I’ve been playing my Clarke Original D for about four months now. I’m progressing, but there is one thing that I’ve been having a few problems with, lung capacity. I always seem to run out of air before I get to a point in the song where I can take a breath without interupting the flow of the music, especially when I’m playing the second octive. Are there any exercizes that I can do to increase my lung capacity?
Thanks,
BM
I doubt your lung capacity is an issue mage. It is probably a matter of timing, you aren’t breathing in the right spots. As for how you can fix that, I’d say listen listen listen, but there are others more qualified than me to offer advice. But unless you’re a chipmunk, lung capacity is not your problem.
Clark Originals do take a lot of air. Try a different whistle.
Either reply could be right. Listen and practice I used to have this problem on Flute but I timed how long I can hold out a note it is about 20 seconds which is a lot on Flute.
My tweaked Clarke, that is supposed to take less air than an untweaked, requires more air than either of my flutes.
That’s alot of air.
What style Flutes are you playing?
Who, me?
A Casey Burns Rudall (least) and a McGee 5088, also a conical, (slightly more), but both are still less than the whistle. A Cox D cylindrical bamboo takes about the same to a little more.
You can huff and puff on them, but if you’re focused the air requirement isn’t that bad.
Really, I find whistles in general to require a lot of air. Of course, I have asthma, so it may just be me.
I have a virtually untouched Water Weasel, a low G, that I should sell because it’s just impossible. And it’s not nearly the size of a D flute. And my fingers hardly cover the holes. Well, not hardly–they don’t cover them. The poor thing is languishing here.
I think you ask a good question.
1st of all Clarkes originals are difficult to play (IMHO) because they take a lot of air to play…but if you do learn to play it well, when you pick up a whistle with a plastic fipple, you’ll feel like super(whistle)man.
But probably more importantly…IMHO, it’s more than SIMPLY improving lung capacity. It’s more about proper phrasing. That’s the difficult part.
Yes…
Google: breath exercises
I had some good links but I can not find them right now. I’ll poke around when I get the time.
i have a mack hoover brass d that takes very little air its great for learning new tunes you can play as slow as you want and not have to think much about breathing i hear the narrow bore takes even less air not to mention the sound is grrrreat!
A whistle with a bit more backpressure might be easier for you. Next time you have a few different whistles available, try holding a G note (or whatever) as long as you can and time it, to get a feel for how long a phrase you’ll be able to play in one breath. There’s a lot of variation between whistles.
Or simply buy a Burke narrow bore 
When I play my Burke I don’t have to take breaths at places where I usually do playing my other whistles, it allows me to play like 2 whole lines at 1 breath.
Yes, you. That is intresting I play a Geert Lejune 5088 (more) and an M&E R&R (less) I rarely pull out the Tipples anymore but they are in the middle, and I find that they take more air than most of my whistles. I don’t find Whistles to take a lot of air and I also have asthma so it probably could be just you, I have sold whistles because the air requirments were too low. Some times you have to interupt the flow listen to more trad to hear it though. I can play 4 lines on one breath 
I find that flutes definitely take less air than a Clarke original or just about any low whistle, but more than most D whistles.
If breath is an issue, I’d definitely recommend a different whistle. For moderate breath requirements, try a Clare, for low, try an Oak. Most importantly, keep practicing (you’ll get better at using your breath), and listen. Also, IIRC, Rob Greenway’s flute site has a section on breathing that I found very useful when I was starting out on the whistle.
Thanks everyone. I’ll check out thay site you recommended, Chas.
I was just getting a little concerned with my lung capacity because I’m planning on ordering my first low D whislte on the 21st-ish (Kerry plastic head low D, seems like a good place to start).
Four lines? Four of the vertical ones? That’s what I use . . . those vertical breath lines. Sometimes I can get more than four, though.
Running for the exit . . .
No, no, no…
I can assure you that the vertical lines, this is from marching band experience, is where the bass drum plays…
Well, I knew there was a reason you stopped playing there. Otherwise, how could you hear the drum?
I’ve had some mild asthma from time to time that is very well controlled now with proper medication, don’t have exceptional lung capacity, and never had a problem with the Clark. You say you run out of air before you come to a place where you can refill wo breaking the tune’s rhythm and phrasing. Most tunes have ample places to refill your tank appropriately (e.g., shortening single long notes or dropping a note from a triplet, omitting a pickup note, etc.) Are you analyzing the tunes a bit in advance and then comparing the feel of the tune when leaving out certain notes as opposed to others? This is not drudgery but rather fun - sometimes leaving out a note on a go round can perk up or make the tune more interesting - gives you places to vary and breath in one fell swoop so to speak.
Best,
Philo
PS - Some rest stops are better than others with respect to how the tune sounds - would help to get some expert input on the variations you make.