ALL trumpet players want to play high!

[kehaulani]

I don't think this needs a volume of text. I see it in simple terms and that is simply in what your goals are and where your aesthetics lie.

Some are deep and substantial, some superficial.
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Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
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[stuartissimo]

[Trumpetstud]

[delano]

[delano]

[sd4f]

Here's a quote from Maurice Andre;

[rothman]

Seldom mentioned for it, Harry James did play strong notes often to about a high G. With his home base in Vegas he was seen once in the audience at a Maynard show, leaving early, which Maynard wondered why. Nonetheless, he must have had some reason to be there.

There is one story, but unconfirmed, of Bobby Shew hearing him back stage behind a door in a dressing room playing -- very good Dbl C's.

[Trumpetstud]

I don't think any trumpet player worldwide or even on here has never tried to see how high they could play. Yes we want to play musically, but everyone has wondered, everyone has tried. High is subjective. High to me may not be high to someone else. There are all kinds of "excuses" we have made on this topic about "I just want to play in the middle register and make beautiful music". That may be true but you have at some point in your life as a trumpeter tried to see what you could do. You hear a fellow student playing a C or a D and you gotta check to see if you could do it too. I will never believe anyone that says they have never thought about it or tried. I just talked to a drummer today and I posed the same statement to him. His response "of course, all trumpet players want to play high that's what they do"!

js

[trumpetfarts]

..
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Beans, beans the musical fruit.... Hey, it's easier than playing the damn trumpet.

[RussellDDixon]

Playing high is part of the range of the instrument as is playing low. I am of the belief that anyone can learn to play high; it just takes work and knowing how to practice, compress air ad nauseum. As one professional stated, it is the synergy of multiple aspects of playing. In my experience, many either are NOT using the proper tools as Bobby Shew has stated … or … they do not understand Air Compression. It’s that simple. Allen Vizzutti is on record as having stated that the “vast majority of trumpet players play mouthpieces that are too big.” I’d have to agree. Equipment DOES matter – the correct tools for the job and knowledge as well as synergy are also variables. Arturo Sandoval claims that he “never practiced range.” I can believe it as my belief is that just practicing anything correctly builds range. Bill Chase who was fired on Maynard’s band and later added a lot of range did so playing Long Tones (simplicity). He was known to play Long Tones for up to 45 minutes right after a gig.
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Schilke X3 Bb trumpet
Yamaha 631g Flugelhorn
Nicholson Monette Prana Resonance LT mouthpiece
Kanstul Claude Gordon Personal mouthpiece

[kehaulani]

Russell, you're assuming that everyone who can't, wants to. There are many excellent players who just hear the trumpet in middle and lower tessituras. To use an example everyone can relate to,, a guy like Chet Baker just wouldn't ever consider, and may even find it objectional, to play his solos in Jon Faddis' register. The world is, and has been, full of such trumpeters.
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"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

[RussellDDixon]

[kehaulani]

[RussellDDixon]

Awesome ... I too chunked spears with Rachel Welch in 10 Million BC ...
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Schilke X3 Bb trumpet
Yamaha 631g Flugelhorn
Nicholson Monette Prana Resonance LT mouthpiece
Kanstul Claude Gordon Personal mouthpiece

[stuartissimo]

The basic premise is somewhat flawed too. While most players probably wouldn't object to being able to play high notes if given the ability to do so instantly, the question becomes somewhat different when there are downsides to it (as happens in the real world). I'm positive that if the question were amongst the line of: 'would you rather play high or in tune?', or 'if you practiced nothing else except high notes for 10 years, would it be worth it?', for most players the answer would be a lot more nuanced.

Someone once wrote on these forums: 'would you choose to have the same range as <specific infamous player> if you also had to sound like him for the rest of your life?' I can definitely confirm that I'd rather not play high notes if that were the tradeoff.
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[jasongroooms333]

Yep, all want to be able to play high. Maybe not stay up there, but definitely be able to to play high. Can't imagine anyone NOT wanting the ability.

[trickg]

From my perspective, there's a certain excitement to the sound of a trumpet in the high register and it doesn't matter if it's Maynard screaming and doing shakes, or Wynton playing the Michael Haydn concerto.

Hitting high notes is something that seems to permeate music in general. Don't believe me? What about Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Steve Perry, Freddie Mercury, David Coverdale, etc?

All of the singing TV shows all focus on singers who can belt the glory notes. The same applies to trumpet playing, and that's why we strive for it.

It's been a confounding thing in my life that I can rip on the horn for a full gig, provided that the notes on the page are 2nd ledger D and below. If I had an additional 4th or 5th of usable range....? But I don't.

Now that I've finally retired from military band service, I'm working on finding a teacher who can help me with my embouchure to see if I can get some additional range unlocked.
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Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
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"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[Seymor B Fudd]

Back in the day, in the swingband, we played mostly original scores from the swing era. I had no problems at all with my range, playing lead.
Well, Well git it was a challenge. I had to put the highest parts down one octave.
Fast forward to present days. Many a modern score demands the ability to play, solidly, musically, up to at least A.
Which means that I´ve have problems since my upper range today stops at E. On good days.

For some reasons composers, arrangers has broadened the span. Why is that?

Personally I don´t fancy high notes per se - the essential thing should be the sound, the resonance it creates in us. In my opinion.
Of course I would be vary satisfied if I could play like Maurice in Telemann´s Concerto in D (another thread, OP Keheulani). But the high notes there are integrated within the music, not some "show off".

BTW there is a little monkey, the Death Scull Monkey who enjoys patrolling his territory while holding his erect you know what in a firm grip.
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Trumpets:
Yamaha 6335 RC Schilke 14B
King Super 20 Symphony DB (1970)
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[trickg]

[Robert P]