Quote:
Originally Posted by 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! |
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