Is it a mental problem?

[trolarg]

About, say 1-2 weeks ago, before class started i was playing so well, i was hitting high E daily and it was sounding loud and stuff, it was when i had first broken the barrier, that was about 1 week before school started, once it did i wanted to show it off to my classmates because he's known for doing these really high notes so i did but it sounded so weak and dull, but i didnt care and kept practicing as normal, but soon leading after that week, High E went away, and soon Eb, and then D. Now i can barely get a C to sound loud. The only time i can play like i did when i had the E is when we play some songs that we have for a competition in Berklee. I dont know what to do honestly and im scared i might not perform well at the competition because of this problem. Please send help

Edit: I go to a specialized music school so practice time isnt the issue
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[wohlrab]

First take a break. Second talk to your private teacher if you've got one. Are you only practicing to reach those high notes? If so, that's probably minimally productive.

It sounds to me like you're just worn out. Happens a lot to players when they get new high notes, because all they want to do is play those, but while that's fun, it's very taxing on the embouchure.

[trolarg]

[brassmusician]

Interesting that you can still get those notes when you play the competition pieces. In my experience this can happen when there is a strong mental representation of those notes - your mind and body know the context well and you are probably focussing just on executing the phrase musically rather than isolated high notes. Still it is a shaky thing, and if you get more tired you may lose those too. I find that newly acquired high notes are the first to go when my chops get fatigued so I agree with Wohlrab and think you need to build more rest into your programme.

[Ed Kennedy]

"90% of it is half mental." Yogi Berra

You have to keep your foundation strong. Long tones, flexibilities, flow studies, rest as much as you play.

[Craig Swartz]

Unfortunately, much of playing a musical instrument is "mental". On the other hand, so is playing sports, driving a vehicle, leadership, following, and life. Don't let it get you down...

[roccotrumpetsiffredi]

[falado]

Hi, when you played in a situation where you're trying to play the high notes are you relaxed or do you get excited or nervous? Some time ago I played in a group with a guy who sounded great in the practices and rehearsals, he even had a great practice room DHC. But, when we played out in public it was a different story. His focus was all wrong and he would get so nervous he would blow the licks, time, notes and not be able to play much above high C. He focused on the audience and not missing so much it unnerved him and he missed. So, take a breath, shoulders down, chest up, relax and just play.

Have you ever seen the movie For The Love of the Game. When Kevin Costner gets ready to pitch at the beginning of each inning he psyches himself into the concentration by saying "Turn on the mechanism", tunes out the crowd and goes to work. When I perform my focus is totally on the conductor, the music, listening to the ensemble, relax, play. No distractions, they are tuned out.

Dave
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[JoseLindE4]

[cheiden]

Anytime you introduce a change it can take weeks for the full effect to be realized. Don't celebrate too much the little breakthroughs and don't sweat the occasional bad days. Go back to your routine before your high note breakthrough and get back into your old groove. Then try to approach how you got the extra range incrementally, very slowly and carefully. If your gains don't hold or they introduce problems then you need to back off and come at it from another direction.
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[trolarg]

[trolarg]

[falado]

[JoseLindE4]

[Arjuna]

Study Arturo Sandoval's warm up video.
Practice Maggio part 1 as Arturo Sandoval practices it.
Rest 10-15 minutes then practice Maggio part 2.
Get up early allowing an 1.5-2 hours before school.
Practice this 5-6 days per week.
Always take 1-2 days off per week just not in a row.
Practice slowly and softly.
Practice Caruso's 6 note exercise.
Practice Schlossberg 3 times per week.
Practice 20-30 minute sessions then rest 1 hour between sessions.
Practice Irons 3 times per week.

[Robert P]

Why you were able to hit the notes and now can't is purely physical, the "mental" part is awareness of what you were doing to hit those notes. Admittedly this can be easier said than done.

You've learned it's possible for you to reach those notes, and unless you've had some catastrophic, profound physical change - busted lip, lost teeth, paralysis - you can do it again, and then some.

You need to figure out what you did to hit the E. What I see as the problem with a lot of typical methodology is it takes you through practice and just hopes you sort of fall into increasing range with no real specific understanding of what you're doing.

Once upon a time hitting a musically useful E would have been inconceivable to me, even practicing and playing hours every day. Now I practice a fraction of what I used to and expect an E to be there. What it *isn't* the result of is endless range-building exercises per se, but rather being attuned to elements of what I'm doing.

Try this - get warmed up and start playing some kind of graduated exercise, one octave scales or arpeggios. Start low, play low C to middle C at a moderate volume. Something you know you can hit easily. Hold the top note - really be aware of what's going on. Watch yourself in a mirror. As you hold the top note gradually play it louder and really pay attention to what's going on. What is your top lip doing, what is your bottom lip doing. Where is the tension all around your embouchure and how is it focused. Horn angle, how much pressure are you using, how open are your teeth, tongue/throat arch. Where are your lips in relation to your teeth? Balance of pressure top lip vs bottom lip. How is your lower jaw set? As you play louder observe what changes. Now, snatch the horn off your lip and don't change anything - observe how everything is set. Now do it again, with a scale or arpeggio a half step higher. Make sure that top note is full every time.

What I'm looking to happen is that you're going to be forced to have your chops set to play a big, full note. Pay close attention to what's going on with your chops as you go higher. What's different say between a low C and a high C? Between a middle C and a G on top of the staff and a high C? When you get to the top of how high you can go doing this, see if you can go a half step higher. What do you have to change? Move more air? Higher tongue arch? Changed lip tension?
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[trolarg]

[Lionel]

[Robert P]

[trolarg]