High range in high school trumpets?

number juan · Regular Member Joined: 15 Dec 2015 Posts: 44

I was just wondering how many high schools have trumpet players who consistently play notes above a high c.
The highest in my high school band's stand tunes for games is a high c, but being trumpets we take up as many parts as we can just for fun. Normally up to Fs and Gs above a high c, with an occasional A, and for one song a B below dhc.
Is it just my school, or do most other schools have sections that will play in that register for like half of all the music at games?

bnsd · Veteran Member Joined: 17 Jun 2014 Posts: 126

we all did that in high school (in the 80s) too... it was not always the most musical thing, just having fun and showing off

I remember competing against a rival high school, and the guy on the other side is blowing double C's all day long...

The following year in college I met the guy, and yeah he had chops for days.

I think all high schoolers do that, with varying success.

It's cool that things haven't changed much since my days... I decided in high school (and found out it's true) that a strong consistent high A would be good enough for most gigs

mine still isn't consistent

bike&ed · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Posts: 1837

Remember that Rick Baptist said he played a total of 2 double C's for performance or recording in his career.

I'm not sure if Uan Rasey ever played high notes at all.

High stuff sure is fun though!

kehaulani · Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 4:31 pm Post subject:

In my high school (and neighboring bands) musicality trumped range. Is high-note obsession universal?
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Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596

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number juan · Regular Member Joined: 15 Dec 2015 Posts: 44

It's funny cuz two of our drum majors are trumpet players.
Last year they would get after me for taking stuff up, but now after hearing me play, they told me to go all out on the game against the rival school.
Of course there are several others who also go up, but i am the most consistent in that register.

Lionel · Heavyweight Member Joined: 25 Jul 2016 Posts: 783

Yes as you mature as a trumpet player you begin to resent guys in the trumpet section taking stuff up octaves that isnt written. Especially when they miss a few notes or blow the phrase less than perfectly.

By college, hopefully we grow out of this habit. Also there's nothing worse than coming to the end of a chart and you know that one of the guys is gonna go after a note above his in the section. But you dont know which guy nor what note he's gonna try for. Nor (lol) which note will eventually come out.

So there you have a trainwreck in the making. Maybe three or more guys pretending to be hot-shots and the only thing certain is that it'll sound awful. As I get older I generally find it easier to exert a little authority here and there. Saying to the guys,

"Look, there's one lead player at a time in this section. Usually it's gonna be me (or 'so & so' as the case may be). When you've got the lead part or when I give it to you your first priority is to play the ink and interpret it well. The last thing you're gonna want to hear under such conditions is someone on a lower chart butcher a line he decided to take up higher".

Try and say the above politely. And if you are the lead player? Go ahead and share the book a little. Maybe even giving some of the easier charts to the 4th trumpet. So long as its within his register.

Sharing a few charts makes for a better time for the others. And if for some reason you're having a bad night some evening in the future? The band will be able to cover for your absence easier.

I had exactly this kind of problem several years ago 97-year-oldafter a bad cold sore effectively took a whole octave off my range for about a week. But having already set the guys up to potentially play lead?

Everything worked perfectly.
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number juan · Regular Member Joined: 15 Dec 2015 Posts: 44

We have several players on first. Most can take stuff up with me. The difference being that where they top out at around an f, i top out around a dhc. The reason they would get after me last year was cuz i was the only one who could and so i would stick out. Now that we have several, and in a band of over 250, it's really just a matter of whether or not we feel up to it.

HERMOKIWI · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 Dec 2008 Posts: 2581

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omelet · Veteran Member Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 245

I remember only one song we played for concert band in high school that were written above a C, which I think was Beowulf or something. There were C#s and Ds a few times in that one.

kehaulani · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 8:07 am Post subject:

You know, Lionel, some of the antics you refer to could (and should) be resolved by the conductor. As I see it, it is a leadership problem.
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RandyTX · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 8:51 am Post subject:

RandyTX

kehaulani · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:02 am Post subject:

Brad361 · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 3:50 pm Post subject:

TheLip · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:25 am Post subject:

In HS (small town in Michigan, 1980-83) our Marching and concert bands often used pieces written to the D and E/High C, and our Jazz Band did a lot of charts that were written to the G/High C (We did a lot of Maynard charts). There were only a few of us that could really do it, but each new class/grade seemed to have a kid or two that got there during their stint.

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kehaulani · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:05 am Post subject:

TheLip · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:17 am Post subject:

bnsd · Veteran Member Joined: 17 Jun 2014 Posts: 126

My lead book in high school went to a high g on occasion but above high c often. Even in high school, i knew when i would be gassed on pass on those lines. Our director brought out different charts each year based on personnel.