really cool exercise

[musicemt]

One of my buddies plays in a Cuban band here in town, and he clued me in to an exercise that the trumpet players do (all of these guys have massive sream chops and a HUGE sound, BTW), here's how it goes:

1) Play from Middle C down to Pedal C in an arpeggio (C-G-E-C)
2) Play from Middle C up to the next C, also in arpeggio
3) Repeat the C-Pedal C arpeggio
4) Do another arpeggio, this time C#-C#

etc, etc, going up a half step each time. It's VERY important that your embouchure does not change between the pedal arpeggio and the normal-register one, although you can take the horn off your face after the normal arpeggio. I've been doing it for a couple of days, and it's REALLY opened up what little high register I have. The notes are almost effortless, and clearer than any sound I've ever gotten.

I don't know how this relates to some of Claude Gorodn's exercises, I just thought that I'd pass it along to anyone interested. Depending on response, I might give an update in a month or so to see how it works in the long run.

Ben
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[mcamilleri]

It is a variation of the Maggio pedal exercise (Claude Gordons method is similar). It can be extended into the double pedal range with an embouchure shift (Callet style double pedals, which The Balanced Embouchure also uses).

Done properly, it is a worthwhile exercise, though I suggest that you get an embouchure method and work with that, as a complete embouchure method would give you far more long-term benefit than just one exercise from a method.

Michael