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museltof
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Location: UK
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 Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:45 am Post subject: My Range is Slow to Return |
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I have been back practising now for about three weeks. Things are going okay but very, very SLOW. When does one get their range back? I still think it's a good day if I get beyond 'G' above the stave. Yet if I practice too much I know that is not good either. Any encouragement?
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Comeback Horn at 73
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INTJ
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:10 am Post subject: |
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In a thread just a few down from yours several described our comeback experiences, which should be of some help.
https://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145973
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Pops
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:09 am Post subject: |
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When will you get your range back depends on several things.
1.How high could you play before?
If you used to play 2 octaves above High C then that takes a little more time to get back than say a High C does.
2. How long did you stop playing?
The more years it has been then the weaker your embouchure is and the longer it takes to rebuild.
3. How focused and disciplined is your practice?
You can safely try 10-15% more time every week and if you have a good high tonguing exercise then you can try 10-15% more of that too.
I like to get to where a player can play 100 of a certain note before they go to the next note. They have some strength and control by then. So 100 Es before going to F 100 Fs before going to G...
Done in a smart way that is really only 2 weeks or so per note. Starting on 4th space E that would be 3 months to a good strong High C that is usable in music.
The Arban single tonguing exercises transposed down or up to the right key is a great exercise to play. Fur Elise is a good song because of how many times you get to play your target note.
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Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
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museltof
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Joined: 02 Jan 2018
Posts: 21
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:13 am Post subject: |
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In a thread just a few down from yours several described our comeback experiences, which should be of some help.
https://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145973
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Thanks for that advice. I just read that and, it seems, I am being a bit hasty. Thanks to those of you who got back to me, it is appreciated.
Back in my day I could get up to G above top C which was more than I was ever required to do.. I think I am on course but I get impatient.
Oh, one other thing: What is the reason I sometimes tongue a note and nothing comes out? It does not respond, are my lips getting tired? More buzzing exercises needed?
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Pops
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| museltof wrote: | | What is the reason I sometimes tongue a note and nothing comes out? It does not respond, are my lips getting tired? More buzzing exercises needed? |
It could be from a couple of different reasons. The 2 most common are that you are holding too much tension and the lips are just so stiff that it takes a harger force of air to vibrate than you blew.
The second reason is that the lips may be too far apart for the note that you tried to play.
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Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
You can always Google me.
50 years Teaching. Teaching and writing trumpet books is ALL I do.
7,000 pages of free music. Trumpet Books, Skype Lessons: www.BbTrumpet.com |
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trumpet.trader
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Joined: 02 Jul 2017
Posts: 200
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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You’ve only been in your comeback for three weeks.
There are bound to be cobwebs that need to be knocked out. I bet most stuff will correct themselves like the airball articulations and your range issues mentioned.
Range and flexibility will come back, but it takes time. I’m not gonna even suggest what to practice, what books to use or worse....suggest the trumpet-herald first-go-to-response of “you need to find a qualified teacher”
You just need some consistent practice time on the horn. Playing music as well as exercises. Getting to play with others will help as well. Gets you excited about playing and we always improve in a social setting.
It’s supposed to be fun! So relax, take your time, it will come back. Glad to hear you’ve picked up the horn again. Good for you! |
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museltof
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Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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All the advice given here is invaluable. Thanks again!
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Robert P
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:23 pm Post subject: Re: My Range is Slow to Return |
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| museltof wrote: | | I have been back practising now for about three weeks. Things are going okay but very, very SLOW. When does one get their range back? I still think it's a good day if I get beyond 'G' above the stave. Yet if I practice too much I know that is not good either. Any encouragement? |
It's largely dependent on how much awareness you had to begin with as to how you got higher notes. Based on the fact that you're asking this question you're like a lot or probably most people in that you had an indirect, non-specific semi-awareness of a general sensation of playing higher but never really analyzed in detail what you were doing. So, it's going to take a while to achieve the conditioning for the muscles to hopefully fall into place the same way.
It could also be an opportunity to do better than what you were doing before - what was your range like when you previously played a lot?
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museltof
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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In the old days I could go to 'G' above top 'C.' But, I suppose, not comfortably. 'E' above top 'C' was reliable but I don't need to do high register stuff so much now, I just want a good range and good endurance and I just have to accept that it will take a few months.
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Robert P
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| Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 4:11 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | What is the reason I sometimes tongue a note and nothing comes out? It does not respond, are my lips getting tired? More buzzing exercises needed? |
When playing a trumpet you're always walking a tightrope that involves a number of factors that you're probably not even conscious of - there's a subtle difference between a note coming out sounding the way you want - or at all - and not coming out the way you want or at all. And you have to get to where you can find that balance on the rope as consistently as possible. It's not simple - the fact that even great players splatter notes is a demonstration of this. I've heard rumors that even Maurice Andre split a note once. 
The way the mp is sitting on the lips & the amount of meat you're gripping, the amount of pressure and distribution between the top and bottom lips, the focus of way the facial muscles are engaged, the amount of top and bottom lip overlap of the teeth, the angle of the mp/horn, the opening of the teeth, the configuration of the tongue/throat/shape of the oral cavity, the amount of air pressure. And all of it changes as you play higher, lower, louder, softer, or with a different tone quality.
Something you might try is observing yourself in a mirror and see what's going on when you have a note sounding full, or as you move throughout your range. Also try snatching the horn away when you're playing a note without changing anything and see what your setup looks like, to get a more accurate assessment of what you're actually doing when playing. Do this throughout your range and at different volume levels and observe what changes.
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GeorgeB
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| Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 4:27 am Post subject: |
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Pop's response made the best sense to me.
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