Accurate high note stabs in Latin music

[trumpeting]

I'm having some trouble hitting into the upper register for a Latin gig at the moment. A lot of charts have F, F# and G staccato stabs or staccato phrases that begin on these notes.

I've been practicing these in isolation and am finding it really difficult to play them accurately. At the moment I pitch them correctly about 4 times out of 10 which just isn't going to cut it.

Are there any Reinhardt tips for this type of playing?

[Doug Elliott]

As Reinhardt would say, "I'd have to see it."

There are many aspects of Reinhardt's teaching that come together to promote "consistency" in ANY range of the horn. Correct form for your embouchure type and your particular face; consistent mouthpiece placement and everything that goes along with that including the way you inhale; and too many other details to list.

Do you have any basis in Reinhardt's teaching besides reading this forum? I know you post here occasionally but I don't remember.

[BeboppinFool]

This is not something that I'm called on to do, so I don't know from first-hand experience what to tell you that will specifically address your challenge.

However, I will say that Doc used to tell me that if I wanted a consistent G on the bandstand that I needed to have a consistent C above that in the practice room.

That being said, he also advised me to think opposites. In other words, since you're going to have to practice lots of what is now difficult for you, he'd have you also do the opposite as well. In this case, that would include a lot of sustained work and/or legato work in the middle and lower register (also a good idea to do that softly). Whatever we're working on, it's important that we balance that with just the opposite of what we're working on.

When we think opposites, we're less likely to overdo (or underdo) any one aspect of our playing. We need to balance loud playing with soft playing, high playing with low playing, lots of tongued or staccato playing with slurred or sustained playing, compression work with sound drills, and so forth.
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[airdyn]

[PhxHorn]

I'm not the expert here, but I do deal with this type of playing every day, and so I'll offer what has worked for me, hopefully without overstepping.

I don't do a lot of latin gigs anymore due to the low pay and tardy schedules, but the high stabs also occur in pop music, too. A great example is Funky Music, with the high F# punches at the end of every phrase. There are plenty of TOP and EWF tunes like that as well.

You might try sliding up to the note, or whatever it takes to get there comfortably, and then try articulating it at medium volume once you're up there. While that's happening, think about what it feels like to be up there tonguing the note repeatedly, and then take the m.p. off your face. Then put it back on and try to establish that same feeling from the get-go. You might find that you need to establish the m.p. pressure a moment before hitting the note, if you weren't already. I found that if I was breathing with just gentle m.p. pressure, and then suddenly increased the pressure at the moment of attack, things were iffy. It was better to establish the pressure a moment before. Don't over breathe. I hope this doesn't contradict anything taught here. Follow the correct breathing procedures, of course.

Or you can try playing up the major scale, say, a top-line F# to high F#, with four 16th notes on each note. The track routine, especially the last few lines, is another great one. Or the Advanced Form routine with accented articulation, in the upper register.

It's harder to start out a note up high, as opposed to getting a running start up to it. That's why you'd often hear MF glissing up to high notes in his later years. But like anything, if you practice it you'll get the hang of it. It's pretty much standard procedure to expect trumpet players to articulate cleanly up to a G nowadays, as opposed to some of the things that used to go on in the 70s, where you'd hear guys sliding up to a note and then falling off of it.

Oh yeah, and try using earplugs so you don't destroy your chops and your hearing. Let the mic do the work!

[Mr.Hollywood]

Excellent post Kurt !

You have come a very long way in a fairly short amount of time (Reinhardt wise). I was thinking about posting on this one but you pretty much covered it all.

You want to know what just flips me out time and time again?????? The fact that so many trumpet players can never "get" the ear plug thing........

Learning to play with one (not two, unless its nuclear loud and you simply want to avoid injury) earplug in is one of THE MOST important lessons a player can learn. You can be on the loudest worst gig of your life, then you put that one earplug in (hopefully in the ear closest to the rhythm section) and all of a sudden a whole new world opens up to you. You can hear the "core" of your sound, you can hear your pitch PERFECTLY and on and on.

