gchun

I agree, there is much more. But range is part of it. It is part of the "discovery".

A lot of the blame can be put on the band directors that play music that their students aren't ready for. A lot of these kids feel that there must be something wrong with themselves since they can play the music put in front of them. Jazz ensemble and marching bands music are both guilty of this.

Garry

rowuk

Tell me all ye with range: what do you use it for, other than destroying final chords by squealing the last note more than an octave away from the rest of the group?
Is there anybody out there doing anything "melodic" up there?

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Nordic Trumpet

I don't have an extrem range, but with all due respect I'm getting a bit tired of all the bashing towards these range threads. Mostly by people who don't have that much of a range. This sounds like a bit of envy to me.

I most certainly agree with that playing the trumpet is so much more than range. I also very much agree that many would greatly benefit from focusing on other aspects of their playing.

BUT some of us play the trumpet for fun. Some of us don't have to make a living out of it. And let's face it, playing up high is both fun and satisfying for many of us (when we succeed that is ). I have to admit, planting that high note at the end of a tune IS fun for me. And I've also noticed that when I do that, there's quite often a smile and a bit of laughter amongst the other band members, followed by a thumbs up.

I DO REALIZE that overdoing this high note thing may bother the other members of the band as well as it may "destroy" the music. It should be done tastefully. Yes, I actually think it can be done tastefully.

Well I know of a few. Don't you?
Having said that I do think high note players in general could play a bit more "melodic" up there.

Please, the next time you feel like bashing a range thread I suggest you "think happy thoughts" and try to be constructive instead. In some cases I see people post on these forums with the anticipation of getting some good advice and they are met with the "Oh no! Not another range thread!" attitude.

(Rowuk, this was not meant as an attack to your post in particular. You just happened to be the last "basher" so you were the one I quoted. )

Geir

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DubbaCTrumpetMSU

Rowuk, I can think of two off the top of my head: Wayne Bergeron, who is simply phenomenal...He can plant a melody beyond Double C actually-and tastefully, with a full sound. And Dan Oxley-another good example. And both of them don't 'stay' up there all the time. Wayne can simply wander all the way through the instrument's range melodically, and that's one thing that makes him pretty much #1 in L.A. That, and his freakin gorgeous tone. And of course, there's Maynard. But I've heard many people bash him. However, he has inspired a LOT of trumpeters to play. I agree with you, however, that a lot of it is simply...bad? But, there are some that have it, and have it good. Much beyond the 'squealing high last note' you speak of. And like Nordic said...some of it is for fun. Definitely. I don't know if you meant pros or people on here. I played MF's Chameleon a year or two ago..that's got some stuff up there, to double C, semi-melodically, I suppose? lol. Of course, a lot of us are guilty of the 'squealing high note at the end' and I'm one of them. But hey-It's fun...but so is a great melody. Players just have to make sure they aren't a 'one-trick pony'.

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rowuk

There you go - Geir and DubbaC!
This is exactly what I mean. Of course we can find pros that can do something with a double C. Wynton has recently had some very interesting offerings too. I am not talking about the chosen few here. I am talking about us! There is NOTHING wrong with high chops. I am not interested in stories about the pros - what are TMers (pros and amateurs) doing with that high range. How can we motivate the young talented into doing MUSICAL fun things in the stratosphere?
I use my high range (solid double C) for things like the Brandenburg, Richter, Leopold Mozart and big band/musical playing. If I feel a high note at the end is suitable, I make sure that I take the section with me - we arrange the chord so that I am not squealing alone. Everybody gets a smile then, not just me!
If my post was taken as range bashing, then I had a poor choice of words - sorry. If people that JUST octave up to show off feel some antipathy, then I probably accomplished what I was trying to say.
Lets get some good examples of USEFUL range from the rest of us. Maynard, Wayne, Jon Faddis, Patrick Hession ARE doing wonderful things - well out of the range of many/most of us. What can YOU offer?

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rowuk

Hey Geir and DubbaC,
This is exaclty what I mean!
Of course there are pros out there doing a great job. Those stories are not what I meant. What are the TMers doing productively in the stratosphere?
I have a solid double C and if I think that a high note is useful, we rearrange that chord and I take the whole section up with me. We all get a smile then - not just me. Maynard did the same thing. If he nailed a double c - at least 2 in the trumpet section we above high C - the chord was preserved!
I use my high range more for the classical stuff. Brandenburg, Richter, Molter, Leopold Mozart. Last weekend I played Mahlers 8th twice and had a very nice high F (twice) - made possible by the security of having a 4th or 5th more than I needed.
So, what do other TMers do above high C? Any interesting stories to motivate our young and ambitious players into reaching for the stars? Only just octaving up the last note is pretty meager!

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John P

I usually take my whole pep band book up an octave. It's not always totally musical (Sorry, Wilmer! ), but it's generally pretty clean, as well as a whole lot of fun!

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Yeah you do, Johnny

As for me, when i talk about my range at this point, i usually mean when i am working on it (embouchure changes suck, but this time it was completely necessary). Ill take simple melodies, of different note-ranges within themselves, play them in the key of G on the staff, and work my way up by halfsteps. It helps to use songs that are mostly stepwise in nature. I'll go up until 1: im not playing musically, 2: im not producing a good sound, 3: they just wont come out (solidly). When that happens, i take a little break (for about the length of me playing the song, which i do in between each elevation in key) and then go back to the last highest key that i could play the piece, and play it the best out of everything i just did. If Im focusing on consistency in that upper range, ill play more horizontal melodies. If i feel the need to be able to improve my ability to go in and out of the upper register, over register shifts, etc, maybe some more vertical studies or songs. Depends on how im feeling and what i need to work on.

Not only does it work on range, but your scales and inner ear develope as well (try putting things in the dominant of the harmonic minor, different modes, etc. too, its a lot of fun, works the brain, and keeps things from getting old.)

Ryan

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djm6701

I used to take stuff up at the end of tunes more often but I don't often do it anymore because the composer wrote the chord the way he wanted in the first place, and that's what we should play, especially in situations where I'm subbing. Besides, when you get Rob McConnell's charts or Tom Kubis' charts, etc., they write enough high stuff through the whole darn thing anyway.

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When I was a young, a very young trumpet player, I played in bands with some heavy lead players. Guys who had played with Basie, Ellington and some other great bands. When I would try my best high notes, they would double up with laughter. They gently explained that unasked for high notes weren't cool. They explained that the arranger knew what he was doing. "Stick to the charts" was Lammar Wright's advice to me. I don't EVER add notes that aren't asked for. That's advice that gets you called by arrangers in the pro world.
Wilmer

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