DeerSlayer555

Alright I am a sophmore in high school and right now my range on a good day is about pedal c to f# above c above the staff. And My teacher has me doing throat opening excercises to "fatten" my tone up there.On a F major scale I can go from g above the staff and up to f# and on the g I fade out or just squeal. Does any one know any tips to open the g and actually have it.And I don't press too hard I use the pivot method.Thank you And any help will be greatly appreciated!!

__________________
Horns
1981 Bach Strad
2005 Bach Strad
1960 Holton Tri-Color Super Collegiate
1965 King Cleaveland 602 Cornet
1920 Abbott Mfg Trumpet
Mouthpieces
Monette MF III
Bob Reeves 43.5 ES 692 sl
Bach 5c

rowuk

Deerslayer,
the key to upper register is building good habits. If you have a strong high F, but the G is considerably thinner, you ARE probably playing with more pressure and "squeezing" the upper lip off. This is VERY common and can only be replaced by proper practice: long tones and slurs are VERY good to build the proper air/muscle coordination. There are no short cuts.

Sometimes a piccolo trumpet gets one playing easier in the upper register.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

screamingmorris

At the National Trumpet Symposium in Denver in 1973 I attended a clinic being offered by a professional classical trumpet player.
He said that he was about to play a number which contained a High F (above High C) but that he was going to play it an octave lower because his range was not good enough.
Louis Armstrong was famous for thrilling audiences with his High F.

So you are just a high school student, yet your range is equal to that of some professional trumpet players, yet you are looking for help with your range?
Just wanted to help put your request in perspective.

My High G is also much thinner than my High F, because that is the limit of my range (although I have baby-squealed a Double C a few times).
The highest notes of your range are *supposed* to be thin.
When Maynard Ferguson played Triple C's they sounded thin because they were near the limit of his range.
The only good way to fatten the sound of your High F's and High G's is to increase your range so much that they are no longer at the top of your range.
If you attempt to fatten the sound of your top note without increasing your range beyond that top note you are at risk of hurting your range, losing your range.
Because you will be attempting to open your aperture and increase amount of air flow for your highest note, which is inherently wrong for your highest note by the very definition of highest note.

And even if you do significantly increase your range, there is no guarantee that you will fatten the sound of your High G's.
Because embouchure type significantly affects the tone.
One famous trumpet player who committed suicide in the 1970's (my mind is a blank regarding his name, but he played with Henry Mancini) had a relatively thin tone for his High G's, even though he could play clear up to Triple C's, because his embouchure type gave him a thinner tone.

Is your teacher a private teacher or one provided by your public school?
Are you actually being required to play High F's and High G's in school?

As I said in Trumpet Herald last year (and a bunch of people denounced me for saying it):
Any High School that *requires* its trumpet players to play High F's and High G's is being downright foolish and cruel.
If a gifted student already has such range without straining and the school wants to give him an opportunity to show off that ability, then fine.
But pressuring regular students to play that range while they are in their teens is just plain foolish and cruel.

BTW, since you say that you use the pivot method, what embouchure type are you?

- Morris

Vulgano Brother

The Vulgano approach would be to play the f# very quietly, then morph into the g. Do this a few times, then bring the g into full volume. Sometimes we've got to sneak up on the notes and then scare them into submission. Fun stuff!

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www.letsbuildhope.org

DeerSlayer555

"Is your teacher a private teacher or one provided by your public school?
Are you actually being required to play High F's and High G's in school?"


Yes My teacher is a private teacher. And Yes In my Jazz one this year We played a song written by Bobby Shew(one of my band directors close freinds)from the movie a star is born called evergreen.It started on flugel and within 8 measures of rest i was on h igh f. The last note was written in as a Double C!!!But I could only sqeal it so i took it down to the g And put my trumpet bell over the mic.Thank you to everyone for replying!!

__________________
Horns
1981 Bach Strad
2005 Bach Strad
1960 Holton Tri-Color Super Collegiate
1965 King Cleaveland 602 Cornet
1920 Abbott Mfg Trumpet
Mouthpieces
Monette MF III
Bob Reeves 43.5 ES 692 sl
Bach 5c

DeerSlayer555

"BTW, since you say that you use the pivot method, what embouchure type are you?"

Sorry I didn't see this part!I don't know exactly what type but i have a small over bite so high notes i pivotdown and low i pivot up.

__________________
Horns
1981 Bach Strad
2005 Bach Strad
1960 Holton Tri-Color Super Collegiate
1965 King Cleaveland 602 Cornet
1920 Abbott Mfg Trumpet
Mouthpieces
Monette MF III
Bob Reeves 43.5 ES 692 sl
Bach 5c

claminator

You should also check out your intonation up there. If there is a big strain from one note to the next you could really be playing out of the center. This will make you feel like 1 half step higher is a mile away. I would go back to about a 3rd or 4th below your highest solid notes and work on playing them in the smack middle of the horn.

Clammy

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I love clam bakes

MJ

Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

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B

First off do not worry you are playing pro level music and you are in high school. Most pros know their limit and most will not play that arrangement as it is detrimental to a good long night of work. If you kill yourself on one piece you will be no good for the rest.

I played in a community big band for a while with a good mix of pros and armatures. The band director was quite young and constantly picked the highest level pro arrangements. Mos of the pros in the bad would rewrite arrangements for the armatures and them selfs so they could play the whole night.

Schwab

Trumpet playing is not supposed to be fun!!!

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Dylan Schwab
Stage 1 New York