trumpetnick

Laker,

What is important is not only to do things that Wilmer advised you, but how you do things. Make sure to get your breathing and tonguing together, get rod of any unnecessary body tension David G. Monette Corporation - Pitch Center and Body Use and get a private TRUMPET teacher if don' already have one and follow his directions.

Don't forget that TM has a search feature - USE IT!

__________________
Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

tranqB

Hi High Register Challenged,
Here's 2 things you can do to raise your range.
1. Strengthen your lips by holding the erasure end of a pencil in your lips for 5 minutes everyday
2. Use just your mouthpiece and warm up with a simple scale. Then play as low as possible for a few longtones. NOW, play as high as possible without putting any pressure on your lips from the mouthpiece (think to yourself...faster air .... just relax) in a week you will be up a 1/2 to 1 step. keep it up and you will have a strong confident high C.
God Bless

1940 Martin Handcraft Committee
1946 Chicago Benge
1923 King Liberty
1946 Conn 80A
1956 Connstellation 28A
Conn Vintage One Flugel
1919 Conn 10A

rowuk

Notice that the artists don't agree with your estimation that the embouchure "sucks".

Until body tension, body use and breath support are straightened out, you really don't know if the "embouchure" is the problem.

Weak chops are generally based on bad habits and lack of dedication.

Your first step is to do what your teacher says. I hope that consists of big breath and long tones, then big breath and slurs then big breath and easy tunes. Once you have slowed down, started practicing enough and learned how to breath, many other issues disappear.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Al Innella

If you are a junior in high school and are practicing every day and still can't play up to high C your most likely doing something wrong with your embouchure, some times all it takes is a minor adjustment to get on the right track. I practiced all the Arban's , Clarke Studies, lip slurs ,long tones etc., and had trouble with my high register until I was 25 yrs. old , I had to make an adjustment in how I used and placed my lower jaw, I went from an E above the staff, and then gained more than a octave to my range, so if you can find someone who understands different embouchures and embouchure types,talk and take some lessons with him/her , a lot of teachers and players who never had an embouchure problem won't understand why you can't increase range when your practicing all the right things, sometimes all it takes is a little guidance in the right direction , if you have been playing since elementary school through middle ,and now a junior in high school and still have trouble above the staff you may need more help than being told, just play scales and everything will be alright.

LSN1052

the only book i have is a james stamp book.

I play out of the arbans book every year what they give me for all state, but i dont have the book itself.

My private teacher gave me sheet music with Clarke Studies at the top, it was like a triplet pattern in the different keys.

But do i need a book that tells me how to do long tones and lip slurs

Everybody on the second page helped a lot.
Thanks.

trumpetnick

Believe me LSN,

Arban's and Clarke's books are much more than just slurs and long tones. Arban is one of the most comprehensive and used trumpet/cornet methods ever written. There is as much for your technique as for your enjoyment and musicianship (duets, characteristic studies and solos). Clarke is more concentrated on instrumental technique (articulations and finger dexterity) but is used successfully by many to build high chops. Stamp is a good book, but cannot replace the other 2.
Many of my colleagues here in Bulgaria call the Arban Grande Methode "The trumpeter's bible".

__________________
Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

GordonH

You need to find a good teacher.
I phoned up the principal trumpet of one of the main professional orchestras who also teaches in a conservatory and arranged lessons with him.
This was very, very beneficial and did not cost a huge amount either.

You really need to be seen playing to get any sort of diagnosis.
Generally though the most common problems are to do with embouchure efficiency.
I had this and had to get lessons to get it diagnosed and fixed.
It was not easy.
I sounded like a kid for three months and all I was playing was Schlossberg studies, which are a bit like the Clarke ones. After six months I was much stronger and back playing better than I had ever done.

__________________
I used to have a career, now all I do is play Schumann.

NickD

First, listen to Wilmer about the Clarkes thing. Noticethe SOFT PLAYING thing.

I have been to clinics by Jim Manely and Roger Ingram recently. The three of us all have exchanged emails on the subject and there is a common theme - soft playing to set the chops up of the upper register. You don't even have to play the upper register to get the form set up! This supports the advice of other posters here telling you to not press the high note issue for a while till you develop proper habits - form.

The one thing that I do a little differently is focus on form as opposed to strength. I never think of myself as building strength in my chops. I think of myself as playing with a proper form that I have developed over the years of thoughtful hard work on all of this.

Here is a list of things I think about with all of this.

Soft playing
Aperture control - loud = bigger; soft = smaller; low = bigger; high = smaller; loud and low = biggest; soft and high = smallest
Lip flexibility - forces the issue of proper tongue position
Lip flexibilities played SOFTLY combines the concepts - requires control

Form and control - once you develop those, they don't get tired.

Final bit of advice: continue to work dilligently with your teacher whilst keeping an open mind to new ideas as they impinge on you.

FWIIW coming from me...

Peace!

Nick

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GordonH

I forgot to say, for those three months I didn't play above piano.
I was told that playing loudly is just doing more of the same as when you are playing quietly and certainly my control and tone improved a lot.
I now rarely play loudly in the house.

__________________
I used to have a career, now all I do is play Schumann.

LSN1052

I dont have a Clarke book but i found a pdf on the internet. This one starts on low F# [in the staff] and it goes up chromatically?? that one. i hope??