half valving

[11t1]

what exactly is this? i'm working through a miles transcription with "1/2" notations on a few of the notes. does this just mean that the valves are only half depressed to make the proper sound, or is there something more esoteric going on?

[Boy meets Horn]

You should prbly get the recordings of the transcriptions if you havent already. Chances are the notation stands for half-valving. If you listen to the recordings you'll have a better idea of what to do.

[11t1]

of course i've got the recordings. who doesn't own kind of blue? i'm a comeback player after a 20+ yr break, and my previous experience was all drum corps, so we didn't concentrate on any hip techniques. so i have no idea & i'm just looking for a little guidance on how to do it. anyone?

[JackD]

If you don't fully depress the valve, you get a different sound. Try it out!
If you listen to the recording you'll hear the sound. I believe there was a thread on this a while back, so you might try using the search function on this forum (located next to the 'Private Messages' part up there ^ )

Edit: found it - http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=20782&forum=3

[ This Message was edited by: JackD on 2004-08-02 10:08 ]

[pfrank]

Well, what you do is, you press the valve 1/2 way down as you are playing. Do it so it sounds cool. Since every trumpet valve has a different point at which this works, experriment. Usually, the best valve to press is one that takes the note 1/2 to 1 step down, so v.2 is often best, but again, it depends on the horn.

[trumpetmike]

I was reading something about this last week (would love to tell you exactly where, but all my books are currently packaged up due to major DIY) and the book suggested the same as what I have found most useful.

If you are looking to do a general half valve sound, suitable for the horse whinny type effect, or half valve glissing, put the third valve down slightly more than the others. I am sure there is a perfectly good reason for this, scientifically, I just know it worked. I came to it by chance and was quite surprised to find it in a book as well.

As for other half valve techniques, my suggestion would be to experiment with different depths of depression and see what you get. If you are playing pieces that require a specific half valved note (as opposed to just a half valve effect), you may have to do quite a bit of experimentation to find the correct pitch.

If you play around enough you can make your trumpet sound like a whale, horse, dolphin, cat, dog, monkey, motorbike and others.

Wish this was more helpful, but most of what I have discovered, in relation to half valve technique, I have discovered either through experimentation or by mistake.
Have fun working it all out.

[kenwatters]

11t1 wrote:

(with reference to half-valving):
"what exactly is this? i'm working through a miles transcription with "1/2" notations on a few of the notes. does this just mean that the valves are only half depressed to make the proper sound, or is there something more esoteric going on?"

I think that it's really just a tone color & pitch manipulating effect.
If you're interested in some real half-valving technique, check out some LESTER BOWIE. He was the trumpeter with the Art Ensemble of Chicago & this was one of the staples of his playing -- part of his voice on the trumpet.

When it comes to actually using the half-valve thing, try every possible way of doing it... Experiment with the different tone colors that happen when you depress the valves 1/8 way, 1/4, 1/2, whatever -- EVERY position has its own character & sound. Remember that in order for half-valving to work in a performance situation, you have to BLOW THROUGH it. By pressing the valves down partially, you're stifling the air flow through your horn. Remember to compensate...

[mulligan stew]

ah, someone else digs Lester. A complete original...I miss him.