Woodwind: Good afternoon I am... - Asthma Community ...

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Woodwind

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11 years ago•23 Replies

Good afternoon I am interested to know how many of you play a wood wind instrument

I noticed a couple of you play flute

23 Replies

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11 years ago

Thought I'd jump in on this topic - I'm currently in my first year at music college studying oboe (well trying to when my lungs behave themselves!)

Do you play an instrument? I do find it interesting to see how it affects people's asthma in different ways

11 years ago

I play Clarinet but not very well as never got to grips with reading music...

11 years ago

Another oboist here! Except I haven't played for a bit, am very rusty and also have no good reeds (I never actually learned how to make my own - any recommendations for ready-made, musicgeek? Howarths?)

Definitely harder work when the lungs are playing up...

11 years ago

I can second Philomela - exhausting and impossible when lungs are playing up!

As for reeds, I always buy Jordanov ones now (I'm still a newbie at making them lol, have lots of time on my hands to practise though...) - you can get them from Howarths or directly from him in France, just google it and he should come up

11 years ago

Thanks musicgeek! Will have a look, I really want to get back into playing - my lip is non-existent and at this rate with all the breathing turmoil and exercises I'll forget how you're meant to do it for the oboe.

Good point re reed-making - must be so frustrating not being able to play but you could hone your reed-making skills and become your college's expert!

Jeanette, what do you play? Or are you thinking about taking up a wind instrument?

11 years ago

No worries! Yeah getting back into playing after a break is always a killer on the lip I find, but it's worth it! Yes, the only upside to not being able to play is I am now the best first year at reedmaking anyway, I just can't try them which is frustrating!

Just out of interest - has anyone else found that playing a wind instrument can actually trigger asthma? I never used to have a problem with this but since coming to college and playing so much my asthma is set off every time I try to play. Anyone else experienced this?

11 years ago

My ""wind instrument"" is my voice - and using it to sing repertoire (i.e. serious practice or performance contexts, not just lightly noodling) for a lengthy time does sometimes aggravate asthma symptoms. I've had two significant asthma flare-ups that way. It's very frustrating so about all I can do right now is very gentle warm up exercises which are as much therapy as anything else. (Larynx is very tired and is all wobbly in the middle range of my voice - ugh!!!!!!!)

I'm not really sure why it happens, I just know it does. One theory is that when I'm already symptomatic it adds just too much stress on accessory muscles that I need to be using for breathing proper. Or it could also be the nature of the air flow? Perhaps the more focused force of singing irritates already twitching airways? Or perhaps the fact that singing relaxes muscles in the larynx that I sometimes rely on (but shouldn't) to assist in breathing? Not really sure.

11 years ago

My instrument is my voice too though i havent done anything serious for several years as have run out of puff and got damaged vocal cords. But i find that in moderation it usually helps my breathing and has defo helped my cords to heal loads more than what the docs expected.

Funny thing today was in hospital for dermatology so when i was done went up to the teens activity room on the pediatric floor and joined in some music time. Ended up singing for the kids:

""I believe in angels

With wvery breath that I breathe!""

Huff puff cough wheeze...guess the angels had an eye on me

Rose xx

11 years ago

I'm a flautist mainly but as a woodwind teacher i can also play (to some extent) clarinet, saxophone and recorder. I also have tried oboe - had a pupil wanting to play so i HAD to learn! Must admit i fnd it pretty difficult regardless of how the lungs are behaving or not. Right now playing clarinet is a struggle too.

11 years ago

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who struggles with this when having asthma problems However I do find the breath control needed for playing helps when I'm having an attack - I also am quite good at controlling symptoms generally because of breathing techniques, often subconsciously, so often I don't pay attention to my symptoms when I really should!

I often don't notice asthma symptoms until after I've played for a while as well - so I can be feeling all right during a half hour practice, but as soon as I stop I'm coughing and wheezing and having a very bad attack. So for now, all playing is off the cards until I'm a little more controlled! I do miss it though. How do you occupy your time when you can't play/sing?

jeanette, apologies for taking over your thread do you play a wind instrument, or sing, or anything?

in reply to 11 years ago

Yup. Me too. Whilst there is a down side (not noticing symptoms), there is also an upside - it does help keep an attack from spiraling downwards due to a noxious interaction between asthma, anxiety and hyperventilation all of which can pile on each other and do nasty things to heart rate and blood gases.

