I think it's been overlooked that breathing deeply in a room filled with smoke, regardless of whether it's yours or anyone elses, will have a significant impact on quantity of smoke inhaled. They say not to smoke while walking as it takes the smoke in deeper. If someone else is smoking while your playing, you are taking it into the bottom of your lungs. If you smoke yourself, you're taking the smoke in more deeply whilst practicing your instrument than you would if you didn't play.

Up until i quit 3 months ago (yay!) I was a flute playing heavy smoker. I jog several miles everyday in the countryside where I live, and yet the length of my longest note hasn't grown. How odd.

No doubt we are not equal and tobacco smoke affect different people in various degrees.

I have a friend, professional bassoon soloist and he smokes. He must be around his 70's.

My mother-in-law (who died from mediastinum cancer probably tobacco-induced), was 86. But she smoke almost until her last day. In a way, she was lucky to reah that age

But my father could not reach his 63's he died from massive heart attack, after having overcome bladder cancer and brain stroke (both related to tobacco) during his previous 10 years. So he was already ill at 52.

We all know these type of cases. The problem is that nobody knows for sure what's going on in our bodies until the symptoms appear. And when they do appear, in many cases it is too late.

Fallenstar, 3 months is probably too short to note any improvement.

But undoubtedly there should be an important one, let time and our wise nature do the job.

There are medical opinions about how long it takes for the bad effects of tobacco smoking to disappear completely, particularly the cell damage that could produce cancer. It is in the order of 20 years.

Seems long, but at least there is hope and if the person quits young enough, the risks of serious lung disease reverts back to what non-smokers have which is, of course, not negligible, due to other sources of air contamination and to genetic issues.

But not to flute playing, IMHO.

For some weird reason I am just ten and yet I am getting some of this.

OK, if you are only ten, maybe this discussion is not the best suited for you, as it refers to much, much older people. I have a grandson who is slightly older than you.

But you are welcome in it, anyway.

<Added>

Let me add that, you should always let your parents know where and what you are posting, and with whom and what you are Emailing. I mean always, but most important, when visiting sites where adults are a majority.

Internet is like a mirror of real life and it contains so many nice and useful things, but also the bad part of our societies and their cultures.

At your age you may not see this very clearly and you need imperatively the guide of your parents.

Bilbo, the link you provided on Youtube leads not only to tha wonderful perforemance of carmen (with a wrong title), but also to several others pieces by Marcel Moyse. They are all so wonderful!. Thank you for it.

"Up until i quit 3 months ago (yay!) I was a flute playing heavy smoker. I jog several miles everyday in the countryside where I live, and yet the length of my longest note hasn't grown. How odd."

Fallenstar,

If you've stopped smoking for three months, this is quite a short time. Congrats on quitting but do not ever consider reasons why you shouldn't have done so. I've stopped for over two decades now and these demons still try to sneak into my thoughts at times. Fortunately with this time away, they are now only small demons.

I'm writing this as what I imagine typical issues on this subject of tone. So, the real issue with holding notes for a long time is typically that it's partly lung capacity but more partly one of embouchure/breath management.

Consider that your embouchure is a nozzle for air release similar to that of a garden hose or simply a thumb over the end of the hose. With control of the shape of your lips, you can control certain things regarding the air that one can't do with something like a recorder (Fipple flute) because on that instrument this nozzle is fixed. The only aspect of the recorder tone that you can adjust is the breath pressure.
So, height, width and depth (windway) of the hole affect the airstream accordingly. With your lungs and your expiration system, you can control the supply of air in duration and pressure/release. You want to develop your ability to control the airstream relative to these things so that you maximize the use for best result. This partly means that you aren't expelling any air through a embouchure hole size that isn't being used to produce a good tone. It also means that you are using a proper breath force that causes the most desirable sound. So, it may be that many players waste far more air than they are actually using to produce a good tone. This is especially an issue relative to playing low notes because most players feel the need to have a larger embouchure opening for the lowest notes and it's an issue for the higher notes because most players feel that they need to blow harder to get these notes out.

