Trumpet vs. Trombone?

Originally Posted by Reth

...one thing to remember is if you want to learn high notes practice high notes. Sounds stupid but its true. ...

I'd go so far as to say: if you want to play high notes, practice low notes. Build a solid foundation and extend your comfortable range up, not the other way around. What you want is to be comfortable and flexible in all registers. By practicing high stuff, you're developing a different embouchure for that range...which is bad.

Work on having a unified sound and linking your low register with the high one, slurs from low to high will help get over the break without having to reset your embouchure...

Well yeah, but my problem right now is even REACHING those high notes. Once I know I can reach them, I'll practice getting a good tone out of them, then I'll start practicing. But yeah, basically to reach higher notes I have to blow more air? Highest I can go is middle E right now, but lol if I'm going to even play trumpet in a high school band, I'm going to have to be able to reach atleast High C. I can't even imagine how jazz players can go all the way up to high F, that must require REALLY tight lips and a helluva a lot of air.

Also, I'll definitely practice that playing low notes thing you said Robin.

If you've only been playing a month or so, you're doing fine. You can't pick up a brass instrument and expect to have a large range in a little bit of time, it takes training and practice to build endurance.

Originally Posted by Young Prodigy

Well yeah, but my problem right now is even REACHING those high notes.

That's where building/extending the lower register up will help. And as flint mentioned, it does take time and patience to work it up. Can't blow like Maynard in the first month.

Originally Posted by Young Prodigy

...basically to reach higher notes I have to blow more air?

Faster air. And thus, more of it.

Ah, well now I've played for a month and I can get to middle register F and hit a really bad sounding high g once. Thing is, I can only reach F's and E's in scales, so if a song started with a middle F or E I'd have difficulty with it. To play in a high school level band I'd have to atleast be able to hit high C.

Originally Posted by robinjessome

And as flint mentioned, it does take time and patience to work it up. Can't blow like Maynard in the first month.

I did. I hit screaming G above high C in just a little over a month. Day after that though..... ow. Don't do what I did. Kills your lips, and if you're not supporting right, your throat too, because the tendency is to try and squeeze the air out of the lungs from the throat. That's why thinking of using the diaphragm instead helps everything. In other words, don't push yourself. Just press on. Oh yeah, speaking of pressing, always be aware of your mouthpiece pressure, keep it as minimal as possible. If you ever get a red ring on your lips from pressing too hard, that's means... well... you're pressing too hard. So don't. Becomes a bad habit, so avoid it before it becomes one.

Anyways, if you can't play that high, don't try. Build up to it. If you can reach the E just fine, then play around with some chromatic scales going up to and down from the F right above it. Don't move on to F# until you're comfortable with the F, and so on. It's all about extending your range, not trying to squeeze your way up there.

Wow you did, tell me how you did it, that's what I need to be able to do. Highest I can get is middle F and I can't even hit that well.

I hurt myself, that's what I did. And that's what you shouldn't do. That's extra bad. You can pull muscles doing those kinda stunts. So that's why you need to be careful and extend your range the right way.

Originally Posted by MusicManJ4

I hurt myself, that's what I did. And that's what you shouldn't do. That's extra bad. You can pull muscles doing those kinda stunts. So that's why you need to be careful and extend your range the right way.

And that is?

Trying to play to high and I pulled a muscle in my throat. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but improper breath support was definitely a factor. This pain persisted for about two weeks. It quit hurting after a week, but I still couldn't play because I would get a jab of pain. Also, I did something along the lines or tearing my lip. Again, not sure how this works. I didn't literally tear my lip, but I think I caused some tissue damage from a variety of factors, and for over a week I couldn't play, every note wouldn't sound clearly, it was like my lip was divided into two separate vibrating parts instead of one central aperture. The result: all I could play for a week were wookie calls. I think they call this a loss of the 'sweet spot'. Your sweet spot is right where you sound best, sometimes center of lips, for others it's off-center. Well anyways, apparently you can lose it.

By the way, just as few extra words:

Originally Posted by Karl Wallace, Wynton Marsalis Official Form

PS. To all the young high note seeking players out there. If you use bad form for long enough, you WILL hurt yourself. It’s just a matter of time. I know, I did it. My lip popped during a 3 hr gig, 2-3 shows a day for 8 days. Small mouthpiece, bad mechanics and pop. There goes 25 years of investment and fun. I now just hang on to lower parts, still looking for the sweet spot, which is gone.

Originally Posted by ROCKY JAMES, Wynton Marsalis Forum

Freddie Hubbard once developed a sore on his lip as a result of playing a high note cutting contest with Jon Faddis ( not a very bright idea) without warming up. Then, he continued playing on it until it became infected. He required surgery, and his facility on the trumpet was greatly impaired.

Also, as a side note, if you are experiencing cold weather, be sure to begin every session with a very careful warm up. Cold weather causes muscles to contract, so you need to warm up using flexibilities exercises, such a lip slurs. Start softly, lower end. Then warm up the tongue, slowly and easily. After that you can do whatever you want - practice pieces, concentrate of something specific, like extending the range upward, ect. But warm ups are important, especially in cold weather, which causes muscles to stiffen.