Musicians always strive to do their best in any circumstance; overcoming a plethora of physical, mental, and logistical challenges to make their performances consistently stellar. Often, we perform in climate-controlled concert halls close to sea level, that are designed by the greatest acousticians, architects, and engineers in the industry. Other times, we have to travel to new and unfamiliar surroundings, including higher elevations than we are used to, and still sound our best.
Despite the great potential to work in higher elevation places, from Denver to Mexico City, La Paz or Bogotá, there is still a paucity of information on performing above 5,000 feet. Often musicians are left to scramble to do their best in an environment that differs significantly from their current concert venue.
So, what do you do if you have a performance or audition above 5,000 feet? How do you compensate for this higher elevation and feel and play your best? Also, what are lessons that we can learn from playing at a higher elevation that we can use in more typical concert settings, even if we have no urge to ever perform at high altitude?
What happens at higher elevations?
Because of changes in the barometric pressure at higher elevations, each breath contains less oxygen as we ascend. The resulting effect on the human body is that it feels harder to breathe and simple tasks take more exertion. We eventually produce red blood cells to compensate, among other physiological changes. As we start to do this, our respiratory rate and blood pressure increase, often making us feel out of breath. You can feel your heart beating harder at a higher elevation.
A general rule of thumb for altitude is that you can do about 3 percent less for every 1,000 feet above 5,000 feet. It’s important to factor this into your preparation for these scenarios. With proper knowledge and training, it is possible to compensate for these differences and to perform your best.
Medical concerns
Nothing in this article is medical advice, this is just my opinion, so it's very important to work with your doctors before travelling to higher elevations or starting any new activities. Sometimes people have bonafide serious medical situations with high altitude, and it's important to be able to recognize these signs. These include HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema), HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema), and AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). These require immediate medical care and usually descent. Symptoms can really start showing above 8,000 feet but are occasionally possible lower. Read up on these conditions and recognize their early signs. Seek medical attention immediately if symptoms occur.
My background
As principal clarinetist of the Central City Opera at over 9,000 feet for 17 years and 23 years as principal clarinet of Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra at over 5,000 feet, I spent much of that time commuting back and forth from eastern Kansas, which is barely higher than sea level. Sometimes I would have to ascend as much as 9,000 feet for an opera and above 10,000 feet for mountain wedding gigs in Aspen. My first college teaching job was in Laramie, Wyoming at 7200 feet.
I also guided trips on Colorado’s highest peaks, leading trips above 14,000 feet. As a mountaineer, I have summited most of Colorado’s highest peaks and have received Wilderness First Responder training. As an ultramarathoner and triathlete at higher elevations, I have pondered the connection between musicians and physical conditioning. To further research implications of playing at higher elevations, I cofounded Summit Musicians with Dr. Lauren Jacobson. We have performed on some of the highest summits of North America, including the summit of Mt. Bierstadt, Colorado at 14,065 feet.
As I looked into this subject, I realized that there was a dearth of organized information for performers on playing at higher elevations. Because of these questions, I launched my book project The Ultra Musician to find out how we can reach our full potential, not just at higher elevations, but in all concert situations.
Years of research, not just with clarinetists but with pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, coaches, and athletes such as hang gliders, mountaineers, high altitude runners, and cyclists, has helped me formulate a personal plan for going from almost sea level to elevations over 5,000 feet. For air support, I talked with other people who work with breath like freedivers. I also spoke with amazing wind players who work at higher elevations and published my findings in The Clarinet, September 2015 edition https://clarinet.org/publications/the-clarinet/. I have compiled a list of other resources at the end of this article.
For the sake of this project, we will define high altitude as over 5,000 feet.
How do we prepare for High Altitude Performing?
The Acronym of CARE will get you through:
Conditioning
Acclimatization
Reeds
Endurance
Before launching into a discussion of high altitude, it’s important to check with a doctor before starting any new routine and again, this is not meant as medical advice.
Conditioning
While athletes will prepare for changes in elevation, musicians often don’t tend to look at our bodies holistically. As performers, we are working our bodies and minds to full capacity and any level of conditioning will help. Our jobs are also often sedentary, stressful, and occur at difficult hours for our circadian rhythms. Paying attention to conditioning is important in all circumstances to play our best, but even more so at higher elevations. Anything helps: walking, lifting weights, swimming, running; the list goes on and on. Stretching is also important to be able to increase the capacity for thoracic expansion and low, relaxed diaphragmatic breathing.
General conditioning will help your body compensate for any added physical strain. This is just the tip of the iceberg on cardio, strength training, and stretching. There are so many amazing modalities out there to work with, anywhere from pilates and yoga to running to tai chi or simply walking.
It's important to keep in mind that being in great physical shape does not actually prevent high altitude conditions. Some of the most accomplished mountaineers have experienced problems on mountains. By being in good condition before you travel to altitude, you are at least used to exertion in a concert setting and have avoided one variable of difficulty.
Hydration
One of the first things that anyone will tell you is to drink lots of water. It is really important to make sure that you drink sufficient water, but not in excess as this can adversely affect your electrolyte levels. Keep track of your hydration and make sure to always drink enough above 5,000 feet.
Nutrition
Anecdotal mountaineering wisdom on nutrition is small frequent meals and more protein at night. In the book Training for the New Alpinism, by Steve House and Scott Johnston, the authors encourage eating simple foods that are easy to digest, nutrient rich, and not processed. Iron is often a mitigating factor and some high altitude athletes will enhance their intake of iron containing foods, such as red meat or dark leafy greens. High altitude climbers swear by garlic and ginger, but there is little scientific data to back up this claim.
It is important to note before actually taking an iron supplement to check with your doctor since too much iron can actually be toxic.
