I want to be able to hit them and hold them, longer than i can, and even go higher. i want them to sound clear and have good sound and tone, so i was wondering what i can do as a player to be able to achive this, like maynard ferguson style
I know that there are some mouthpieces that can help me with the Higher Notes like the schilke 14a4a, my band teacher calls it a "cheater mouthpiece", but im down with cheating haha.
Play a tune (a simple one) from either sheet music or the Arbans book. Listen intently as you play the melody. Now play the same melody an octave higher. Switch back between octaves but avoid any melody that exceeds E on the staff. Chances are that your pitch will be off when playing the upper register.......Playing high is not hard...........playing high in tune is.
Daily practice of course, but it needs to be proper and good.
milescosnat mentions an excellent point!!
99% of brass players get sharper as they go higher. The last time I played Fanfare for the Common Man the trumpets were playing more than a half step sharp. When I explained this to them and showed them on the tuner, they then brought the pitch down, were accurate and had a nice tone. milescosnat has a great idea of playing in a lower comfortable range and then up an octave so you can compare the accuracy and tone quality.
You might try Walter Moecks warm-ups put out by C.L.Barnhard Company, it's only like $2 or $3. This is part of my daily warm-ups. He slowly introduces oxygen into the lips, gets the tongue moving, and introduces flexibility to the lips. On the last exercise just continue it up until you get to the range you want. I am able to play the Bb twice above the staff (which is darned high for a horn player).
Be sure to keep good air flow. If you watch Maynard or whoever, even when they bend and arch their bodies that head, neck, and shoulder position stays the same. You must have an open airway. The more you can keep the rear jaw muscles relaxed, and the throat open the fuller the sound. As you go higher try to be aware of your back, many of us will feel our muscles between the shoulder blades compressing - don't let that happen, keep the shoulder blades away from each other; put air in there. This will keep your upper chest cavity open and more relaxed -resulting in the tone you are looking for.
an easy solution?? practice!!! my highest in tune note in 8th grade was a high g above the scale. i kept practicing and now i can hit a double f.. practice your embachure (spelled wrong probably) and your low notes too. also do lip exersizes
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