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ALL trumpet players want to play high!


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Trumpetstud
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 4:35 pm    Post subject: ALL trumpet players want to play high! Reply with quote

My trumpet teacher and I are having a debate. I say ALL trumpet players want to play high notes. The teacher doesn't agree. but I think we are not communicating. He is thinking that includes in music. I know not all players want to be Faddis or Maynard etc. but in private they practice and try to play high notes because that is what we do. Do you agree or disagree?
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spitvalve
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are a rare few who can play high but choose not to because they don't see the need to. Many more who say trumpet players don't all want to play high say it because they can't play high. The majority of us eat and sleep high notes--either as practitioners or wanna-be's.
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Halflip
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Personally, I don't dwell on playing high notes. To me, the trumpet is simply a tool for expressing interesting musical ideas in an improvised jazz context.

This topic reminded me of the following YouTube video featuring Arturo Sandoval, who can pretty much play as high as anyone. In this session, he plays a wonderful solo while confining himself almost entirely to the middle register:


Link

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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Man, those are some monstrous 'sidemen".

Regarding high notes, I never personally wanted any more than needed for improvisation. I DO want the range wide enough to improvise but I leave the McArthur Park wannabees to themselves.
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Croquethed
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want to continually get better at expressing myself with my horn. Extending my range is part of that but by no means the biggest part.
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Shaft
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Always and never - 2 words that cause pause on tests and thought.

Your teacher can find one exception to tear away “all” being true.

It will get a discussion going for sure however.

Enjoy the debate
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delano
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shaft is right, it’s a logical problem. As soon as you find one trumpet player who doesn’t want to play high the statement is wrong. At the same time: what does your statement mean? Because I tend to agree for some part of the general idea but then there is more:

(Almost) all trumpetplayers want:
to play fast
a big car
to have a perfect tone
to have a dog
to have a perfect attack
to date all the nice girls
to be better than other trumpet players (you can read this as: to feel happy)
to have a voluntary diaphragm

So again, what are you trying to say?


Last edited by delano on Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:17 am; edited 1 time in total
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stuartissimo
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Funny coincidence that I was thinking of getting a t-shirt that expresses just that concept.

But I gotta agree with Shaft: always and never are too often used in trumpet discussions and seldomly lead to anything productive, as they're seldomly true. Also, I cannot speak for all trumpet players since I'm only familiar with a very small selection of them. So I'll limit my opinion to myself: high notes are just 1 of the many aspects of playing, and somewhat more important for trumpet players than other instrumentalists because:

a) trumpets are generally the highest pitched brass instrument group (barring piccolos) and have the easiest time playing high, so if anyone's gonna extend the range upwards, it'll have to be trumpets (unlike other brass instruments we cannot pass it on to the next section pitched above us if it gets too high)
b) brass instruments are the only instrument group that require time and effort to learn to play the full range of the instruments, so unlike any other instrument, working on 'high notes' is part of learning the instrument

But the usual caveats apply: if you cannot play them well better not play them, it's not suitable for any music, don't play it strictly for ego, etc.

Furthermore, if where I'm not would be the top of my range ever, I'd be ok with that. But that's also because I have the range that I need to perform in the venues that I play. Doesn't mean I'm not working on solidifying my skills and trying to see whether I can get beyond what I can do now though.

So the answer is: it depends.
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Trumpjerele
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kehaulani wrote:
Man, those are some monstrous 'sidemen".

Regarding high notes, I never personally wanted any more than needed for improvisation. I DO want the range wide enough to improvise but I leave the McArthur Park wannabees to themselves.



But what range do you need to improvise?

Pops, Dizzy, Chet, Tom Harrel, Fats Navarro, etc, would say different answers, all correct.

For me, having the ability to move easily from low F# to high C is enough.

Having a solid high G will get you most lead jobs.

Double C on up would be a luxury item, which is not much use without a really solid range up to high G.

Contrary to what is often said, the trumpet players I've met with a strong high register usually have a beautiful tone throughout the range.

I think it's because it's really hard to reach those notes without good fundamentals.

I think it is natural for a trumpet player who wants to improve to pay attention to his range
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trumpet56
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want to play high notes, low notes and notes somewhere in the middle. Sound quality is more important to me than range.
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GeorgeB
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 3:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Of course I want to play high and I did a lot when I was a younger player, but at 86, playing anything above a high F is asking for an injury. Also, the fewer high notes I play above a Bb over the staff, the better I play on and below the staff-- especially below. However, I am called on to play a lot of G's and A's above the staff so I include a series of scales that go up to High C in my daily morning practice session and throw in a D and and E every now and then.

George
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JayKosta
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 6:12 am    Post subject: Re: ALL trumpet players want to play high! Reply with quote

Trumpetstud wrote:
... I say ALL trumpet players want to play high notes. ...

------------------------------------
I think it's more the case the players want to have the ability (and be known) to play high notes - so they are capable and selected (and enjoy it) to play them.

Few people want the reputation of 'being pretty good - but ...'
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patdublc
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll be honest that I don't really like to play high notes. I do and I practice to be able to play them because, without the ability, I would have to pass on gigs that require them.
The show I'm currently playing goes up to a high F#. To feel comfortable with that, I want to be practicing up to Bb/B range.
I do not focus on high range in my practice when it is not needed. When I know have something coming up that requires it, I shed high range. Otherwise, I rarely practice above high C.
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Robert P
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's very common to want to play high well, I don't think anyone should focus on it to the exclusion of playing accurately and musically or neglecting other aspects of playing. I can think of examples of those who apparently don't share my views.
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Mike Sailors
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 8:04 pm    Post subject: Re: ALL trumpet players want to play high! Reply with quote

Trumpetstud wrote:
My trumpet teacher and I are having a debate. I say ALL trumpet players want to play high notes. The teacher doesn't agree. but I think we are not communicating. He is thinking that includes in music. I know not all players want to be Faddis or Maynard etc. but in private they practice and try to play high notes because that is what we do. Do you agree or disagree?


He's right. You're wrong.
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Tpt_Guy
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You two may be arguing past each other.

I have no desire to be a high note player, but I recognize that a properly developed upper register means the lower and middle registers are working, and that's where the money is found. I believe it was Vacchiano who stated, "98% of trumpet music is below High C." or something to that effect. If I can play a solid, full-sounding G above High C, then I have no reason to worry about the notes below.

So sure, I'd like to be able to play high notes.
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Tpt_Guy
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

trumpet56 wrote:
I want to play high notes, low notes and notes somewhere in the middle. Sound quality is more important to me than range.


Reminds me of John Haynie's book, How To Play High Notes, Low Notes, And All Those In Between.
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JayKosta
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:02 am    Post subject: Re: ALL trumpet players want to play high! Reply with quote

Mike Sailors wrote:

He's right. You're wrong.

---------------------------------------
The critical item is asserting that ALL players want to play high.
There are (likely) some players who don't - so that is not ALL.
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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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AndyDavids
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2022 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, I actually don't...while I will say that once in a while it can sound pretty sweet, if overdone gets annoying!
I much rather prefer a pleasant sound, up to F or G above high C is plenty
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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2022 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

self-deleted
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Last edited by kehaulani on Wed Nov 23, 2022 10:51 am; edited 1 time in total
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