Why use these Devices away from the instrument

Most wind players use less than one-half of their vital capacity when playing their instrument. Jacobs stated, “One of the difficulties, with men as well as women, is that the player rarely, if ever, uses all the usable air in their lungs. They may have a vital capacity of four-and-a-half liters, but that is not what they use. They use only a fraction of that capacity. A trained person might use 75 or 80 percent of their vital capacity, others will use half or less.

Video – Away from the Instrument

By removing the instrument and work away from music we eliminate a great stimulus.

For those who are well under 100 percent of their normal capacity, Jacobs had the student put down their instrument. While teaching music, he divorced remedial function matters from the actual playing of the instrument, and used a variety of external devices away from the instrument, seeking to develop new habits of breathing and air usage with his students. Since the early 1960’s, Jacobs developed and used various gauges and other such devices to help the student. In 1982, he introduced to the music world some inexpensive devices that, for the first time, allowed the student to use their own equipment on a daily basis.