Pinching for notes: Fix?

[CJceltics33]

My band director (who is a professional trumpet player) told me that what was hurting my upper register from getting a full sound and from continuing past high C/D was that I was pinching for notes. Not a pressure issue, I’m just trying to eek it out with the stomach compression and tight embouchure. He suggesting doing a lot of tonguing and loud playing above the staff to open up the aperture. I was wondering what other suggestions you might offer to help this issue?

Ps I think this is my post 100, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here and I’ve learned a lot. So thanks!

[cheiden]

I'm no expert but loud playing is rarely the answer.

My son is in high school and the teacher encourages playing loud all the time. I'm sure he believes it helps his field shows, but it's largely antithetical to all my years studying with a top pro.
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Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[spitvalve]

What you're experiencing as "compression" is really just excess tension, using muscles that don't contribute to an open sound and actually restrict the air flow instead.

You don't necessarily need to practice loud as much as you just need to relax and let the air move more naturally. It may sound louder because it will be more full, with more middle and low harmonics. Don't force anything, and don't be afraid to miss notes in the beginning. Your ears and your tongue level have more to do with pitch accuracy than the amount of tension in your chops.
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[HERMOKIWI]

I agree that loud playing and tonguing is not the answer. Pinching the lips together (over-compressing) restricts the vibrations. The bottom lip interferes with the free vibration of the upper lip. That's what you seem to be describing.

I think you want to try a couple of things in that situation. One thing you can try is to change the alignment of the lips by moving the bottom lip back slightly (very slightly) in relation to the top lip. That can be accomplished by moving the position of the jaw back, changing the angle of the horn downward, and/or curling the lower lip toward the lower teeth. The objective is to open the aperture enough front to back to keep the lower lip from interfering with the vibration of the upper lip, keep the air flow smooth and steady and also to move the vibration point further back to softer tissue on the back side of the upper lip which responds more easily to the air flow.

Another thing you can try is to pucker. The primary objective there is to move the vibration point to the softer tissue on the back side of the upper lip.

The one thing that has to happen is for the air flow to be smooth and steady. Nothing good happens when you pinch off the air flow.
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HERMOKIWI

[cheiden]

Here's a video that some folks say have helped them sort out compression issues.
https://youtu.be/22k_eacohto
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[JoseLindE4]

Depending on what is meant by pinching and compression, loud practice seems like perfectly reasonable advice. It's essentially the same advice that Ray Crisara gave to me when I was a developing player. In speaking with other students of his, this was common.

I was extremely lip, tongue, and body focused, had a very muscular approach to using my wind and a muscular approach to playing in general. Rather than fill my head with lots of words, he simply told me to practice loudly. Over time, the muscular approach dissolved and a free and resonant sound emerged.

[Turkle]

For me - and maybe this only goes for me - when I'm pinching high notes, that's because of a problem with the airflow further downstream. That means maybe the shoulders are too tight, my throat is tense and closed off, chest is tight, or maybe my tongue is in the wrong spot. When the air is cut off, then the chops are forced to compensate by pinching.

My advice is to do a little bit of playing with earplugs in. It sounds crazy, but it allows you to hear your sound internally and it's really obvious when and where you cut your air off! Try it and see.

Taking nice, relaxed "OH" breaths and fully supporting your airstream as you exhale with relaxed chest and shoulders and an "OH" or "yawning" open throat, and directing the airstream properly with your vowel "EEE for high notes," you may find that you no longer need to pinch your chops for high notes to compensate.

Good luck!
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[Craig Swartz]

[Robert P]

The role of the lips as you go higher isn't that of "pinching", the muscular tension increases in a specific way but you don't jam them together.
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[khedger]

You probably have an issue with tension not just in the lips, but also with your entire embochure, and possibly your throat.

The fix for this is to practice to address those issues. I'd recommend a regimen of long tones and lip slur exercises, starting in the middle register and working up SLOWLY.

For instance, lip slurs - start on 3rd space C and slur up to E and back. Do this in eight notes, sixteenths, triplets, etc. with increased velocity. Move up chromatically. The goal here is to do these with proper breath support and relaxed throat and embochure. You can practice a variety of lip flexibility exercises like this but the instant you sense that your 'pinching' or tensing up any part of your breath, throat or embochure, stop. Make sure not to rush into the higher register too quickly, be prepared to spend days or weeks on the same register and make sure an rest when you get tired!

[Tpt_Guy]

I'm going to recommend something out of left field, something most instrumentalists don't think of as a way to handle an issue such as you're experiencing.

Ready?




Learn to sing.

Seriously.

Find a voice teacher or your school's choir director, if you have one, and get a few singing lessons. Not just to sing radio tunes or imitate pop singers. Work on developing the sound that aria or choir singers develop. It takes proper posture, upper boddy relaxation and openness and correct breathing to get a proper, full sound. If any of those is out, the results are immediately apparent. This, believe it or not, is how brass players should breathe to achieve a full, resonant sound. If these are out, tension will slowly creep in and destroy your playing.

After you learn to do this, sing your parts using correct posture, breathing and upper body relaxation then, maintaining that, play your parts on your trumpet. Go back and forth. It will translate. Your playing will open up, sound will improve, mechanics will fall into place.

(To those who employ techniques that require high conpression of the air in the upper register, this may seem to contradict such techniques but it does not; but can set someone up for success with them by teaching the player how to avoid excess tension.)
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[rufflicks]

Here is a play list on Air some of this might help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13wyUXZj1X8&list=PLjtQbOLXI0BA1faT0dHO_kWl79vO4tFr2

Here is a playlist of range videos Some of this might help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q74MMY-fiY4&list=PLjtQbOLXI0BB_2bn5GjxlWCYsEM8DDVTH

Best, Jon
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[CJceltics33]

Thanks for all the replies! They are much appreciated, and I’ll take it into account.