Adam Rapa reveals his secret.

kalijah · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:53 am Post subject:

kozzicomma wrote:

rothman · Veteran Member Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 347

Some gifted engineers present on the thread...a brilliant discussion of the mechanics that are generally, not well known.

trUMBet67 · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:09 am Post subject:

The only variable that determine the pitch is the vibration frequency of the lips.
The lips can vibrate at one frequency in infinite variations of other (not necessary independent) parameters, such as air pressure and average velocity through the lips aperture, for example.
About the lips and their aperture there is an infinity of shape, in 3d, they can vibrate, and this has direct influence on the harmonics.
Also you have to think about the whole system, because your internal air volume (mouth cavity, lungs cavity) and shape and their resonance related to mouthpiece-instrument-ambient, so one single note sounds "effortless" when a resonance is established from interior cavities and the resto out of the lips.
The lesson I learned in the last years is: mechanics is important to understand.
BUT: you ultimately have to go by sound and best effort for that sound.
Too many variables determine the sound. Too difficult to act on a single parameter.
You learn "indirectly", from this point of view.
About the first post now it's clear that Adam Rapa just found a "trick", or "a way" in the sense of japanese "budo", that works well for him.
A single thing that takes care of all parameters involved without worry about all of them.
Some other (you know who was) said "sound".
I think both have same value as best "shortcuts" for better music. If you practice well, etc etc...
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John Mohan · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 8:09 am Post subject:

OMG this is a walking dead thread. It'll never die.

Here's a novel idea:

Forget about all this stuff. Clear your brain.

Now, get your horn out, and start on a low F# (beneath the staff). Slur up to the C# above it and then to the middle F# in the staff, maintaining the 1-2-3 valve fingering. While doing this, pay attention to what you do with the air, your tongue arch (if any) and your lips. Now do it again, paying attention to everything, and this time slur up one note higher to the A# (still keep all the valves down). Notice how you have to blow a little stronger, perhaps arch your tongue up a little and perhaps tighten your lips a little more to click up to the A#. No arguments here about tongue arch or lip tension - this is you! Just pay attention to what you do! In this register you might not feel your tongue arching or your lips tightening or moving much if at all. You'll probably do feel at least one of these things happening though. What ever. The point is to pay attention and learn from yourself what you do to slur up to higher notes.

Now, do the exercise again, but slur up through the harmonics to the middle C#. Then again to the E. And finally to the F# on top the staff (still fingered with all three valves). All the time, paying attention to what you do with your air power, your tongue arch, and your lips to click up to the higher notes.

Start the whole exercise over again, but this time start on the middle F# and work your way up as high as you comfortably can (perhaps to the F# above High C if you can reach it), all the while paying attention to what you do to reach the higher notes.

What you are doing with the above exercise is learning the feel of the extreme upper register through extrapolation. Because what we do to slur up to a Double High C is simply an exacerbation of what we do to slur up to a High C (note though that strength development probably needs to occur in the blowing, lip and tongue muscles to reach a DHC). There is nothing magical or mysterious about the extreme upper register. It is simply "more of the same". What we do to slur from a High C to the G above it is just a continuation of what we did to slur from the G on top the staff to that High C.

I am hoping my post here helps some people find how to reach the higher notes they can't reach yet - something this thread so far is not likely to do.

Best wishes,

John Mohan
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JayKosta · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 1:34 pm Post subject:

John Mohan · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 2:10 pm Post subject:

Harry Hilgers · Heavyweight Member Joined: 16 Jun 2015 Posts: 637

John Mohan · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:03 pm Post subject:

Well, I tried...

Harry Hilgers · Heavyweight Member Joined: 16 Jun 2015 Posts: 637

trUMBet67 · Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:55 am Post subject:

trUMBet67 · Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:58 am Post subject:

rothman · Veteran Member Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 347

...edit

Harry Hilgers · Heavyweight Member Joined: 16 Jun 2015 Posts: 637

epoustoufle

spitvalve

John Mohan · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:54 pm Post subject:

John Mohan

rothman · Veteran Member Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 347

Increasing volume of sound :
___

"The mute does not allow the trumpet to transfer as much sound energy to the outside air. The mute dampens the amplitude of the sound wave. Since air is a fluid the waves that pass through it are compression waves. The more air molecules get squeezed together or concentrated together the louder the sound. Pitch differences are created by compressions that are closer together. If you ever played with tuning forks or a guitar you can see the vibration. To make the fork or string louder you must strike it with more energy. You can see the string or metal vibrate in a large displacement from the resting position. These vibrating materials create vibrations that squeeze more air together and the process increases the air's density and to do this creates regions of rarefaction (less dense air) and this what we experience as louder sounds because the air vibrates our ear structures in a like manner. The mute keeps you from transmitting the compressions and rarefactions with the same density, it dampens the horn's vibrating air column.'

'Concerning your idea about the mouthpiece seems to be valid, but you are not thinking of the correct structure. It is the lips' aperture that changes, of course, it not the mouthpiece. You force more air through the lips and this blows the aperture wider or makes a bigger hole. Get a visualizer and you will see this effect. To produce higher notes we need a smaller aperture or air compression of the air to make it go faster but the goal is not to really increase how fast the air goes through the horn but to increase the number of vibration per second and that is what the faster air does. You can see to explain the physics is not easy.'

'So I can't blame you for coming to some interesting conclusions based on how you think about your experiences. The reason overblowing is such a problem that it blows the aperture apart and either and to play a loud high note forces people are not efficient players to do two or more things: 1. Squeeze the lips together more tightly to increase the frequency of the vibrations. 2. Push the horn and face together to cause the lips to increase the frequency. Both are ways of smashing the buzzer."

trUMBet67