h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just about got the hang of this push out, breathe in thing. I play the clarinet and my problem is holding enough air in my cheeks to keep going while I breathe in. Added to this, tonguing effectively seems impossible and so is concentrating on what I'm playing at the same time... help!

Any tips?

PJ

I think the only thing I can say is practise!

Try just holding one long note, using circular breathing as much as you can. When you're comfortable with that, try circular breathing with scales (repeated), or simple (slow) tunes - something that you can breathe in on just one note.

When you're comfortable with that, you should find it easier to use circular breathing in 'normal' pieces of music - and without having to think about it, allowing you to concentrate on the notes.

Tonguing will be almost impossible, as far as I know, because the air can come around the tongue. So you have to choose carefully where to breathe, finding a place where it will be nicely hidden.