Playing Sharp

artmusicsouth · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:02 pm Post subject:

Alright guys and gals, help me out here. I have a student who plays very well. He has a great tone pretty much across the board but tends to "pinch" the notes off at the top (@ 1st space A). As he plays he continually goes sharp as well and we have been unable to get him to not do so. I think it's all about tension but none of the relaxation ideas we've worked on have been unsuccessful. Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

MarchardFerguson · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:33 pm Post subject:

air would help, because it would force the lips to open a little and not be pinched, have him work on bending pitches flat in the high register as well

David · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Nov 2002 Posts: 379

I believe I learned that most people tend to be flat rather than sharp? Is it possibe that maybe he hears the notes sharp. Can he sing them in tune?

Also look at his equipment - sometimes a poor match between horn and mouthpiece (and a specific mouth) can produce strange results. Does he have the same problem on an alternate trumpet/mouthpiece?

As far as relaxing, I've found nothing works better for me than pedal tones. Have him play some pedals and then move to the upper part of the staff where he normally plays sharp. Does he immediately play sharp or does he start out in tune and go sharp after playing awhile? If he starts out OK and becomes sharper this could confirm your theory.

_________________

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.

[ This Message was edited by: David on 2003-08-26 16:41 ]

_swthiel · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:00 pm Post subject:

Comment from an amateur, take it FWIW ...

Pitch bends might be helpful here. If you took his horn, set the tuning slide to where you'd play in tune, then have him do pitch bends to find his best sound, that might bring him in tune and improve his sound as well.

Another thought: does your student mouthpiece buzz in tune? If he does, then it may not be a hearing thing. If he buzzes sharp, some ear training may be in order.

Hope this helps, but consider the source...

Steve
_________________
Steve Thiel

Matthew 25:31-46

JoeWats · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:14 pm Post subject:

A couple of options ...

Have him buzz the music on his mp and check the pitch on the buzz.

Another option would be to get ahold of a B.E.R.P. and use it ..... this has really opened up
my sound and now I'm dead center on pitches .... I used to play on top of the pitch.

Good luck,
JW

Nonsense Eliminator · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:14 pm Post subject:

I agree with Steve that pitch bends can help find the centre of the notes. It has been my experience that sharpness in the upper register is generally due to tension, not hearing the pitches too high. Over time, we do tend to become acclimated to hearing the upper register sharp, but the root cause is tension. That said, I think the best long-term solution is mental rather than physical. Playing sharp means playing out of the resonant centre of the note, which results in a tone which is thin and brittle. Focussing on keeping the sound constant into the upper register will, over time, lead to playing the notes as close as possible to their resonant centre. As a starting point, pitch bends can be a useful method to expose the problem and to demonstrate a more desirable sound, but it is important not to allow students to become fixated on playing the pitches "lower" -- it is far better for them to focus on playing the pitches exactly where they go with exactly the sound they want.

thelurker · Veteran Member Joined: 04 Aug 2003 Posts: 257

have him buzz the mouthpiece about 20 mins aday with a cd of any great singer(not pop music).

trumpetmike · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:40 pm Post subject:

Pitch Bending and mouthpiece buzzing. Been said already, I just thought I would agree with the people who said so. Have used both with my pupils to great effect.

MarchardFerguson · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 3:48 pm Post subject:

LeeC · Heavyweight Member Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 5730

Have him sit in a room with a tuner and make all the notes play in the green. Then turn the tuner around and have him play the notes while someone else watches the tuner.

PH · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 5:15 pm Post subject:

I second the comment by leesbrass!

i have a tendency (still) to play sharp all over the horn, but especially in the upper register. i think my ear hears sharp as being "bright". Anyway, playing long tones all over the horn into the tuner at a variety of volumes has been my salvation (at least as far as playing goes).

romey1 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Jun 2003 Posts: 797

Have him play along with something that generates fixed pitch as a reference. It needs to be something good and loud like the Dr. Beat 88 model.

A really effective yet simple exercise is to play long tones, slurring down a half step, then back up again. Slowly, quarter note = 50. (half note/half note/whole note) Slurring down a half step, and coming back up to the note you started helps you stay down and find the sweet spot of the note where you started. Set the drone to the starting note. Moderate volume good support. (By support, I mean firm corners and abdomen with arched tongue in a whistle position with a RELAXED, OPEN THROAT)

*It is important not to sag as you slur down, but rather blow thru and sustain without pulsing the airstream.

Start in the middle range, then expand to upper and lower ranges when comfortable. You can also add crescendos and diminuendos on the last note as you feel more comfortable.

Doing this with a metronome adds another dimension and can help eliminate any hitch or stutter. Starting with a breath attack is also helpful at first, since you always want to lead with the air.

As this kid releases some tension and starts to relax, he will probably play much louder than he's used to with much more sound. Hopefully he will not freak out because of this. Learning to "let go" is a beautiful thing - more sound, less effort!

This exercise is basically the beginning of the Cichowicz long tones, before ascending into the upper register.

It can also be used at the beginning of Clarke 2, 3, 4 etc. or other excercises.

With whatever you are playing, if you start correctly, centered in the "sweet spot" with your most resonant sound, you will be much more successful and efficient.

romey

P.S. If this advice doesn't work remember it's always better to play sharp than flat.

[ This Message was edited by: romey1 on 2003-08-27 23:24 ]

James B. Quick · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2003 10:31 pm Post subject:

This might be a long-shot, but it's worth a try. Have him lower his tongue position to aah or ooh in the upper end of his range to slow the airflow....

artmusicsouth · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:03 am Post subject:

I am sorry but I don't think I made myself clear. It's not that he has a problem ascending and then going sharp. It is after he plays sometime that he goes sharp. I think it is related to his tensioning up in upper register but am not sure. We will tune befor ethe lesson and by the end of out itme together he will be quite sharp. That is my dilemma.

Thanks.

romey1 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Jun 2003 Posts: 797

Most people tend to go sharp as they get tired. I know a few who go flat, but they are the exception to the rule.

Building yourself up at a low intensity for longer duration will help.

romey

Nonsense Eliminator · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:25 am Post subject:

I agree with romey. Sharpness is usually a sign of fatigue, particularly fatigue due to excess tension. Focussing on developing a more relaxed, efficient approach will eventually deal with the sharpness problem.

trpt-master · Veteran Member Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 352

If you are playing a Monette mouthpiece is it possible to ever go sharp? Is it possible to go sharp or flat on a mouthpiece that has a constant pitch center? Some things to think about.

In Peace,

TM

PS: Bravo Romey. Gorgeous post.

walter · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2003 5:49 pm Post subject:

I totally agree with NE and romey. Fatigue of the embouchure seems to cause this problem, which I can well remember from personal experience when trying to play long, loud pieces (Tchaikovski, Mahler, etc.) without keeping the chops in shape.

I find that long tones (ala the Reinhardt Spiderweb) and what I call Quasi-trilled Harmonic Intervals work well at quickly working through the player's problem.