Intensive breathing while practicing

[countrymath]

I've noted these days that when I'm practicing some difficult pieces, I keep breathing like i was suffocating. I don't know how to explain. It's kinda scary

Does anyone breath this way while practicing?

[ongaku_oniko]

Not really, BUT I do get extremely sleepy when I practise so I HAVE to take a lot of deep breaths to wake myself up

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

Sorry, I'm not sure what you're talking about.
But I know people who breathe very loudly when playing...

Maybe when you get to the difficult parts, you hold your breath and forget to breathe?

[countrymath]

Sorry, I'm not sure what you're talking about.
But I know people who breathe very loudly when playing...

Maybe when you get to the difficult parts, you hold your breath and forget to breathe?

No. I mean, i keep breathing like a stabed person.

I'll se if i can found something on youtube

[innerspirit]

While im only a novice on the piano (so cant speak to playing very difficult peices)

its possible though that you may be hyperventilating, Unconsciously? (either breathing very fast, or very shallowly)
A good tell tale signs is that after a while of breathing like this you’ll start getting  pins & neddles in your fingers, lips, face etc (and even cramps)
This is normally down to stress at some level, either personal, work etc  but maybe while playing very hard pieces its a bit of a trigger for you? Who knows really?
If you think you are hyperventilating, then gentle breathing exercises and relaxation to bring your breathing back to normal should do the trick (blowing in a paper bag is not needed)
All this said it’s very hard to tell without seeing you while it happens, but hope this helps all the same

[nataliethepianist]

Sometimes I do, but usually I have these "freeze attacks" where I think what ever I do is wrong. But when ever I breath loudly is when I am trying to sight read quickly, and then I am overwhelmed.

Good luck with your studies.

- Natalie

[jollisg]

I don't do that, but my teacher does that sometimes. Before I used to hold my breath in the harder parts, but my teacher told me that it's easier if i kept on breathing (you'll get calmer and you won't get tense).
It's good that you're breathing

If you don't like it, there may be some ways to make it disappear but I don't know how.

[pianoplayjl]

My sister does it when practicing Chopin and mozart.

[glyde]

Can be a good thing sometimes.

I had no real awareness of my breathing whilst playing until I did a small recital, my first one. I was extremely nervous and just after starting I found myself breathing erratically as certain points in the music. As soon as I became aware of it I started to naturally breathe in a way that mirrored the expression in the piece, which immediately made me feel a lot calmer. There was a part of the music which became very loud and expressive and then stopped and became quite soft again. My breathing definitely mirrored this section, and I played a lot better for it.

Looking back now I'm not sure if it was just the nerves that I improved by breathing properly, but when I'm practising now I sometimes try and breathe along WITH the music a little and I can say that for me it helps.

Perhaps breathing is something that's often overlooked when it comes to playing, maybe it's more important than we realise.

[pianoplayjl]

People do it probably because they come across a difficult passage and they want to concentrate their might on it.

[sunshine_keys]

I haven't noticed that I breathe hard, but when I'm playing a difficult piece I will either hold my breathe without thinking, and or bite my lip or tongue. And I don't notice until I'm done playing and my tongue hurts. haha

[pianoplayjl]

I think I might breathe hard occasionally.

[countrymath]

Hey...

I don't have this breathing anymore.

Pretty strange, hu?