The Dynamic Musician Series Blog

Taming the Larynx Part 2

In this post, I want to respond to the comments from John Anderson. First off, thanks for commenting! I get many private comments but appreciate posted comments and Mr. Anderson’s is the first.

I will use quotes from your comments to respond, because you bring up some valuable points and ideas.

“I've been playing with my larynx all night and started to wonder whether I could do any damage.”

I don’t think you can do any damage, although I found that during the initial process of learning to move my larynx, it became uncomfortable so I rested frequently. I suspect that some things in my throat were getting moved around, which hadn’t been moved in a long time.

“And the first thing I run across is a Feldenkrais blog discussing the larynx and didgeridoo playing, which I recently became interested because there has been a study connecting it with benefits for sleep apnea sufferers, of which I am one.”

I’ve heard of this study but there was never really any explanation as to why, at least when I read it some time ago. Most students won’t learn the larynx movement unless they are very motivated and advanced. My guess is that playing the didgeridoo livens and tones up the throat area, as well as bringing it more into the player’s awareness. Of course breathing will also be improved and that can have a profound effect on sleep apnea.

“I think it would be wonderful if you expand these ideas into an ATM.”

Like you said, there may be some synchronicity going on because I am indeed working on developing such a lesson. For those of you who are unfamiliar to the Feldenkrais Method, ATM means “Awareness Through Movement,” which is a verbally guided lesson using movement to increase awareness of a particular function. You can find out more of what I mean by going to my pod-casts. I have had good initial results with students and musicians coming to my Feldenkrais practice. One professional flutist reported that not only were her tone and tonguing better, but she also experienced having more air capacity. After continuing with the larynx in the following lesson, her fingers became freer for her trills.

“It would be a lesson with applications wider than the playing of an instrument. For it might connect to the heart of people's ability to express themselves, to the feeling of thought and emotion being translated into sound, to being given voice.”

This is probably the most salient point of all this. Yes, the larynx plays a crucial role in our ability to express ourselves with music or otherwise. This is true of many functions, that ultimately, it is our ability to act and express ourselves in the world that is most interesting and important.

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific breathing questions or comments, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Taming the Larynx

Dear Readers,

It’s been an interesting few weeks since the publishing of the digital DMS lessons. People from different parts of the world have been contacting me, some are new acquaintances, and some are from the past. So it’s been wonderful “meeting” the new people and a pleasure catching up with those of you whom I already know.

Some of you know that I studied trombone, but lately I’ve been studying the didgeridoo as well. One of the techniques I’ve learned from this is the ability to willingly move my larynx (voice box) up and down. Moving it up quickly and suddenly causes a pressure increase and disruption in the airflow so there can be a kind of articulation. At the same time you can have the tongue in different positions or even move the tongue independently, creating more complex articulations.

Some of you might be thinking, “yes, that’s nice, but what does that have to do with me, I’m a singer or wind player and I need to keep my throat as open as possible and certainly not move my larynx around.” I had a similar idea, figuring the technique would be unique to the didgeridoo. But to my surprise, after learning to do this, my articulations on the trombone became clearer and easier! Not only that, my high range improved.

Intrigued with the results, I wanted to find out why, and if this might be useful for others.

First the “why?”

The movements of the larynx are coupled with complex process like swallowing, yawning, breathing and speech. For all of these to happen, there needs to be a very sophisticated and reliable coordination of the processes. Much of this happens below our conscious thinking. While swallowing for example, the larynx closes to prevent food from entering the trachea (wind pipe). When breathing, the larynx is held in place so the air can flow easily. Most of us have found the optimal playing or singing position for the larynx through trial and error. Out of necessity, singers usually have more awareness than wind players do. Most wind players are told to have an open throat when playing, but what does that really mean?

I’ve found that by being able to consciously move my larynx, I’m also better able to have my throat open. And because the tongue is connected to the hyoid bone, which is also connected to the larynx, the tongue has a more reliable base of support. Another way of saying it is: the more differentiation and awareness I have in my throat (and this goes for our whole selves), the better my ability to control my muscles there. Of course there is more to be said about this because it’s much more complex than what I’ve written. I’m sure some of you out there have something to add to this, so if you send me your ideas, I’ll post them here. You can also refer to anatomy books for more information.

Could this be useful for others?

I began observing the throats of my students and colleagues. What I found that was when someone was having trouble with the beginning of a note, the larynx was still moving into place when the note started. This seems to make and unreliable basis for the tongue, and the airflow is also affected. I asked these people to swallow (which raises the larynx) and or yawn (lowers) before playing. Often, the attack improved immediately because swallowing and yawning begin to give a sense of what’s going on I’ve also had people use a mirror to see what happens and they see the movement before the articulation. When the student sees that the larynx is still moving when starting to play, they sometimes can get it into place before the attack. Some people responded well to the idea of feeling the note in the throat before playing because this helped to set the position before starting.

I’m planning on developing this idea further and will let you know about my findings. Once again, I enjoy hearing from readers out there so keep the e-mails coming.

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

Or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!

How Gentle Twisting Movements can lead to an Increase in Lung Capacity

Dear Readers,

I’m often asked what kind of stretching exercises can be done to increase lung capacity. I actually find that stretching does very little to increase lung capacity over the long run. Some of you may disagree with this but when we passively stretch our muscles, the brain invokes a protection reaction. This causes the muscle(s) being stretched to contract against the pulling so they won’t be over stretched, which could lead to injury of the muscle, ligament and in some cases a joint. Some people enjoy stretching and that’s fine just as long as the movements are done slowly and with awareness.

I have found that a better and safer way to free up the back, chest and ribs is by using gentle twisting and bending movements often found in Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® lessons. After having done DMS lesson 2 for example, workshop participants often report the feeling of more lung capacity and easier breathing.

How does this work? When you twist, that means to turn to look to one side for example; some of the muscles between your ribs as well as along your chest and back need to lengthen in order for the ribs and spine to be able to move. Other muscles must contract to provide the necessary movement. Your brain sends signals coordinating the action of the muscles. If you stretch the muscles too much, the brain sends out signals to protect them. Of course what really goes on is much more complex than what’s being described here.

Gentle, explorative turning and twisting movements provide the nervous system with a chance to better coordinate the muscles and their movements. This leads to an increase in function and ability. Not only will breathing become easier, but also turning or bending, even balance will improve.

The best way to understand this is to experience it for yourself. The latest pod cast, “Gentle Twisting to increase Lung Capacity” is a lesson on this theme.

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes
or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!