Manny Laureano

Dear B1-5M,

"First : Do you have any solo recordings that I could get?"

Sadly, not yet. But this is the year that I plan to remedy that. Stay tuned.

"Second: I can't play above high F (one octave above the top line on the staff) Sometimes I can hit a G but not usually. I can play an F any time I want. Practice or performance. I have a lot of endurance and I am a very strong player. I don't understand it. The reason I get bugged about this is, when I read about high school kids playing double C. I practice a lot and I try to rest enough. I read that in your audition for college you played Brandenburg. I still can't do that one.

"What do you think?"

Okay, so, the upper register, huh?

The equipment I play is comparable to yours. I play the B1-2, and the C1-5M. The range you have on that equipment is appropriate for the cup depth. Remember, the 1-5M series is comparable to the old Bach B cup.
Being able to hit a G with that is about right. Having a dependable F is perfect.

The high school kids that are squealing dubba Cs are doing that: squealing. If you played a 14A4A you'd squeal out dubba Cs, too but if you were interested in playing with the Minnesota, you'd receive a pleasant "No, thank you." Decide which is what you want to do. Jazz lead playing or symphonic style. If you want to do both in an average way, get a mouthpiece that's somewhere in the middle. That's just where you'd be: right in the middle.

Normal as defined by Webster: the absence of outstanding qualities.

Decide what you want. There's nothing wrong with jazz lead playing and there's nothing wrong with symphonic playing. Decide what you want.

ML