STUCK ON G !!!!!!!!!!!!
Derek Clark
the stave.My teacher says my embouchure is fine but no matter how long and
hard I try I just can't get a clean note .Anything I do get sounds pinched
and weak.What am I doing wrong ?
-- Thanks, Angela J.
"The future isn't what it used to be"
Rmidn...@webtv.net
and it's in the key of D and the highest note reached is an F#. Youv'e
got it covered.
Stanton
time are your friends. Everyone would like to have an instant double C
(myself included), but I don't think any quick fixes are realistic,
particularly because once you can reach a note, you still have to play it in
a musical context.
As I have just passed the 2 1/2 year mile mark after my comeback, I am
finding that higher notes are matter of focus, rather than brute strength.
Strength (lets call it FORCE) usually indicates tension, which is usually
counter to one's efforts to reach higher notes. Learning to play relaxed
first is the challenge. A pinched sound indicates that you are trying to use
too much strength and have not yet developed the finesse. Also, many of us
(myself included) use the feedback of the horn far to much to achieve notes
and (IMO) limit our top range until we can learn to be more equipment
independent.
How do you learn focus? There are a couple things that will help. First
practice playing SOFTLY! Then play softer still. Just play G-A-B-C (in the
staff) playing softer as you ascend. Then repeat the excersise playing
softer starting with the dynamic that you ended the C on. Continue until you
cannot get a sound out. Repeat THAT section 3 times. Don't stop, even if the
sound doesn't come out. In time it will, and you will begin to understand
how to focus the aperture. This is Bob Odneal's thing. It's helped me a
lot.
Secondly, when you go for a higher note, don't try to blast it out, but play
it sweetly. You'll be amazed at how easily it comes out. When you go to nail
it, it will most likely get stuck in the horn, or sound really ugly. FWIW,
I learned this one from Nick Drozdoff. Once I stopped trying to muscle my
way around the horn it was scary how I was able to play technical stuff at
the top of my range. Check out Nick's book on embouchure design.
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/3698/jyborder
Oh yeah... Air.... Rich Szabo has a great page on yoga breathing as it
applies to trumpet. He tells me that he learned it from Maynard.
Pops McLaughlin also has some great articles that can help get a handle on
increasing range and endurance. I'm sorry that I don't have the URL handy.
If you locate any of Pops' responses on the NG, it will have a hyperlink to
his site.
Good luck,
Stanton
----------
In article <383db...@news1.cluster1.telinco.net>, "Derek Clark"
TrmpTrim
you're looking at the G as being the highest note you can play, that's all
you'll get. Try thinking about playing a B and the A should come right out. I
had the same problem in a different octave and this little "mind trick" worked
for me.
Good luck,
Jon Trimble
Bryan Fields
I got "stuck" on high G for twenty-something years. About two years ago I
refined my approach somewhat along these lines and finally the wall has started
to come down. But if your high G is solid, it's not a bad place to be stuck!
You need an A for the Brandenburg and the lead book at North Texas, but that's
about it!
Stanton wrote:
--
To reply, remove "DEATHTOSPAM" from e-mail address
Pops
1. They do not use enough air.
2. They do not use enough air.
3. They do not use enough air.
4. They compensate with mouthpiece pressure.
5. The set note is in the lower register instead of on top of the staff.
The first 4 explain themselves.
For #5 try this example.
Pick up your horn and set for a low c.
Now play a low c. On the same breath add air and slur to g, middle c, g,
high c, and high g.
That is two and a half octaves over the set point of low c.
Most people would not be able to do that.
Now set for a g on top of the staff.
Play that g and then slur up to high c and high g. On the same breath
slur down until you get back to low c. This should have been easy as the
top note was only 1 octave higher than the set point. The low notes will
come out free as well.
This takes a day or two to get used to but it is a lifesaver in real
performance.
That's how I play NO embouchure shifts.
There are only 3 reasons not to be playing high.
1. The lips separating as you blow allowing the air to hiss through.
This happens as you play higher and higher; the lips blow apart and
instead of a note you hear air. (This is rarely seen.)
2. The chops / mouthpiece pressure closing the aperture not letting any
sound out. As you go higher the lip compression makes the aperture
smaller and smaller. You also add some mouthpiece pressure to seal the
chops. This pressure closes the aperture down even farther. This has
NOTHING to do with lip strength or power. It is a combination of TOO
MUCH lip compression, TOO MUCH mouthpiece pressure and NOT ENOUGH AIR to
blow the lips apart. (This is the most common.)
3. Not enough air speed / support. This speaks for itself.
The quickest solution is to teach the student to use very little
mouthpiece pressure and to use more air.
1. We will use the warmup from my book. Blow arpeggios working on the
air and NOT the lips. Take 2nd line g, 3rd space c & g on top of the
staff. Play this as a slurred passage of whole notes. There is a
tendency for the 4th space e to want to be played or touched as a
passing tone.
Use air to blow past this to the g.
Think about blowing the notes out of the horn. The 2nd line g goes out 5
feet. The c goes out 10 feet. Make the g on top of the staff go out
15-20 feet.
(I've had students blow out matches before. If I hold a lit match a foot
from them they barely blow. If I hold it 20 feet away they blow like a
hurricane.)
2. Lip trill a C scale starting on middle C. C to E, D to F, E
to G...... High C to High E. Keep going up if you can. There are closer
harmonics but we are using airflow to push through harmonics. This is
an AIR. exercise.
This is SO easy in person. I hope that this written lesson helps.
A collection of Net Trumpet Lessons.
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/2429/Lessons.html
Information about my 2 books. "The No Nonsense Trumpet From A-Z" &
"Trumpet FAQ's" http://www.BbTrumpet.com
Best wishes
Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
Jeff
B-FLAT MUSIC
>
> I've just placed a complete REALAUDIO selection near the "top" of the
> website, in keeping with the impending Holiday Season. WE THREE KINGS,
>
> from Brooks Tegler's HOT JAZZ, features Tom Mitchell, guitar; Robt.
> Redd, piano; John Preveti, bass, Brooks Tegler, drums, and Yours
> Truly,
> trumpet .
>
> Thanks for listening!!
>
> Clyde
>
> http://www.BFLATMUSIC.com
>
dave...@my-deja.com
Bbtr...@webtv.net ('Pops') wrote:
> Most people who have a range problem share these common problems.
>
> 1. They do not use enough air.
>
> 2. They do not use enough air.
>
> 3. They do not use enough air.
>
> 4. They compensate with mouthpiece pressure.
>
> 5. The set note is in the lower register instead of on top of the
staff.
>
As a listener, I have appreciated your comments. I too have been stuck,
although it's a little higher (D, D# above staff). What's interesting is
that when I think D# instead of Eb, I don't seem to have as much of a
problem. Either the wall is psychological or I'm hearing the note to be
played differently depending on the context.
As for me, it's back to basics. I'll spend some time correcting problem
#1. Then I'll go on to problem #2, etc.
Thanks for your continuing patience and help to some of us comeback
players who just enjoy playing.
--
Dave Bovey
Simi Valley, CA
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Drozynski
> There are only 3 reasons not to be playing high.
>
> 1. The lips separating as you blow allowing the air to hiss through.
> This happens as you play higher and higher; the lips blow apart and
> instead of a note you hear air. (This is rarely seen.)
This is my first post here, I'm a 16 year old junior in high school and I've
been playing trumpet for about 6 years. I think what you're describing here
happens to me, because I can consistantly and musicly play a high c, I can
sometimes get out a high d, and I've hit a high e before, but usually after
high c its just a hissing air sound. Any tips? Will it just come with time?