Circular breathing

Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without break, and is accomplished by breathing in through the nose while blowing through the mouth using the air stored in the cheeks. It is used extensively in playing the Australian didgeridoo, the Sardinian launeddas and Egyptian arghul, as well as many traditional oboes and flutes of Asia and the Middle East. A few jazz and classical wind players also utilize some form of circular breathing.

Although many professional wind players find circular breathing highly useful, few pieces of music composed before the 20th century actually require its use. A notable exception is "Moto Perpetuo" as transcribed by Rafael Méndez from Paganini. Trumpeters playing this piece must have full control of their circular breathing in order to play the piece as intended.

Kenny G is perhaps the world's most famous circular breather, setting a world record for holding a single note for 48 minutes.^[1] This record was nearly doubled by Costa Rican saxophonist Geovanny Escalante less than a year later.^[2]

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Method

The person inhales fully and begins to exhale and blow. When the lungs are nearly empty, the last volume of air is blown into the mouth, and the cheeks are inflated with this air. Then, while still blowing this last bit of air out by allowing the cheeks to deflate, the person must very quickly fill the lungs by inhaling through the nose prior to running out of the air in the mouth. If done correctly, by the time the air in the mouth is nearly exhausted the person can begin to exhale from the lungs once more, ready to repeat the process again.

Physiologically, the process is similar to drinking at a water fountain and taking a breath of air while water remains in the mouth, without raising the head from the water stream. The body "knows" to not allow water into the lungs. It is this same instinct that a circular breather uses to play his instrument.

Instruments having circular breathing as an integral part of their technique

• Alboka
• Arghul
• Didgeridoo
• Duduk
• Hornpipe
• Kaval
• Kèn bầu
• Khlui
• Launeddas
• Mijwiz
• Mizmar
• Ney
• Pi
• Practice chanter
• Sipsi
• Sralai
• Suling
• Suona
• Zurna

Musicians known for circular breathing

Some musicians who do not play the instruments mentioned above are known for using circular breathing.

• Michael Sadler – North Carolina resident, multi-instrumentalist
• Daniel Goode – avant-garde clarinetist
• Jeff Coffin – jazz musician best known as a saxophonist but also plays clarinet and flute. Is a member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
• Rahsaan Roland Kirk – jazz multi-instrumentalist^[3]
• Roscoe Mitchell – jazz multi-instrumentalist
• David Murray- Plays tenor saxophone and, on occasion, bass clarinet^[4]
• James Carter – saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist
• Irvin Mayfield – Grammy Award-nominated jazz trumpeter, composer and cultural ambassador to New Orleans
• Akikazu Nakamura – shakuhachi player^[5]
• Evan Parker – saxophone player
• Lenny Pickett – saxophone player with the 1970s funk band Tower of Power^{[citation needed]} and SNL band
• Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophonist
• Kenny G – American jazz saxaphonist
• Rudy Wooten – saxophonist, Wooten Brothers Band
• John Surman – baritone and soprano saxophonist
• Jimmy Owens – trumpet player
• John Zorn – avant-garde saxophonist and composer
• Peter Zummo – avant-garde trombonist
• Femi Kuti – Afrobeat and jazz saxophonist
• Mark Pender – jazz trumpeter
• The late Cynthia Steljes, oboist for the Canadian classical group Quartetto Gelato
• Wynton Marsalis – classical and jazz trumpeter
• Ferhat Erdem – kaval and sipsi player at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
• Dan Regan – trombonist in the ska punk band, Reel Big Fish
• Flavio Celkevicius – Brazilian saxophonist

References

1. ^ http://www.smoothjazznews.com/archives/september2000/cs0900.html Johnathan Widran, Smooth Jazz News Sept. 2000, "Smooth Jazz Celebrity, Kenny G": "His critics who like to say he's a big gimmick must have loved what he did on December 1, 1997, when he set a world record by holding an E note on his soprano for more than 48 minutes."
2. ^ Reuters (via recordholders.org)
3. ^ University of Chicago
4. ^ BBC Radio 3 profile
5. ^ Biography of Akikazu Nakamura at The International Shakuhachi Society