An analysis of selected respiratory and cardiovascular characteristics of wind instrument performers

v, 48 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. Bibliography: leaves 45-48.Little objective information on wind instrument performance physiology is available or accessible to musicians. Research on wind instrument performance physiology includes: measurements of specific airflow pressures while playing wind instruments, measurements of lung volumes and capacities, and electrocardiograms taken during wind instrument performance. The purpose of this study was to examine selected respiratory and cardiovascular responses of wind instrumen-talists and non-wind instrumentalists at the Eastman School of Music. Lung volumes, breathing patterns at rest, maximal airway pressures, peak flow rates, and pulse rate responses to thirty-second breath holds at increased airway pressures were determined. Equipment included a Wright Peak Flow Meter, a six-liter fast-recording spirometer, a six-liter recording respirometer, a photoelectric finger plethysmograph, a water manometer, and a polygraph. The data indicated that: 1) Wind instrumentalists do not have greater vital capacities than predicted for their sex, height, and age; therefore, assumptions that wind instru-mentalists need large vital capacities, and that wind instru-ment performance changes vital capacity are irrelevant to successful wind instrument performance. 2) At rest, some wind instrumentalists may breathe slightly slower, but not deeper, than controls. These results support results of earlier studies. 3) Male and female wind instrumentalists are able to produce significantly greater maximal airway pressures than controls, indicating a possible adaptation in the strength of respiratory muscles. This strength may be related to the demands of wind instrument performance. 4) Pulse rate responses of wind players and controls do not differ from each other significantly before, during, and after a thirty-second breath hold producing airway pressure of 40 cm H20. However, there is a significant difference in pulse rate responses of males when compared with those of females. Pulse rate of the female does not vary as greatly as the pulse rate of the male