i'm astonished! although i've never felt light-headed and i've started to play much longer pieces now some 2-3 A4 pages long!

I played a duet that was 15 min. long the other day! I felt completely dizzy by the end of it, not because of the air involved but rather because there was so much to remember and so much to concentrate on!!!

Just saw this... LOL!

Mind you, restrictions like this on practising picc sound like a GREAT idea...

leave the piccolo outta it

Piccolos are good in bands and orchestras, but *horrible* when they are by themselves. My friend has one and if I sit to her right when she's playing it in her room, my ears ring for hours afterwards!

Wow, I didn't know that!!

[quote=flutegurl,Aug 19 2005, 01:09 PM]
[quote=july,Aug 15 2005, 08:29 AM]And apparently, playing the flute increases the volume of the lungs - so, it's healthy through and through!



[/quote]


So we can all scream louder?

ive heard this too! When I first started playing the flute I used to get upset that I couldnt do it properly as I used to get very light-headed to the point of getting all wobbly when playing.
Then it was noticed (after weeks and weeks) bthat I was breathing for every note!! Im ok now though!! Although my breath control still isnt great - I dont really know how to improve it any more though. Maybe I only have 1 lung!

and it gives you bigger breaths therefore. always working at tidal volumes as they call it.

I had to work hard to convince my flute girl that she didn't need to breathe any note...!

I think the drs may have noticed by now if you were missing a lung...

My first flute lessons were group lessons at school, and they were timetabled right after the basic recorder lessons that everybody starting an instrument had to take...consequently, several of the kids used to black out quite regularly during class. It was like clearfelling in a forest .

I'm sure it's easy to 1) waste more breath as a beginner (poor embouchure, lip plate in wrong position, unfocused/poorly directed airstream), and 2) fail to exhale old air completely before breathing in again.

I wouldn't count on it! The doctors decided this year that my 18 year old friend actually only has 1 kidney which works!

I have been a little concerned about my poor breathing over the years....but rather than missing a lung (!) maybe its just because I never did PE at school (if I could help it: "Miss, my ankle hurts/tummy hurts etc") and dont do any exercise at all (yet im not TOO large.....yet).
My teacher said I should try and go swimming or something to try and improve my lung capacity. I went twice. Im too lazy, thats my problem!!

Good grief - how ridiculous!

I do think missing half a lung would not just affect flute playing though - I am not a doctor (obviously!) but I'd guess it would seriously affect things like getting up in the morning, let alone playing a wind instrument.

True true *nods*