Avoiding alcohol
Because the symptoms of high altitude illnesses can mimic the symptoms of a hangover and cause dehydration, it is important to avoid excessive alcohol when acclimatizing.
Sleep
Something to consider is that your sleep might be much different at higher elevations. Make sure to practice good sleep hygiene and plan accordingly.
Last resort (but I haven’t used)
As a last resort: though usually unnecessary, it is possible to purchase small cannisters of supplemental oxygen. Most people don’t require oxygen unless they are really high in the mountains, like in the Himalayas. But it is usually possible to get a small canister of O2 in most mountain towns. This shouldn’t be necessary for elevations that are common to play at, but is interesting for general knowledge.
Instrument specific conditioning
-be overly prepared
-long tones
-breathing exercises that I discuss later in the section on endurance
Acclimatization
Allow time for acclimatization if possible. The faster and higher you ascend, the more of a chance for alttitude sickness or sub-optimal performance. Try to get to your location 3-5 days before the performance, or at least 1-2. The earlier the better, but of course it has to work for you and your schedule. The standard knowledge on this is to just be as gradual as you can. Take breaks often and give your body a chance to acclimate.
Let your body adjust gradually
We can learn from mountaineers that have gone far higher than we will ever have to perform. Standard practice on high mountain expeditions was to have several base camps and use a combination of ascents and descents to acclimatize. Train high, sleep low is the standard practice recommended for mountaineers. Sometimes a hike higher than you have to play helps. Standard mountaineering wisdom is to take it easy for a day or two when first ascending.
For the experts only: medium-intensity training the first day
One opposite and intriguing point of view was given to me by Joshua Mietz, an amazing high-altitude athlete and clarinetist who proposes to do a medium-intensity run or bout of exercise on the first day at altitude. I find that this also works for me and provides a sort of “shock acclimatization.” I would use caution with this method for those unaccustomed to higher elevations. But as a musician who is used to elevation shifts, I find that training a bit harder than I have to play is key.
Relaxation
An important aspect of acclimatization is to focus on low and relaxed breaths. Any added tension will take away from the efficacy of a relaxed and expansive thoracic cavity, great posture, and low diaphragmatic breathing. Practicing the most efficient techniques before travel is vital.
Being in anything except a relaxed state, will add more stress to our systems and therefore detract from our efforts. This is a great opportunity to practice any relaxation techniques that work for you, be it prayer, meditation, positive thinking, breathing exercises, yoga, or any other modality.
In many ways, because of the added strain of breathing at high altitudes, this is an excellent opportunity to maximize the potential of our air at lower elevations. It’s important to remember the potential of humans to go beyond normal expectations and that we can also do amazing feats. After all, freedivers can hold their breath for incredible amounts of time and people have stood multiple times on top of Mt. Everest. Keep this in mind to build your confidence and relaxation. By paying attention to slow acclimatization and proper conditioning, playing at high altitude does not have to feel difficult. While there is definitely a physical element of playing, much can be done with the right mental outlook as well.
Playing at high altitude shows us the importance of proper air support on all aspects of performing, not just tone production.
Reeds
As a general rule, most wind players find it advantageous to play on softer reeds or a lighter set up at higher elevations to compensate for less oxygen in these places. On clarinet, for example, I usually play a 3.5 plus Vandoren reed, but would go down to a 3.5 at higher elevations.
Be able to properly balance and adjust reeds, become familiar with a reed knife, sandpaper, and/or reed geek. Have a break in process to be able to stabilize the decay of the xylem and phloem before working on them. In a pinch, a good exercise that you can do to soften a clarinet reed right away is to use the vamp of the mouthpiece to flatten and bend the tip of the reed slightly inward, towards the mouthpiece.
Making sure that reeds are in an adequately humid environment is also important for higher altitudes. You can do this with a humidor or by putting reeds in a sealed environment, sometimes with a small damp sponge. I also use a sponge in the mouthpiece cap that is slightly damp so that the reed never fully dries out in rests. Use caution with this method so that you don't get mold in your reed case!
Remember that any small reed deficiency at sea level will be highlighted in the mountains, so make sure to beef up on your reed hygiene before you go.
Endurance
Endurance for wind players at higher elevations is a major issue, since you might be doing a faster acclimatization than you would like. Long tones are a must and should be progressively slower, giving the body time to adjust to longer exhalations gradually.
Since there are two parts to the breathing, you can emphasize maximizing both inhalations and exhalations. Try progressively longer breath holds and progressively longer exhalations.
An exercise that has always been beneficial to me when playing at higher elevations is to challenge myself to go progressively longer in any phrase. I will also slow the duration of a longer solo. That way, I am always training for something harder than what I need to do. Sometimes once I can make the phrase then I will extend the last note as long as possible to build that comfort zone and increase my oxygen and CO2 exchange threshold.
These exercises can be used at sea level or anywhere to build health, strength on the instruments, and confidence in performance. Even without traveling to high elevations, we can reap the benefits of health and fitness in our lives and music.
Resources
Training for the New Alpinism, by Steve House and Scott Johnston
Going Higher: Oxygen, Man, and Mountains, by Charles Houston, David E. Harris, and Ellen J. Zeman
Mountaineering, the Freedom of the Hills, by The Mountaineers (author)
Colorado's Fourteeners, From Hikes to Climbs, by Gerry Roach
Medicine For Mountaineering, edited by James A. Wilkerson MD
Climbing Free, My Life in the Vertical World, by Lynn Hill
Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains, by Jon Krakauer
The Crystal Horizon, Everest-the First Solo Ascent, by Reinhold Messner
Wilderness First Responder: How to Recognize, Treat, and Prevent Injuries in the Backcountry, by Buck Tilton
High Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment
Wilderness Medicine: High Altitude Sickness Prevention