Now, if one wants to increase their note durations, a few things can be done. One can practice fortissimo playing to develop their breath support and embouchure and one can practice their notes as quiet as possible (ppp) and with the least amount of air expelled to develop the finer minimum sound control. If one were going for duration, I'd suggest a low A1 as a good note and playing it as focused and quiet as possible. This alone is a rather tiring exercise for breath support and embouchure. Especially at first. Later on , one can relax the air pressure and then the lips and it's basically almost a total stationary lack of movement experience. I used to get 45 seconds regularly when I was smoking and I think that I have passed 60 secs. on one note but of late I don't consider this measurement as an important part of a tone routine and I haven't tried any recent timings.

I can say that I feel that many teachers suggest "more air" and use the concept of "breath support" way too much for teaching that "big sound" and I really think that this can set a flute student back in their development. Especially if a student doesn't quite get it.


From what I remember about smoking relative to the flute, I began to feel that it was affecting my tone development because it constricts the small blood vessels in the body. So I felt that my embouchure development was not improving. This embouchure issue was a primary factor in my quitting as well as reasons of my health and financial. Aka: the price of cigs. has risen to a cost of over 10 times what it was when I was young. What smokers usually don't understand are the less obvious effects that smoking has on their lives. For example, it suppresses the senses such as taste and smell. It leaves the smoker with a foul smell and skin discolorations as well as giving them the more often touted health risks with time for them and those near to them. For example, I've had young students that are far too young to smoke come into my studio that are smelling of smoke because of their mom's addiction. So, they were brought to lessons in a smoke filled car. Unfortunately, one can almost expect that since they are around a smoker so much they will certainly have a greater chance to develop the habit when they begin to mature and seek independence.


~bilbo
N.E. Ohio

I am afraid that children having been exposed to heavy tobacco smoke for significant periods at home, may have an increased risk of developing lung cancer as aging adults, even if they do not smoke.

There have been studies about this and I believe the data was convincing.

It is a very sad conclusion and parents should take these studies in account even if they are not too much convinced, at least for the precaution principle. Or so I would like it to be.

<Added>

In some cases, (like my own experience), smoking at home causes lots of beathing problems in the choldren exposed, so serious that that when in their teens, they would not begin with tobacco becasue their health is fragile.

This was the main reason why I never started smoking, in spite of the social pressure around me. I was too prone to terrible and repetitive bronchitis, until I grew up to the point this problem disappeared. I have now a very good lung capacity and health, but I believe I have been very lucky, considering how it was in my childhood. I hope anyway that et stays so as long as possible.

I grew up with my Grandad smoking so the house was always smelling quite awful! Somehow I ended up a smoker myself even though I declared I never would to anyone who would listen, from quite a young age. It did worry me, when I got "sprung" smoking by a teenage student while I was out walking my dog that I wasn't being a very good influence.

I'm so happy as a non-smoker, I don't ever want to go back there. I can run twice as fast and 3 times as far, as my legs don't cramp up anymore. Thanks Bilbo, for the useful tips on longevity of sound, I like the way you explained it, and shall pass it on. I actually have a large lung capacity, with no complaints with the longevity, only just a curiosity as to why my running improved within a fortnight, but there has been no noticeable increase in length.

"only just a curiosity as to why my running improved within a fortnight, but there has been no noticeable increase in length."

My theory as to why you are running better is that the nicotine is no longer constricting your blood vessels. Your tone duration will improve when you learn to play a high E at a ppp dynamic. As I wrote, it's more of a "lip control" issue. Think of certain aspects of flute playing as "Physical Development" In many school systems the students have to take Physical Education...I prefer to call it physical development lately. Certain aspects of flute playing are rather physical. In this regard, it's not the amount of muscles necessarily but the development of certain muscles and then the use of these correct ones properly.

See this vid. a few times:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQg0vScnQ8E
~bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Returning to the origin of the information about the presumed relationship between Emphysema and Woodwinds, I could ask my friend today about it.

