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Crescene
New Member
Joined: 27 Oct 2020
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2020 1:28 pm Post subject: What makes a high note? |
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Hello!
I'm new to this site, so excuse me if I'm not using the forums correctly.
So I am a member of my college marching band, where we meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with games on Saturdays. My marching has gotten noticeably better, whereas one of the mellophone staff (I switched to mellophone, but still play with a trumpet mouthpiece) who marched with the Blue Stars mentioned an audition camp she's helping with Genesis.
I have always wanted to march a Drum Corps, but the one thing that hasn't changed is my range and that worries me. I would hate it if I went through burnout again just because of it, so I'm wondering what makes a high note work?
Normally when I go higher, my aperture tends to get smaller until my range taps out, around a High C/D. In addition to that, my tone tends to thin out, even when I feel as if I'm blowing harder than before.
I've tried a few different things, each for an extended period of time, but nothing seems to work, which is why I'm here to ask. (A better friend of mine recommended it to me)
I have a routine I go through every day, but it hasn't really helped when it comes to range, save for going down. (I can hit below the second Pedal C)
It's never something I thought about asking, so any comments would help as I try to figure out what I actually need to do vs. what I am doing.
How does one work into a higher range efficiently without hurting themselves? |
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JayKosta
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Dec 2018
Posts: 3303
Location: Endwell NY USA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2020 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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Here are some ideas, maybe they can help you - or maybe they will just be 'fodder' for other's comments!
1) The lip needs to be capable of vibrating at the desired pitch. Too much lip tightening, or too much mouthpiece pressure will prevent the lip from being ABLE to vibrate.
2) The lip needs to be tensioned correctly to vibrate at the desired pitch.
3) Enough internal air pressure must be present to cause air to flow through the aperture and cause the vibrations to happen.
I have a more extensive document that goes into more details -
http://users.hancock.net/jkosta/Embouchure_Basic_Concepts.docx
It's a learned SKILL, not a muscle or pain threshold contest.
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'. |
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Jaw04
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 31 Dec 2015
Posts: 900
Location: Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Like Jay said it's a skill, in other words you need to find the knack for it. It takes many attempts and lots of failures and experimentations. Kind of like fly fishing. You just keep going for it. Find what works, play your highest note that you can play with a good sound, figure out what you are doing physically. Then try to do a little bit more of that on the next note up. Don't strain, and keep a positive mindstate. |
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Bryant Jordan
Veteran Member
Joined: 16 Aug 2015
Posts: 410
Location: Utah, USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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When asked "How do you play high?", my teacher always says "Play high". There are many good tips out there that yield some instant improvement (correct embouchure, tongue, air, etc.), but the real improvement almost always requires CONSTANTLY playing up to your limit, and little by little, your limit will rise. We often look for the 'key' to playing high or a resonant sound or a thousand other things, when the solution is patience and practice.
Good luck! |
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delano
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 3118
Location: The Netherlands
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| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2020 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| In fact it is all so easy. If you want to be a great player just play great. |
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Wind Machine
Regular Member
Joined: 20 Oct 2020
Posts: 16
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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Remove the concept of "high notes" from your mind. Where does the first high note start? It's all a matter of perception. If you want to increase your range you need to play from bottom to top each day during your daily practice. Anticipating the "high note" in a piece or excerpt is only going to cause tension in your body. Think of what you are playing in the musical context (what comes before and after) and play phrases not notes.
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You never put out someone else's light to make your own shine brighter.
Conn 8B
Monette B6/B6L |
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kalijah
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 06 Nov 2003
Posts: 3260
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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The OP, Crescene, added clear context to his question if you read the whole post. And then ended the first (and only) post with:
| Quote: | | How does one work into a higher range efficiently without hurting themselves? |
That is the prominent question.
However, I would be interested to know if Crescene is still monitoring the conversation for information.
Delano wrote:
| Quote: | | In fact it is all so easy. If you want to be a great player just play great. |
Reminds me of the old Steve Martin musing:
"How to be a millionaire" by Steve Martin
Step one: get a million dollars.
. |
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delano
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 3118
Location: The Netherlands
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:21 am Post subject: |
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| kalijah wrote: |
Delano wrote:
| Quote: | | In fact it is all so easy. If you want to be a great player just play great. |
Reminds me of the old Steve Martin musing:
"How to be a millionaire" by Steve Martin
Step one: get a million dollars.
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Haha, in fact I meant it exactly that way. Sorry that I was not more serious but more and more I doubt the advice about the practicing way given' on this topic.
I have to be very modest because I have no skills at all in the trumpet teaching area but still I have to find out for myself how to tackle problems with trumpet playing. And my current opinion is that playing high for somebody, who has achieved a certain playing power but still has no range, is (often?) a matter of embouchure and not a variable of a way of practicing. So in a lot of cases I presume that a small or maybe even for some, a big change of the embouchure is necessary. But I give this opinion up for any better one.
Edit: and I don't mean a certain school or method of embouchure, I only mean that certain wrong habits have to be corrected. |
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JayKosta
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Dec 2018
Posts: 3303
Location: Endwell NY USA
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 6:56 am Post subject: |
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| delano wrote: | ... And my current opinion is that playing high for somebody, who has achieved a certain playing power but still has no range, is (often?) a matter of embouchure and not a variable of a way of practicing. So in a lot of cases I presume that a small or maybe even for some, a big change of the embouchure is necessary. But I give this opinion up for any better one.
Edit: and I don't mean a certain school or method of embouchure, I only mean that certain wrong habits have to be corrected. |
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Regarding embouchure - Yes - many people seem to have accepted their 'certain bad habits' as their 'method of embouchure'.
Embouchure is a skill, not a muscle or 'pain tolerance' contest.
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'. |
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delano
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 3118
Location: The Netherlands
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:18 am Post subject: |
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| 'Embouchure is a skill', I think that is a nice concept. I am not sure that it will be very popular here. |
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Ed Kennedy
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 3187
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:14 am Post subject: |
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| vibration at the appropriate frequency |
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gwood66
Veteran Member
Joined: 05 Jan 2016
Posts: 301
Location: South of Chicago
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| delano wrote: | | And my current opinion is that playing high for somebody, who has achieved a certain playing power but still has no range, is (often?) a matter of embouchure and not a variable of a way of practicing. |
My humble opinion is is that embouchure and practice are connected. Its about what and how you practice. A phrase by a member of the now defunct TrumpetMaster board was "there are no magic notes". There is no combination of notes or exercises that will improve my efficiency and range unless I practice them correctly.
The embouchure is our playing system that includes the coordination of the use of the lips, facial muscles, tongue, teeth and air. That is true for high and low notes. All of that leads back to Ed Kennedy statement about vibration. Am I doing something that is hindering that efficient vibration.
There was an old post that asked about the difference between a pro and an amateur. One of the answers was how hard an amateur works in the middle and low register compared to a pro. That difference is efficiency. When I started focusing on improving my efficiency in that range it opened up my upper register. I did that by focusing on playing pedals/lip bends, Clarke and lip slurs with strict form and eliminating unnecessary embouchure movement.
When I started to find those high notes I practiced high trumpet parts and melodies over and over again. I always did it when fresh to ensure that I used the best form possible.
So this I tell you brother, you cant have one without the other.
_________________
Gary Wood (comeback player with no street cred)
GR 66M/66MS/66**
Bach Strad 37
Getzen 3052
Yamaha 6345 |
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