Something I discovered today.

[trjeam]

When you get to a certain part of your range almost all the notes can be fingered open! Could someone explain to me how this works

[SchilkeB1]

trjeam,

This is fairly easy to explain, I think. My understanding is that the higher (or lower) in your range you go, the closer the overtones are in the sound series. In the lower register there is so much space between notes that picking them out just with your lip is almost impossible. There is just not enough room in the mouthpiece to change your lip position that drastically. In the upper register, or extreme lower register (pedal tone range) the notes are very close together, so it is east to just pick them out with your lip, so much so that picking the right note may sometimes be difficult, because if you just slightly oversompensate you overshoot. This is where alternate fingerings begin to play a major part, because since the overtones are so close, many combinations will work. I hope this helps.

Matt

[tom turner]

Hi,

Blowing the lowest tone into a trumpet (or even a piece of pipe) will produce a "fundamental" note (tone) which determines the key of the instrument.

With the laws of physics, we know that when a fundamental note is sounded on a brass instrument other tones will naturally be able to be played above that note. These are the notes you can play on a bugle (or a trumpet if you don't change fingerings at all why you ascend). These are called OVERTONES.

Overtones go like this as they ascend. For simplicity I'll use the key of C of a common Bb trumpet:

Fundamental "C" (petal C)
Octave higher "C"
Fifth higher "G"
Next octave "C" (your tuning note on a Bb trumpet)
Major Third "E"
Fifth "G" (top of staff)
SEVENTH!!! "Bb" (this is the bad note you crack sometimes when trying for a high C!)
Octave "C" (High C)

As you can see, the "open" notes are becoming very close together. Above High C the next overtone is the High D which, although technically should play better on your horn using first valve, can also be fingered open too!

Above High C technically every note can be played open, though better accuracy and pitch can be attained using correct fingerings.

One reason higher keyed trumpets are sometimes used is that the smaller horns have their fundamental note higher up the scale of musical tones, so they don't get into their above High C "funk" until a higher pitch!

For instance, a Bb piccolo trumpet is pitched a full octave higher than a standard mezzo-soprano Bb trumpet. It's low G, fingered 1-3, is the one in the staff on normal Bb trumpet and its "High C" would be a Double C on a normal Bb trumpet.

No . . . a piccolo trumpet won't let you play higher--that's a function mainly of the embouchere. However a piccolo WILL make the notes above High C (on a mezzo-soprano trumpet) lock in more precisely, since the overtones are still so spread out on the smaller horn.

Hope that helps!

Tom Turner

[Martin]

Actually, that is how the trumpet was played before the valves were invented. All those baroque virtuoso pieces for trumpet were played on trumpets (mostly in C or D) which were twice as long as our modern valved horns. The players had to use the high register all the time - that was the only way to play diatonic scales on the trumpet. Those guys were the first screamers, but they had to work really hard.
One of the best trumpet players of Bach´s time, Gottfried Reiche, actually suffered a stroke after playing a particular strenuous cantata, and died a couple of days later.

[Emb_Enh]

Cat Anderson says that although your notes in the upper register can be played on open....

"...you must have a system (of fingering) to know where you are and what you are playing!!''

Rgds. Roddy o-iii<O
http://www.members.aol.com/RoddyTpt/

[ This Message was edited by: Roddyo-iii

[kenny dorham is an animal]

yea i dont know who it was, but a buddy of mines dad keeps tellin me about this trumpet player who used to play with only one hand when he played high. Only his left hand no valves....interesting.
_________________
Im out for dead presidents to represent me-Nas

DRES

[JoeCool]

Al Chez doesn't hold his with both hands at least half the time. But he does hold it with the right while playing and not just with the left. I love hearing him do the opening for Letterman. It drives my wife nuts. She likes Chris Botti better. She doesn't play either, I guess it's an appreciation thing.

JK

[ This Message was edited by: JoeCool on 2002-01-17 18:22 ]

[edtaylor]

What is recommended fingering above high C? Thanks, Ed