He just said he saw the comments "In Internet", probably during a search for Emphysema. So there is no more specific information . Sorry...

Hi Jose Luis,
I wouldn't expect your friend to know much about this.
The thing is that I know wind players who are elderly and I don't see any sort of correlation. As a prime example, Sir James Galway is now 70. He's been playing flutes quite a bit now for 61 years and he sounds as strong as a 25 year old. My own flute teacher has another ten years on Sir James and he doesn't have any breathing issues. I don't think that Marcel Moyse had Emphysema but he did have asthma and he did smoke tobacco.

If I may suggest, there are more dangerous toxic things that would surely get us first. For example, the chlorine that is often used to kill bacteria in swimming pools is present usually in rather concentrated levels.

~bilbo
N.E. Ohio

I agree on the Emphysema issue. I think we have probably debated this long enough. I just added my last comment because I had promised to question my friend when I had an opportunity and so I did.

Chlorine in swimming pools? Hmm... another concern, no doubt. I pass some 30 minutes five times a week immersed in such waters and swallow a bit of it now and then. I have been doing this for the last seven years. I have not noticed any particular noxious effect, with the possible exception of accelerated hair loss. But this could be due to age or other causes. Big public sw. pools may be using more complex bactericides than Chlorine, I guess. They are very effective but could they be even more dangerous? I do not know.

And all our first-world drinking water (I refer to non-bottled water) contains chlorine and I have being drinking it all my life. There are some recognized chlorine-related problems, as it can convert other water contaminants in more dangerous substances. But no effect I could mention.

In fact, we are surrounded by so many pollutants at home, on the street and in office that it is astonishing we do not fall seriously ill than we normally do. No doubt, we humans have an outstanding capacity for adaptation. At least, so far.

"In fact, we are surrounded by so many pollutants at home, on the street and in office that it is astonishing we do not fall seriously ill than we normally do. No doubt, we humans have an outstanding capacity for adaptation. At least, so far."

Hi Jose Luis,
Yes I think that this is a good deal of my point in posting something about chlorine. I think that we can get caught up in worrying about the detrimental effects of doing something such as playing the flute or swimming and we lose the enjoyment of the moment in worry. Imagine the poor person who is afraid of driving or even leaving their home for fear of something bad happening to the point of debilitation.
As far as flute playing, I find it relaxing, mentally stimulating, physically stimulating and meditative all at the same time. Each one of those things are beneficial. I've had many people mention things that may be bad about playing the flute and playing music, maybe because it's something that people seem to enjoy doing to others who may appear to be be enjoying something but I still seem to enjoy my music. I find music at times to be simply glorious and uplifting.

~bilbo
N.E. Ohio

You are right; the main problem with daily risks is being able to find the correct balance: we cannot ignore them completely, as there may be the possibility of reducing them by simple measures. But we cannot allow the fear those risks may invoke in us to the point of stopping us from doing things. People can develop phobias when the wrong balance is chosen too much to the safe side.

Music studying and playing also can also present the same dilemma. But in this case not because of supposed or real risks to health, but because it can produce too much stress and even anguish or distress before an examination, an audition or a concert. Also, it can be frustrating when one get stuck in a passage that proves to be too difficult for the player level. I happens to me now and them.

But the real joy comes when I can play the piece reasonably well for the first time. After that, the joy is repeated and expanded as the performance gets gradually better.
Sometimes, for very beautiful pieces like some of Bach or Haendel, the feeling of just being able to play the piece triggers a very deep emotion in me.

There are many other opportunities to enjoy, for example when adding other parts or accompaniment, or after a successful public performance, even a domestic one. So in general, in spite of the bad moments, playing an instrument is one of the best things I could imagine to accomplish.

I know that you have been playing for many years and have a high level, with beautiful tone, tuning and expression. Maybe for you the opportunities for feeling stressed by a piece are already gone.

I wish I will be able to attain sometime in the future that level of satisfaction.