Piano and Pianist Breathing Exercises

Exercising various breathing techniques on a regular basis may help you to release mental and physical tensions. Initially take a deep breath through your nose and hold it until you cannot hold any longer. Then, let your breath out quickly in short, sharp expulsions through the mouth. Ask yourself where you have felt tension in your body as you held your breath. The answer is likely to be that you felt it in the large muscle in the diaphragm area. The muscles tend to become quite tense and tight when a person is anxious and do a great deal of hard work consequently. By deliberately holding the breath and then expelling the air quickly, the cycle of tension is broken. As a result, there will be less anxiety and the muscles will be given a rest.

Next time we will be looking at stomach breathing whilst playing piano.

This article was written by  piano tutor Marina Petrov who teaches in London. Please see her piano teacher profile – www.MyPianoLessons.co.uk