How to practice stabs/hits?

[alber_trp]

Hi! As already mentioned in the title, it would be interesting to know how each one of you practices hits in ensembles (by hit or stab I intend a short, usually high note).
It might seem pretty straightforward as a thing to do, but trumpet ensemble playing has an abundance of lonely, short high notes and at least in my experience not many teachers or methods really tackle them the way they should be. I think the risk of inefficient playing triplicates in situations like that!

Thoughts, tips?

[Don Herman rev2]

I do it by just playing them. Practice playing (not hitting or stabbing) 10 high C's by picking up the horn and playing them with a pause between. May sure you are hearing the sound in your mind before you play. If I have to play a high D from a cold start, as seems to come up too often, I'll pick my horn off the stand and play it, put it down, then pick it up again.

As many times as needed to make it comfortable and consistent.

Consistent means every time -- a couple of cliche's come to mind:

1. Amateurs practice until they get it right. Pros practice until they can't get it wrong.
2. If you play something wrong nine times in a row, get it right on the tenth, and stop, then you've just taught yourself to play it wrong nine times out of ten.

FWIWFM - Don
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[kehaulani]

I do two things. The first, for accuracy and setting the embouchure, is to play the notes by "huffing" them first. Begin each note without the tongue, just air. Then follow up this by using the same embouchure setting but with the tongue.

Next, if you need it, is to make sure the tongue relaxed. If you find your tongue tensed up unconsciously practice playing the notes first an octave lower.
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[dstdenis]

[John Mohan]

If you aren't already tonguing this way, learning to tongue the way most professionals tongue (Dorsal Tonguing or as Claude Gordon called it, K-Tongue Modified (KTM)), leads to much more accuracy and consistency, especially when tonguing notes in the upper register, including "hits" and "stabs" as you called them.

When you tongue with the tip of your tongue (the typical but not best way), until the tongue tip gets down behind the bottom teeth, it is in the way of the airstream and this leads to harsh, less than secure attacks in the upper register. When tonguing the way first described by Herbert L. Clarke (in his book Characteristic Studies) the tongue tip is always kept down in the area behind the bottom front teeth and the articulation is done with the front-middle area of the tongue striking the note against the back of the top front teeth, or against the gum ridge just behind the top front teeth. When tonguing this way the tongue is kept more forward in the mouth where it needs to be for higher notes (up and arched forward) and is less likely to arch into the back of the mouth cutting off the air. Also, there is much less tongue movement this way during articulations.

Slur some notes and notice how whether you are slurring low notes or high notes, the tongue tip stays down behind the bottom front teeth (and out of the way of the airstream). This makes it easier to slur high note passages than to tongue them for most players. By adopting Dorsal (KTM) Tonguing you'll find those high note passages just as easy to tongue as to slur. And popping a high note hit will become a pleasure.

Best wishes,

John Mohan
Skype Lessons Available - Click on the e-mail button below if interested
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Ex LA Studio Musician
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