scales.
clarke technical studies. they are repeated patterns that ascend chromatically.
i guess you could also get one of those saxophone octave keys put on your trumpet... :lol:
I like to use scales. When playing a single octave scale, play up to the 4th. Hold that note then come back down. A short break then go to the 5th. Hold that note then come back down. Continue to the octave. You can also do the same thing 2 octaves to make sure you tie in lower and middle range to the high range. If you have a good solid G, you may want to start with the B-flat scale one octave. When that is feeling pretty solid increase to 2 octaves. When that feels solid move to the C-sharp or D scale and repeat. When used with the Clarke studies this makes a very effective tool for some. Try it, give it some time and see how it works for you. _________________ Bb's- Vintage One, Strad
C - Custom built Yamaha, Getzen
D/Eb- Benge
Picc. - Yamaha 9830
Flugel- Getzen Eterna 4-valve
Cornet- Olds w/Conn Coprion bell
Misc. - Old- herald trumpet
Jupiter- pocket trumpet
Try this,
When I play up high instead of just tightening the corners of my mouth to stretch my lips tighter I squeeze my lips together. Also, try pushing your jaw out. Please tell me if any of this works.
Michael :neutral:
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:16 am Post subject: Upper register developement
High note achievement and control is the result of lip muscle developement and ambeshure developement. In my youth I remember going with one of my cousins to a lip doctor who specialised in hair lip and cleft pallet repair. While sitting in the doctors waiting room I recognised Louis,Satchmo' Armstrong also sitting in the waiting room. Being a highschool trumpeter, I approached him asking if he was having trouble with his lips. His response was that he had tried to emulate 'King' Oliver, who used a great deal of mouthpiece pressure on his lips, increasing the pressure and twisting the moouthpiece for the extreme high notes. This was Louis Armstrong's third lip surgery by this same doctor.
The reverse of this was being trained at Intelochen National Music Camp in Michigan by Raphael Mendez who had sustained two major lip/teeth injuries, but still played better than any man ever has. He taught that minimum pressure on the lips and much exercise of the lips would produce not only higher and lower tones,but, also with much better tone and control. I am still trying to emulate him, sometimes with a small bit of success, sometimes out of frustration with no success.
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:00 am Post subject: Re: Upper register developement
High note development is the result of months and years of practice. I generally tell my students to develop everything else in their playing and the range will come along as a side effect of all the other work you have done. Look at Wayne Bergeron and his fabulous range. He works on classical technical exercises every day. You will not find him doing anything to only develop his range. The range is simple result of the amazing amount of daily playing that he does, not to mention simple natural ability. No matter what you do, not everyone was created equal when it comes to range or tone. You can work to get better, but some people are just gifted when it comes to the upper register.
Just to make a slight correction from the post above (incase anyone would want to look it up and maybe eventually attend), the name of the school is Interlochen Center for the Arts, not so much a camp, but a center that brings all forms of the arts together. They also have a boarding school with extremely high academic standards for those who eventually plan on attending college in an arts based curriculum. Feeding into that school are students from through out the world and also from their very own Elementary school that is not a boarding school.
The Interlochen Center for the Arts does run summer programs and is one of the more outstanding “camps” (if you want to call it that) in the world. As a past attendee of Interlochen I’ll tell you that it provides far more than a camp experience, but it will change the way you feel and think about the arts in general. It is a life changing experience to say the least.
OLDLOU wrote:
In my youth I remember going with one of my cousins to a lip doctor who specialised in hair lip and cleft pallet repair. While sitting in the doctors waiting room I recognised Louis,Satchmo' Armstrong also sitting in the waiting room. Being a highschool trumpeter, I approached him asking if he was having trouble with his lips. His response was that he had tried to emulate 'King' Oliver, who used a great deal of mouthpiece pressure on his lips, increasing the pressure and twisting the moouthpiece for the extreme high notes. This was Louis Armstrong's third lip surgery by this same doctor.
Old Lou, did you really know Dr. Jurkiewicz? Armstrong had suffered from compression in the 1930’s and had chosen to do the surgery on him self with a razor blade. He’s lucky he ever played again after that. It kind of made him smile funny, but it added a certain amount of charm to his persona. _________________ "To be a teacher you need to be as good a performer as you can be: you'll have more to impart to your students musically." - John Haynie
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 12:32 pm Post subject: Dr. Jurkiewitz
Mr. Armstrong failed to inform me of his self induced surgery. He was at the time I met him a patient of one of the finest lip reconstruction artists in the world.
Between what I deduced from him and from what I learned from Mr. Mendez at Interlochen, I have always since tried to play with minimal pressure on my lips. It is difficult, but, it does work, and, I haven't needed lip surgery, thank heavens.
This guy seems to know a lot on the subject. This helped my take the main focus of my practice away from range and toward tone and articulation where it belongs. _________________ "A good composer does not imitate; he steals." -Igor Stravinsky
Playing high is a product of playing low and breathing correctly. Air speed produces higher pitches. Tightening the corners and embouchure helps to increase the air velocity, but it also thins the sound. Playing low, long tones (especially pedal tones) will help develop air control. It takes twice as much air to play a good quality pedal tone than it does to play a double C.
Along with the low studies and learning to move the air, lip slurs are your best friend for gaining range. Started with easy slurs and once they have been mastered, move to more difficult slurs. Your goal should be to use as little pressure as possible and keep the embouchure relatively the same across the entire horn.
When you are trying to stretch your range, you may become frustrated because of your chops becoming tired quicker. Keep in mind during your warm up and practice, OFF the chop time is as important as on the chop time. Try to play for 5 min. and rest for 5 min.
I hope this helps. Keep in mind range does NOT come quickly. Be patient and work hard. _________________ Stacy Williams
Sop 04-05 CorpsVets
Owner, Smooth Groove Music
lip slurs helped me alot to get to the higher range. I played some three times a week and in a month went from high F to C above the staff. I would recomend lip slurs.
An old teacher of mine once told me that if I develop a beautiful sound in my middle and lower registers, my range will develop naturally. Being seduced by range caused me to work exclusively on range with scales, arpeggios, slurs, etc. So yeah, I could "hit" a double C loud and long, but was it musical? Nah! The bottom line: My teacher was right. Get a beautiful sound, learn to play musically, and the range comes—beautifully.
High note development is the result of months and years of practice. I generally tell my students to develop everything else in their playing and the range will come along as a side effect of all the other work you have done.
Whataguy! wrote:
An old teacher of mine once told me that if I develop a beautiful sound in my middle and lower registers, my range will develop naturally.
I think that your teacher and I would get along very well! _________________ "To be a teacher you need to be as good a performer as you can be: you'll have more to impart to your students musically." - John Haynie
I think you probably would, Bandman. He stressed the fundamentals and demonstrated them beautifully. He also paid his dues in the L.A. studios for years.
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