Things have been slow here lately (its summer......thats just the way things are here) Anyway I get called to sub for a freind in this new BB King Blues Club up at City Place in West Palm Beach. Keep two things in mind......#1 I have been very lazy about practicing when I have no gigs so I was sort of out of shape and #2 all I've been hearing from my friend is what a hard gig this is on the chops. He warned me over and over about how hard the gig was (9:30-1:30 am)

I played the first set without the ear plug and I was starting to "feel it". We go up for the second set and in goes my blue silicone trusty "HEAROES" earplug and all of a sudden it was like a got a vitamin B12 shot!. I could hear my center, I wasn't overblowing, I could hear my pitch everything just falls into place. I played the rest of the night with the ear plug and frankly it saved my as$.

I tell guys all the time its something you have to get used to. If it feels "strange" on the gig then practice in the house with it until it starts to feel more or less "normal"

Just to set the record strait I was never told by Reinhardt about earplugs, in the 8 years I studied witth him I don't think he ever even said the word "EARPLUG" in front of me. BUT.........Lynn Nicholson was the one who told me about playing with one earplug in, he told me it was the only way he could get through some of those Vegas production shows without hurting himself. I met Lynn through Reinhardt (Lynn was his student too) so there is a very indirect connection.

Thanks for that great post Kurt!

Take Care,

Chris

[Ed Hernandez]

I'm definitely not the expert here, however I grew up in Puerto Rico and took private lessons with one of the best Lead Salsa trumpet players in the business at the time. He was the one that later through my early and late teen years (before I joined the Army) got me through similar difficulties. Here's the simplified version of what he taught me concerning a clean high note attack & phrasing: 1-2 bars (in cut-time) before coming in: 1) inhale to belly expanding it (not lungs)(don't over breath) then, 2) tuck it in, as in tightening abs & building pressure underneath diaphragm 3) Hear the note in your head 4) position tongue accordingly (that's another subject in itself - but for me is arched behind bottom teeth) & Relax embochure; let the internal pressure flow through that relaxed compressed valve 5) and wham...! there your F# and G as clean as a whistle! Of course all this transpires pretty quickly.
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[PhxHorn]

That's interesting about the one earplug. I use earplugs in both ears, and take them out if I have to solo. If it's a gig where I'm not sure when the solos are going to happen, then I might end up having to suffer through it without earplugs. But if I only used one, I'd end up with one ear ringing at the end of the night....

[JoshMizruchi]

I have only been a professional trumpet player for two years, so I don't have the level of experience that most of the guys responding to you above do. But I do get called to play in latin bands fairly frequently, so I might be able to relate to you some of what I've learned and how I have personally applied Reinhardt's teachings to it.

Having trouble playing a note straight on could be happening because you're able to play the note with little physical effort but have trouble finding it (control) or just working too hard to play the note altogether. Doc Reinhardt said, "press to neutralize, not to press," which basically means mouthpiece pressure should only be employed with the intention of finding the "grip" and comfort required to play in all the ranges and feel like you're good to play a gig.

Another piece of advice Doc would probably give you which has not been mentioned yet (I don't think) is to watch your inhalations. Doc said that players in Latin music tend to inhale too quickly because of the short, choppy phrases which are often written. Being conscious of a slower, more careful inhalation can really help.

One other thing that Reinhardt taught was that when you were on a gig, don't worry too much about the stuff he taught you. But I've found remembering to inhale slowly, even on a gig, can be helpful.

If you're interested in Reinhardt exercises or other advice to cater to your own personal needs, I would recommend studying with one of the Reinhardt teachers in this forum. I've been studying with Rich Willey (BeboppinFool) via Skype for about 11 lessons and can't recommend him highly enough. Not only is he one of the most knowledgeable students of Reinhardt's (check out some of his books and free PDF files on his site), he is also one of the nicest, most encouraging teachers you could ever hope to have. Plus he only charges 50 bucks per lesson (100 for the first orientation one). You really can't go wrong with any of these guys. They all have the experience, studying for a long time with the man himself, and great playing credentials to boot.

The Reinhardt approach is very no-nonsense. It's all logic and common sense. For me, that has been the best way to find answers.
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