Hello everyone! I obviously play trumpet at my school Haha but I have a really hard time with high notes. I can barely hit a high f (on the top of the scale..duh) :P and I am a little worried because there a lot of higher notes in marching band. My band director say tighten you lips and blow more air but I do and it doesn't work well..are there any suggestions or exercises I could do to help? Thanks!! :D

Your band director days tighten your lips and blow?! Hmmmm, Tightening your lips makes them harder to vibrate so less chance you will get anything much less a higher note. Blow harder? that's also ridiculous.

To lpay higher notes you need a faster air stream. So yes, we make our aperature smaller but not tighter. Put more upper lip mass into the mouthpiece to support the higher air pressure for the smaller aperture. Since you are not taking private lessons my first recommendation is to play chromatic scales each day twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening. Since you have an F. Play a chromatic scale starting on D going up to D and back down. Then move up to Eb up and down. E up and down. F up and down. F# up and down. Play these scales as relaxed as you can. DO these scales for a week then add G the next week. Add a half step each week.

Also try to get Walter Moeck's trumpet warm up routine. It shoudl only cost about $2.50. This should be a good start for you.

relax and breathe! and take your time.

practice scales and lip slurs and practice playing quietly!

get a good teacher and listen to them, make sure your air is supported, so tence up your stomach and relax your neck and lips and be patient

I also struggled with high notes, I'm not in Marching Band, but I am in Honors Band. What I do to gain higher range on my Trumpet is I go up chromatically until i hit the note i can't get. Then, I drop it down a few notes and go up chromatically again. When you Can hit the note, a problem that you will encounter is being able to hold the note out, What I do for that is I just hold the note for as long as i can, then Re-position my embouchure and try again. This will not happen over night! ) But just keep on doing it (Don't try too hard and you will get it!

Oh and don't forget to tighten the corners of your mouth as you get higher

I'd add something.

Do not, EVER, ''do what it takes'' to get the note even if you can't do it naturally. Like putting more pressure or spreading your lips. That works on the short term and allows you to hit notes you wouldnt normally get, but in the long term doing that is very nocious. You risk being stuck with those bad habits which are far more difficult to get rid off than to avoid in the first place (trust me on that...)

Work your way up with exercices (listen to John he knows what he's talking about!), good warm-up routines, good playing habits, get your lips used to playing high by doing daily work on that, without ever using pressure as an helper.

High range is something we have to build, slowly. If you can't play those high notes in context without using a wrong technique (i.e. pressure/squeezing/spreading of the lips, etc), just don't play them. Try to hit them using your natural embouchure, if they don't come out, that is NOT a problem. They will in the mean time.

Oh, and try playing as natural as possible, like if you were signing. Use your tongue to modify the shape of your mouth cavity in order to vary the airspeed (shape your tongue as if you were saynig vowels : OU - O - A for lower to mid range, E - I/U for higher range). Actually, playing a brass instrument is exactly like signing, except it is you lips that vibrate instead of your vocal chords. Remember that it is not your lips that make the air move, it is the moving air that make your lips vibrate.

Always stay relaxed.

It sounds as if you are working by yourself and not with a private teacher.

If this is true, I would suggest that you purchase this method book- "Claude Gordon’s Systematic Approach to Daily Practice".

Follow the instructions and you will improve your playing in all ranges.

It takes time but it's worth it.

First, I would like to say that everyone who has commented up to now is a complete idiot.

To you:
NEVER, NEVER think 'tighter!' That will not only choke out your sound when you approach the top of the staff, but also cause your tone to develop an airy, stuffy, "pinched" sound. The key is amount of air and airspeed. You need to practice using as much air as you can, while still producing a good tone. As a general rule, your range reflects where you usually play. I'm guessing you play primarily third parts? If that's the case, you may not be ready for range. The very best thing you can do is practice. Range comes with Practice (at a level you can achieve!) and time. I would also like to remind you that High notes are just a miniscule part of bieng a trumpet player! think of all the other things there are that make up a true trumpet sound: Dynamic structure, articulation, phrasing, tone quality... the list goes on! don't focus too much on one thing! All that has ever been achieved that way is a lot of inexpierienced drop-outs.

To the Idiots:
STOP GIVING PEOPLE TERRIBLE ADVICE!
All you are doing is feeding your ego by spreading nonsensical crap because you think that just because you play in the first chair of you HIGHSCHOOL BAND, you automatically are some sort of expert. (which you are not!) You people are not music majors, you are not college professors, and you are not retired professionals. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! So quit telling people what you think you know.

unless im blind the only person to even think about thinking tighter is the opening poster....

apart from 'Oh and don't forget to tighten the corners of your mouth as you get higher'

'To the Idiots:
STOP GIVING PEOPLE TERRIBLE ADVICE!
All you are doing is feeding your ego by spreading nonsensical crap because you think that just because you play in the first chair of you HIGHSCHOOL BAND, you automatically are some sort of expert. (which you are not!) You people are not music majors, you are not college professors, and you are not retired professionals. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! So quit telling people what you think you know.'

how do you know that I am not Trombone Shorty or Alan Vizzutti? you dont, my advice was not crap and I dont think that the other posters where either, all genuine points, although Dito711 not as great as the others....

We are here to help, not to be called idiots and yes there are plenty of crap advice and idiots out there who, because they play 1st chair think they know it all but there is also plenty of useful information here and elsewhere

This may be ill advised from most teachers but it really depends on the person. If you play trumpet, try doing lip slurs and chromatic warm ups on an instrument with a smaller mouthpeice (ie. trombone player on a cornet, trumpet player to a French horn). But don't ever play larger to smaller, it makes playing incredibly difficult.

Upper range playing is always a problem. Those that have it want more and those who don't, keep struggling.

The best advice I can give is to use progressively higher chromatic scales. Set a realistic goal for this week and play one or two octave chromatic scales up and down slurred. Play softly and take in a lot of air. Once the top note is easy, increase you scales by one half step.

For most players, this will work but you have to be patient and practice regularly. If you can increase your upper range by one full step in a months time, you are on your way.

You might also find these to posts helpful also..

http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/high-range-trumpet-methods-introduction/

http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/high-range-methods-traditional/

Best of luck..

i would suggest doing what i do every day when i practice high notes, and just relax my mouth. I play exercises like taking easy songs and playing them up high, i buzz the high notes, and play up chromatically as high as i can go without hurting myself. All it takes is some practice

I think you will enjoy my latest post on high range improvement.

At this time we have about 160 people starting this project and have had some great feedback on the assignments.

Come join us at......

http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/join-hi-yr-by-a-third-today/