necessity of going above high C

[pedaltonekid]

I agree that 90% of the music is below high C and it is a point well taken. However, if you want to truly excel you must master that 90%, plus the high register. You can be a very good player with only a range to high C. But if you want to really set yourself apart and be true to all of the music you might encounter it doesn't hurt to be able to play up to G above high C with the same musicality as for the range below high C.
_________________
Best Regards, Play Well!!

[trumpetgeek234]

how high is one supposed to play with a Bb or C trumpet as opposed to a piccolo trumpet?

[dltrmpt]

at a masterclass given by dave bilger, someone asked what kind of range an orchestral player needed, and dave said at least up to high F. i'm not sure if he meant on a B-flat or C horn, but probably on a C, which would be a G above high C on a B-flat. an orchestral player does need range, check out "ein heldenleben" by strauss, the B-flat part goes high and stays there for a while. range isn't everything, but a good orchestral player should have a solid upper register

[Strawdoggy]

You asked for opinions here????

As a pro, whether legit or commercial, you will most definitely need notes above C. Even if you are the 2nd or 3rd tpt. in an orchestra, those notes crop up, and you must have command of them to keep your job.

Steve

[BobList]

[BobList]

Truth is, yes 90% of all your playing IS below high C....but, the other reality in life is that all things being fairly equal...the players with the best range get the most calls.
Also.....I really don't know many players who are "pro" class, who do not possess a good range to at least high F#...they just CHOOSE not to play up there.
Physical reasons aside.....(like teeth)...the players who do things correctly to maintain a high range can usually play well in all other areas.....
How can one play Bb's above the staff continuously on gigs and last all night if your range is only to a C or D?.....If ya got range to high G...your B is gonna sound big and strong....
I can play very high...but I won't go there if it's not big....I let the note mature, then use it in performance. I try not to sound squeeky or strained at all times. Bob

[AccentOnTrumpet]

I agree with BobList, but I disagree with the Bb thing you said. I know I didn't start playing above High D until I was in 9th Grade, but of the range I had then I could keep it up for quite a while. With the range you have, it shouldn't be decreasing as you play longer until you truly do become tired. Sometimes that shouldn't even happen if you're playing correctly. I also played all of my high C's or D's with very full tone, which made them sound like they were higher than they actually were. I think if you have truly gotten control over your range, you should be able to play in that range consistently for at least an hour. You shouldn't have to worry about it falling apart as the day goes on.

[Quadruple C]

[ This Message was edited by: Quadruple C on 2003-10-01 22:14 ]

[wiseone2]

I wasn't confused about the trumpet until I got a computer.
The highest note in the Messiah, is a written C on the D trumpet, I call that note high C. It is a sounding D. Using an A trumpet it is a written F, fifth line F.
I really don't understand the obsession with high notes on the internet.
To be an orchestral player has a different set of requirements.
Having a great sound, being a good reader and having the ability to play many different styles will enable you to play most professional jobs.
In this day of shields taste is a very important commodity for a trumpet player.
Wilmer

[John Mohan]

Amongst the audition pieces for the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin's audition for Solo (Principal) Trumpet this past Summer:

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra - Many concert Db's above High C (Eb's on a Bb Trumpet).

Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie - Goes up to big, loud E’s above High C several times on a Bb Trumpet (this is my personal favorite trumpet excerpt).

Bach: Messe in h-Mol - At the end of a 19 Bar Solo, it ends on a High G when played on Piccolo Trumpet in A (an F# above High C on a Bb Trumpet).

Not part of the audition, but worth mentioning:

Bach: Brandenburgisches Konzert Nr. 2 - Goes goes up to High A on a Bb Piccolo trumpet (A above High C on a Bb Trumpet).

To think that Orchestral Players don't need a strong upper register is quite inaccurate. The difference is, they must develop an upper register with a Big Sound and play it on mouthpieces such as the Bach Mount Vernon 1, or the 1C (usually with the deeper 1B underpart), mouthpieces that allow players to play with full symphonic tone. True, most players use smaller mouthpieces on their Pics, but when playing pieces like Alpensinfonie, players do it on Bb or C trumpet with big mouthpieces.

How do they (we) do it? By learning to play correctly, through practicing and developing systematically and correctly, until the whole machine works correctly by habit – not by concentrating and worrying about high notes! As my teacher often told me, "High notes are inevitable, as long as you are practicing and developing correctly. They will develop right along with the rest of the machine." He was right.

You just have to know "how to practice, what to practice, and when to practice." Herbert L. Clarke told this to my teacher Claude Gordon nearly 70 years ago, he told it to me more than 20 years ago, and I'm telling it to you now!

Oh and one other thing: You have to be patient and stick with it until it develops. That's where almost everybody fails. They constantly search for the "Holy Grail" of embouchures or methods, and never seem to be able to understand that it takes YEARS and YEARS to develop into a great player. That means years of slowly building up to a 4+ hour per day practice routine and then (again) sticking with it until it develops.

A good place for you to start:

Order and read Claude Gordon's book, "Brass Playing Is No Harder Than Deep Breathing". Read it slowly, about 3 times through cover to cover. This will set anybody and everybody in the right direction. Studying with Claude and adhering to what he taught sure worked for me!

Here's a final little hint: None of my success had anything to do with "how far apart I keep my teeth when playing" or "how open or closed my ‘aperture’ is", or whether I "set" my lips for high notes, middle notes or low notes. Anyone thinking about such things is distracting themselves from what really matters and what they should be thinking about when practicing.

Sincerely,

John Mohan
_________________
Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
1st Trpt for Cats, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Evita, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[John Mohan]

Here's where you can order and by Claude's book "Brass Playing Is No Harder Than Deep Breathing" (published by Carl Fischer):

http://www.claudegordonmusic.com

That's the website maintained by Claude's widow Patricia Gordon.

John Mohan