Bobby Shew on proper breathing for brass players

Bobby Shew is a well-known trumpet great. What people may not know is that he is also a world-class teacher.

I had an opportunity to sit down with Bobby and ask him questions for close to three hours. We covered a lot of topics, but the nearest and dearest to his heart was on his method for breathing called the Wedge Method.

Bobby stresses that too many brass players rely on their face for their playing rather than on their breathing, which is truly the engine for tone and range.

Bobby’s passion for breathing started when Maynard Ferguson handed him a book on Yoga breathing that Maynard carried around with him. From there, Bobby has studied physiology and anatomy with the fervor of a college medical student.

I overlaid images throughout our interview that illustrates Bobby’s instruction.

To watch the 30 minute excerpt of our conversation, click this: