Larry Gianni

OK, this is a gear topic , but please no bashing or trashing any brands here, just relay experiences and opinions. Politely and with respect to the other posters. Again, there are really no right or wrong answers or experiences. This is all subjective stuff.

Can a certain trumpet with its characteristically engineered designed resistance, help with your usable range. Again, we are talking usable range not: practice room “range, sometimes there is quite a difference. Are certain brands geared toward making it play easier and longer in the upper register?

I say “YES “
Most times, a player of a certain skill, when fresh, can get all the same pitches in the higher register to come out, on any brand but what usually is the case is the notes are somewhat smaller, weaker and unusable on a certain brand and easier , quicker and usable on another brand. Now some players actually can play higher on one brand vs. another.

This is a little different that a question of which brand would you use to play lead trumpet which more a question of projection and “sizzle “.

Sidebar:

I got a call from a friend that was playing lead trumpet on the road show of “Miss Saigon “and during the conversation he relayed he had tried the Walt Johnson Book “Double Hi C in 10 minutes “and actually liked it because he used the book and Walt’s technique shown and found he could, for the first time, get the pitch of a Double Hi C to sound. Now, mind you, this was not a usable note, but it gave him the confidence that he “could do it” and with practice and perseverance, he would eventually be able to have that in his arsenal if he chooses to. This is not a “for or against” of Walt’s book – Walt never promises a usable double C in ten minutes, but just to be able to play the pitch thru a trumpet.

Same with range and a trumpet.

For me, (and many others) the Calicchio’s are the biggest help in that respect,the” Ease of Range” perspective. That’s why they are my main trumpet, ( plus a host of others out here ) using different leadpipe/bell combinations for different sounds and textures. As I said in previous posts, I won and play different brands when necessary, but I really try to stay with My Calicchio’s so I retain the same “ blow “ thru-out my playing and I don’t confuse any “ muscle memory “ that I need to perform at my best. Now, if I can play it on my Calicchio, I can play it on any brand from a Conn Director on up because of my working with a Calicchio so long.

Dealing with range, the hardest thing to do is to actually get the coordination and schronization to emit from the trumpet the pitch you are after. For a while in my development, I actually had a gap of a third in the extreme high register that forced me have to work down for the top pitch to try to “buzz ‘the pitches that eluded me. That is called a “break “and usually occurs between Hi A and Hi Bb or in that neighborhood. Now when you pick up a trumpet and can play a range note/pitch that you couldn’t on your present brand/model instrument doesn’t it give you the confidence that now , with work and practice, the possibility to eventually “own “that note is likely. Remember hitting your first Hi C, then having to play it on the music was such a “hair rising “experience. Now, possibly, it is just part of you “range “repertoire and other, higher notes, give that ‘uneasy “feeling when on the printed page and a “Hi C “is just another pitch to play?

Larry