Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct;30(3):204-208.
doi: 10.5455/msm.2018.30.204-208.

Respiratory Function in Wind Instrument Players

Evangelos Bouros  1 , Vassilios Protogerou  2 , Ourania Castana  3 , Georgios Vasilopoulos  4
Affiliations

Respiratory Function in Wind Instrument Players

Evangelos Bouros et al. Mater Sociomed. 2018 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Wind instrumentalists require a sophisticated functioning of their respiratory system.

Aim: The purpose of this research is to examine the function of the respiratory system of wind instrumentalists.

Material and methods: Thirty-two adult professional musicians from two philharmonic bands (Piraeus and Zografou Municipality) participated in the survey. Each participant, after completing a questionnaire given, went through two spirometric tests, one before and one after the rehearsal. The rehearsal lasted one hour and a half and included low-mid and high frequency notes. Respiratory volumes measured and analyzed were, vital capacity (VC), maximum expiratory volume of air in 1st second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow (FEF), and Tiffenau index (FEV1/FV%).

Results: The results showed that: 1) Participants did not show any noticeable change in their respiratory volumes before and after rehearsal. 2) Wind instrument players do not have a VC greater than their predicted age, height, weight and gender. 3) There is no statistically significant difference between the first and second assessment of respiratory indicators for smokers and non-smokers. 4) Regarding the type of instrument: a) Those who played wooden instruments improved the FEV1/FVC% indicator to a remarkable percentage between the first and second spirometry and b) individuals playing wooden instruments had a lower FVC, FEV1 and VC score than those playing bronze.

Conclusion: There is no significant strain sign in respiratory system even in smokers after exercising in wind instrument. There is an improvement in Tiffenau index in those who played wooden instruments between the two rehearsals. Undoubtedly, new research is needed to combine a respiratory disease scenario with a respiratory treatment program that involves practicing a wind instrument.

Keywords: Brass/wood wind instruments; Respiratory system; spirometry; vital capacity; wind instrumentalists; wind instruments.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Respiratory volumes and type of wind instrument
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fletcher NH. The physiological demands of wind instrument performance. Acoustics Australia. 2000;28(1):53–56.
    1. Bouhuys A. Pressure flow events during wind instrument playing. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1968;155:264–275.
    1. Rohwer D, Coffman D. Relationships between wind band membership, activity level, spirituality and quality of life in older adults. Research Perspectives in Music Education. 2006;10:22–27.
    1. Stauffer DW. Physical performance, selection and training of wind instrument players. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1968;155:284–289.
    1. Borgia JF, Horvath SM, Dunn FR, von Phul PV, Nizet PM. Some physiological observations on French horn musicians. J Occup Med. 1975;17:696–701. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources