This game is very easy and you can play by yourself against yourself!
You will need a clock or watch with a second hand, or a stop-watch – you may have one on your smart phone.
Time yourself or get a family member to time you.
Take a big breath – you can do this slowly – no need to try and do it quickly – suck the air down into your tummy – use your diaphragm muscle to pull down and expand your lungs and push your other organs out of the way – your tummy should push outwards as you fill up with air from your tummy right up into your chest.
Start playing a note, and play for as long as you can. Time it!
Stop if the note dies to nothing – don’t cheat by starting it up again even if you don’t breathe in between.
It helps if you play quietly, and this game is great at getting you to control the amount of air you use and to play quietly!
Now, to make it interesting, keep a record of your personal best, and try and beat it every day!
You can also play against your friends – ask them what their longest note is and try and beat it, then challenge them to beat your time!
Now, bigger instruments need more air than smaller ones, so if you play a cornet and your friend plays a trombone, you ought to be able to beat them easily, and vice versa if you play a trombone, your cornet-playing friend should be able to beat you!
Back to Games