Trouble playing High and wondering if its even possible

[Robert P]

[deleted_user_687c31b]

It'll probably have some effect (no reason why it couldn't, it's in the mouth after all) but it's not something I'd ever consider just to become 'a better player'. Way too extreme.

[delano]

Everybody knows that teeth are important for trumpetplaying. Still the discussion is difficult if you have not the slightest idea about what casual connection means. (I hope I translated that well). At the same time I saw the pictures in your post and I suspect that at least some of the players there it had their teeth fixed for better looks only. And the Jon Faddis photo showed about the opposit of what you tried to say.
Further, what makes you think that physical details should be the reason these persons are great players? If so, why should that be by physical aspects you can see? IF physical attributes play a big or major role in certain aspects of trumpetplaying I can imagine several other things than having even teeth.
Probably Maynard, Wayne and other highblowers have something in their constitution that makes the extreme upper register easy but that's the way it is. I think that people can have different talents, so that will be the case for trumpetplaying. But even then I think there are a LOT of non physical attributes that make a great player.
Let's start with breathing. Some people start with trumpetplaying and develop very fast. Obviously they have talent but also they start without having trouble with quite regular thing like breathing. Why? If you are raised as a happy child with a safe environment your breathing has a good chance to be relaxed and deep. But if you are raised in a very unsafe environment your breathing will be 'wrong', high up and with tension. Only that can set you back for years. Especially if teachers around has no idea about the importance of breathing. Second, it's extreme important to form the right embouchure. OK, it's difficult because every person is different but still the embouchure is the decisive element of developing tone, volume, flexibility endurance and range. And then comes a very important thing: the placement of the mouthpiece! (this is absolutely underestimated, teachers seem to think this is an individual thing that follows nature which maybe true but only to a certain extent). And that all has again a big influence on breathing and on articulation.
So for becoming a top player you start with the environment, that condenses in your mind, you learn to use the muscles of your lungs, and when the air comes out through a right formed embouchure (here you need at least some teeth) through the lips and the mouthpiece, hopefully placed in the right way, then comes the right sound. And if the player has a rich mind and a lot of musicality in his body , THEN we can enjoy.
Mr. P, maybe you play better after having done your teeth, still their maybe no casual connection. Remember: the placebo. Same reason that people who buy a 12.000 dollar trumpet will always say it's a better trumpet and they play better on it even if they are the only ones believing that.

[Robert P]

[delano]

Mr. P, I am not missing the point and yes, I know the Faddis story.
I don't want to be pedantic or rude but you still have no idea what casual connection means. Only the fact that two things happen together will NOT say that there is a casual connection.
Same with Jon Faddis. Probably there is some connection between losing his range and the loss of range but which one?
The great Rowuk would say that we all are creatures of habit. Mr. Faddis will be 67 years old tomorrow, maybe he is playing trumpet for 50 to 55 years or so.
All that time he played with that huge gap between his teeth so we may assume that his embouchure and all the corrections on it are made with that gap into the play. Then he has his teeth done. But his embouchure is still thinking that there is a gap between his teeth that in reality does not exist anymore. In other words, his embouchure, made to correct certain aspects of blowing through his front teeth, is now wrong. What to do?
There is not only Jon Faddis, there is also the giant Jon Faddis and the business Jon Faddis. Probably with his repaired teeth within a few months his range, sound and everything else would have returned. Can he be sure? Not really, 67 is old to teach an old dog new tricks. So why take the risk? Have the gap back and live with it. So, did the gap makes the range? No, but without it it could make very tricky business.

[Robert P]

[JayKosta]

I'm wondering if there is some spelling / usage confusion here

casual connection - casual, meaning 'slight' or 'coincidental'
and
causal connection - causal meaning a result occurs because of an identified action.

Jay
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[kehaulani]

Causal Connection is a connection between the behavior and actions (or inaction) of a person and the consequences of such behavior or actions. From "cause" not "casual" as in relaxed.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[delano]

[Robert P]

[cheiden]

I had a friend who was a high note monster. One day he had the dentist fill a significant chip between his top front teeth and he too lost significant range. He says he worked with it long enough to believe the range wasn't coming back so he filed his teeth until the range came back.

Of course Maynard used to have a big gap between his top front teeth. He was fond of telling the story of how a fan approached him and showed how he had modified his teeth to be just like Maynard's. Only to have Maynard show him that he had just had his gap closed. Apparently Maynard could play with or without.
_________________
"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

[delano]

[Robert P]

[delano]

[Robert P]

[delano]

[Robert P]

[delano]

Broken in accident, two new ones, no idea of same length or not (nobody knows).

Mr. Robert P., my question.
You had your teeth altered because you saw that some good players had even teeth in the front without knowing that they are good players for that reason.
Then we have mr. Faddis with bigger very uneven teeth and he is a great player. Then he has the gap between his (still bigger) teeth closed and he could not play very well after this. Then we have mr. Ferguson who had also the gap between his teeth closed and could still play very well.
So the conclusions must be:
- you can play very well with even front teeth
- you can play very well with uneven front teeth
- you can play very well with a gap between your front teeth
- you can play very well without a gap between your front teeth

one possibility left: you can play very well with uneven front teeth provided that you have a gap between your front teeth

My proposal is that we leave it here.

[steve0930]

Hi Jerryardo

[Robert P]