Wind Instruments and breathing issues

• by davidhs
• 2018-03-05 15:43:56
• Coping
• 1239 views
• 1 comments

I started playing soprano saxophone last September.  I enrolled in an ensemble class in January and began playing longer pieces.  Recently, after playing about 60 measures with no rests and 80% sixteenth notes, I literally ran out of breath (yes, I took appropriate breaths every five or six measures).  My heart rate did not go past 85.  I repeated this exercise several times and run out of "air" to push through the sax at about the same point (sometimes I can get in a few more meausres, other times a few less).  It takes only about 10 seconds to recover and I can start playing again.  I have a Medtronics pacemaker and am aware that Boston Scientific makes a model with something called minute ventilation that is supposed to respond to pulmonary needs.    My unit only responds to movement.  Has anyone else experienced "shortness of air" while playing.

Thanks.