Specific to playing Irish flute and whistle, breathing can be quite the stressor. Because we’re often asked to play tunes that may have originally been written for fiddle, accordion, or bagpipes of some type, there is often nowhere in the music for a flute player to breathe!
For this reason, we have to take note of what else is going on in the instrumentation and carefully plan our choices. Unfortunately, sometimes a note has to get left out so that we can breathe in order to survive the tune! It’s also important to get a little “catch breath” whenever you can, because the opportunities may be few and far between.
It’s important to remember not to feel guilty about dropping a note to breathe! Your fellow musicians will understand. Most of them play instruments that aren’t as dependent on the timeliness of their breathing, and they know you do need oxygen.
That being said, it’s still a great idea to do exercises to build your lung capacity so that you’re less dependent on a quick rest in the music so that your breaths go unnoticed.