I'm less likely to over-correct for breathing difficulty by hyperventilating. I also find it helps with staying calm, so anxiety doesn't much disrupt my breathing either.

As for what I do when I can't sing: I'm thinking maybe I'd like to learn to teach voice. I was really upset last week in synagogue because I couldn't sing without an awful wobble and was afraid of hurting my voice if I forced things. But then a friend of mine was chanting Torah (a sung bible reading) and her voice has really improved since I last heard her. It really made me happy to hear her sing so well and cheered me up a great deal.

11 years ago

I find I can't sing when really struggling - the notes literally can't 'escape'. I did a choir residency in the middle of a really bad period and I used to have to sit for a while before I could join in, after the slow walk there - same with rehearsals.

I suggest taking up a string instrument, or maybe the piano - I can still play those. Well, if I had a piano I could though I'm not very good at it. Mind you, pre-asthma (well, this round of asthma) I actually had some weird habits where I would hold my breath for a phrase on the cello! I don't know if learning the oboe had some weird effect on my cello playing.

11 years ago

Philomela i sometimes hold my breath when playing the piano too haha I usually only realise i've been doing it when i start coughing and spluttering when i stop playing.

Funny enough i have to try and be careful to time when i take my ventolin - if i try to play the piano within half an hour or so the shakes are really noticeable (to me) and it makes piano playing very difficult. The strange thing is i can play my flute without any bother - and do every sunday in church cos i go running before church so the asthma is always making itself known. The congregation must think i'm permanently ill cos i'm coughing every sunday LOL

11 years ago

Lol I have the same thing - play oboe in church every sunday when I'm well and always coughing away! Get some funny looks but hey, I enjoy it!

I play piano as well and find I do the breath holding thing too - seems to be the best way for me to shape the phrases musically. Maybe because I'm really a wind player at heart...hmm, not sure tbh

It's nice to talk to other musicians who have asthma! Most of the people I know either know lots about oboe playing but nothing about asthma, or loads about asthma but nothing about oboe playing - I try and find the middle ground but it can be tough to know my limits! Philomela I feel the same about the notes 'escaping' at the moment - feels like the air is stuck inside me and won't get down the instrument. It's very frustrating, and I hope it doesn't last too much longer!

11 years ago

When I cant actually sing I write/compose songs instead. And listen to all my fave cds of course am also just starting the piano!

Rose xx

11 years ago

Just had a thought, mainly for musicgeek (sorry Beth, this would probably be useful for you too but you're not in the right country!) Hope this is ok to post - I don't mean it as advertising but thought it might be helpful.

musicgeek, you mentioned that there's not much overlap between people who know about asthma and who know about oboe-playing. I suggest you look at BAPAM bapam.org.uk/ They aren't a replacement for asthma specialists or your usual GP/asthma nurse, but their whole reason for existing is to help performing artists with their health, so it may help to see them alongside your usual drs as they will probably have a much better idea re how asthma affects your playing and about anything you can do specifically from the playing POV.

I saw them a few years ago for arm issues related to my cello (this is something that most 'normal' GPs and physios simply don't understand about) and they were great. It should be free to see the doctors and as a music student having health issues which are stopping you playing, you're the kind of person they were set up to help!

(I'm not connected to them or anything, have just found them useful in the past).

11 years ago

I played the clarinet (and recorder! lol) for years but am no longer able to, due to both restrictive and obstructive lung disease. My sister played the oboe

11 years ago

Hi nursefurby! All these wind musicians with asthma makes me feel a lot less unusual!

Philomela, thanks for that BAPAM have links with my college and are in and out quite often. I got in touch with them back in October when this flare-up started, but for several reasons never actually spoke to the contact...she said she'd get back to me but nothing yet. I should probably chase that up...

Still no playing for me at the moment, so I spend most of my days twiddling my thumbs! Ah well, specialist appointment on Monday, hopefully that will get the ball rolling...hope everyone else is doing ok

11 years ago

Probably a good idea to get back in touch; I guess it makes sense you've heard of them but I know lots who could benefit haven't! Hope they do come up with something useful.

Meanwhile, good luck on Monday. Lots happens at the first appt (tests etc) which needs to happen, but usually it's fact-finding and you get down to discussion at the second one.