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rowuk · 03-23-2007, 04:48 AM

Joe,
the interesting thing about the internet, is that you have no idea if the anonymous advice ever really helped anybody and if the poster in fact has a useful double C.
That being said, here is my anonymous advice:
A real, audible, in a playing situation, at will double C is NOT a series of embouchure exercises, it is NOT bending notes, it is NOT lip slurs or any other specific exercise! I cannot imagine suggestions like this coming from anybody that has ever gotten there! (Boy, I bet I just made a lot of friends!)
If you have a reliable high F or G, you actually have everything that you need for a double C. Why? If you can play those notes, but nothing above comes out - you are probably using too much force. The lips do not just stop vibrating at some note. Most players use a lot of pressure to squeeze the lips into submission. Your breath support fights back and most likely the high F is the comprimise that your body is offering you. If you reduce that pressure, you should notice that you can play much higher, albeit the volume of tone is dependent on your breath support. Inadequate support=skinny tone. Whether or not that high range is in tune, has to do with your body usage. Poor posture generally makes the high end as flat as poor breath support. Tongue position in the mouth can be trained to aid the high register.
You can try to tackle this on your own - good luck. I couldn't even get my body use straightened out alone. I wasted a lot of time and money on books and free advice! If you do not deal with the situation in its entirety, you will FAIL!
What I did for my double C:
Hatha Yoga and a VERY good trumpet teacher that understood the rest. Yes, there was a combination of posture and breathing execises, slurs, longtones and etudes. IN THAT ORDER. Most of my high range study was done on the piccolo trumpet.
Most players that can really play the stratosphere got there because they had a good portion of natural talent AND the right teacher at the right time. They generally cannot help us. The rest of us need at least a little talent and a lot of teacher. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS!
I've read that a loud Double C requires 3 atmospheres of pressure. That is 44 lbs per square inch. I guess one could start practicing at the gas station.............................

03-23-2007, 04:48 AM	#5 (permalink)
rowuk Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 4,572	Re: High Chops Joe, the interesting thing about the internet, is that you have no idea if the anonymous advice ever really helped anybody and if the poster in fact has a useful double C. That being said, here is my anonymous advice: A real, audible, in a playing situation, at will double C is NOT a series of embouchure exercises, it is NOT bending notes, it is NOT lip slurs or any other specific exercise! I cannot imagine suggestions like this coming from anybody that has ever gotten there! (Boy, I bet I just made a lot of friends!) If you have a reliable high F or G, you actually have everything that you need for a double C. Why? If you can play those notes, but nothing above comes out - you are probably using too much force. The lips do not just stop vibrating at some note. Most players use a lot of pressure to squeeze the lips into submission. Your breath support fights back and most likely the high F is the comprimise that your body is offering you. If you reduce that pressure, you should notice that you can play much higher, albeit the volume of tone is dependent on your breath support. Inadequate support=skinny tone. Whether or not that high range is in tune, has to do with your body usage. Poor posture generally makes the high end as flat as poor breath support. Tongue position in the mouth can be trained to aid the high register. You can try to tackle this on your own - good luck. I couldn't even get my body use straightened out alone. I wasted a lot of time and money on books and free advice! If you do not deal with the situation in its entirety, you will FAIL! What I did for my double C: Hatha Yoga and a VERY good trumpet teacher that understood the rest. Yes, there was a combination of posture and breathing execises, slurs, longtones and etudes. IN THAT ORDER. Most of my high range study was done on the piccolo trumpet. Most players that can really play the stratosphere got there because they had a good portion of natural talent AND the right teacher at the right time. They generally cannot help us. The rest of us need at least a little talent and a lot of teacher. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS! I've read that a loud Double C requires 3 atmospheres of pressure. That is 44 lbs per square inch. I guess one could start practicing at the gas station............................. __________________ Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. Last edited by rowuk; 03-23-2007 at 04:50 AM.