Turning high squeaks into NOTES.

[LeeC]

If you can squeak high notes I kinda consider you ahead of the game in some respect. My initial high notes came as seriously LOUD noise makers. Like High F & G or so.

That's about where everything stayed for twenty years until i figured some things and re-wired this and that.

Then I learned to squeak much higher and gradually build volume.

OK so from my perspective here is the reason you "squeakers" can not get much volume on your squeaked notes: The condition of your embouchure is such that it will not allow the transfer of enough air into and through the mouthpiece and STILL convert the air to a vibration. Under your current circumstances there is no possible way that your wind power would be sufficient to allow a really loud high note to emanate out the bell.

At your current point in time you could theoretically develop enough internal air pressure to herniate your throat, bust your appendix, lose consciousness and still not make the high note sound any louder...

What to do?

Some physical change or muscle movement has to occur before your embouchure will stop "Blocking The Sound". It could be one of several factors including more practice and experience. However it is an embouchure matter and can't be treated by simply "Using The Air".

A healthy teen ager probably already has enough potential energy within his body to blow a fairly decent Double High C at forte volume. Probably anyway. Certainly louder than a squeak. Put it this way: If you can shovel a path of one foot deep snow to the driveway you have the physical energy available.

It's still work but not impossible.

So much of the key to learning high notes is developing a communication between the brain and the body on how to RELEASE that high note.

Later on I'll dwell on a few ideas that could help change the physical dynamics preventing loud sound production on high notes. It was just a slow night on the forum and didn't see any topics i liked very much. So you got this one...

[bilboinsa]

Jon Faddis said, "From high squeeks come high notes", or something to that effect. Roger Ingram agrees with that. Good enough for me--especially when I strive to play notes very softly at first. Volume is easier to achieve, IMHO.
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[TimTheTrumpeter]

I was actually thinking about this subject earlier tonight. I was warmed up and decided to see how high of a pitch I could squeal out. I was using my normal embouchure, just much tighter on the corners and slightly more pressure, I squeaked out what I believe was a double high E flat, but it was soft. And then I wondered how great that would feel to hit a note like that with real volume...

[Thermos]

Ok, so I get the "what"- play more efficiently so that your existing air power can make the notes sound at full volume.

I anxiously await the "how" part of this post!

[ThePoeticCavalier]

How does one get control over these notes though. Enven the ones above high E. For me they all shake sometimes. I hardly ever can play a 3 octave Concert E Flat (our "F") scale with out the top notes shaking. Granted I get them but they usually shake right before they settle. Though, there have been times where they dont shake.
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[LeeC]

[Winghorn]

Lee- Do "sqeaks" produced by just squeezing the air in your mouth through your lips using your cheek muscles count? Using this method, I can sound double and even triple C's. The notes are very thin sounding and have little volume, but I can hold them for several seconds. My lips are pressed together (top to bottom) very tightly, and almost no air is entering the mouthpiece. Do you think I have something here?
Regards
Steve Allison

[Samdaman]

Hey All!!!
These squeaks can be turned into notes. At the West Chester University Trumpetfest, Nick Drozdoff talked about this very same topic along with the acoustics of a trumpet. He uses this to help "find" and develope new notes. It was something he was trying at the time. You first start out by squeaking the note. Once you get the set apeture, squeak it a time or two more. Finally, put some air behind it and then make it into a real note. It works for him. Try it, see what happens.

-Sam
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[LeeC]

[butxifxnot]

[LeeC]

[JoeCool]

[bilboinsa]

[LeeC]

The "how and the why" of removing the standard range limitation above a High C has been dealt with often here by moi.

I go on the premise that any average adult or mostly grown teen ager has the latent ability to blow a High F at good volume. Especially one who plays at an intermediate or higher level. They've got the chops to play a loud High C? Then it seems the F is right around the bend.

And I believe that it is a LEARNED ability not necessarily one requiring tons of maintenance. The only thing required after learning it is to integrate it with other conditions found on the bandstand and staying in good shape to keep up endurance, power etc.

Basically the range limitation on an otherwise competent player must relate to the flexation or positioning of certain embouchure flesh and related surrounding facial muscles.

The questions to ask are:

Is there enough lip flesh in place in the mouthpiece where it CAN vibrate?

Are the teeth in the way of the vibrating portions of the lips?

Does the muscular contraction of the various facial muscles prevent or allow high note production?

And what i think are the answers to these questions are fairly detailed. I have preferred not to post them on the main forum and instead put then in private messages per request. If they help? That is good. They certainly can do no harm.

There have been claims that these ideas are full of bunk. I don't care. They won't cost anything and I don't charge for them. At times the people who've attempted to debunk my ideas have stated conditions in there own embouchures that, when analyzed would defy physical law. They have made descriptions of the "how and the why" which could not exist in an embouchure able to hit extreme range at good volume.

[janet842]

[Yamahaguy]

[LeeC]

[Thermos]

Interesting the difference a slight embouchure change can make (not the rebuild for months kind, but the natural change you would make when, say, playing a lip bend).

Today, I was struggling to get volume on notes- easy stuff like F, G on the staff. I did something to my chops, only half consciously, and I don't even know what. It sort of felt like the feeling I get when doing David Hickman's lip bend exercises from his new book. Suddenly I could make these notes- up to a high C or so- sizzle, just like normal.

Now I've yet to figure you what to do to add volume to notes above an D/Eb, but I was noticing the F has been gaining volume. Not quite the "soar over a big band" volume that I'm looking for, but we're getting there

[ldwoods]

Mr. Lee C, since a picture and audio is worth thousands of words, and many more laughs in this case, please review the video at the link in this post.

http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48623&highlight=squeak

Is this an example of the squeaks you are saying can be turned into high notes? Just wondering..... I do not and have not spent very much time "playing around" with that setup, but could do it again if anyone thinks that those noises actually have some potential.

Would there be benefit to continued experimentation along those lines?
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Larry Woods
LDWoods

[LeeC]