Trumpet players!?

ok so im a freshman in highschool. im the highschools up and coming lead trumpet player. i will be lead after my sophmore year. i am workin my @s$ off on building my range. my range isnt that good though. i can only hit and E above the staff (comfortably). i can go higher but it sounds...eeehhhh. i want to be able to play a double C by the time i start junior year. do you think this is possible? also, does the ability to improvise just come naturally? because for some reason, ive been improvising in band and it sounds really good..

Trumpet players!?
deja vu, it's like I'm reading an email I sent when I was your age, but they didn't have email then cause compared to you, I'm pretty old. I'll share my experience and hopefully you'll get something out of it.





I was in the exact same boat as you, except my boat had a big leak, my high C was very weak. I loved to improvise, but had lousy range. I loved listening to Maynard Ferguson scream out those dbl C's and higher. People used to joke by calling me Maynard in my freshman year. My junior year they started calling me Maynard for good reasons. I worked on my range, but had lots of faults in my playing, through practice and patience I developed a pretty good dbl G (4 ledger lines) but had crappy endurance. Over the following summer I changed quite a bit, bought a copy of "Double High C in 37 weeks" and got busy. This method isn't musical really, it's alot of pedal tones and is very structured. You're not supposed to practice or play at all outside of this method and I didn't, but i really missed it. It work pretty good, I had a really strong dbl A, and my endurance was much better. I was the star of my High Schools Jazz Band and we won several Regional, State and placed second twice in East Coast Championships.





Then during my first year of college, I was introduced to Dr. Donald S. Reinhardt and his Pivot System. I studied with him for 3 years till he passed away (RIP). He and his method is hands down the best thing there is. In the first month of weekly lessons, my playing fell apart as I adjusted and learned. After that, wow! I had 10Xs the endurance, could own dbl Cs anytime I picked up the horn, and I had a nice fat round tone. I remember ending a "Night in Tunisia" solo duel on a F above dbl high C against one of the most egotistical and nastiest trumpet players I knew- the following semester, he transfered to a different university.





The best thing about this method is that it is tailored to the individual, it works around you own physical uniqueness.





Bottom line, it's tough, but very possible to accomplish your goals, but there are right and wrong ways to go about it. Make sure you work with a coach/teacher that is a student of the pivot system. Many of the pros that play lead trumpet will tell you the same thing.





Good luck and post some of your playing somewhere, I'd love check it out!!
Reply:Brass players can make faster progress by trying this simple trick: when you practice, stand with the back of your head against a wall. (Trombone players have to stand next to a doorway or hallway to provide room behind the head, of course). After a couple of months of practicing that way, you'll be amazed at how far you've come.





Improvising--if it's coming naturally, jolly good! You may improve that skill by listening to the great jazz soloists and observing how they base their greater solos on melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic material in the main theme of the selection, and how they start interestingly and build to a big climax.
Reply:first, trumpets rule all.





next it is possible with lots of practice. You have to be really dedicated.





improvision is fun, but it can also get you in trouble with your teacher and in more importantly in competitions.
Reply:I 'm a senior in highschool and am a drum major. I've been playing trumpet ever since....4rth grade. BUT I SWITCHED TO BARITONE HORN, last week!!!Well to hit a really high note you need lots of lots of practice. Like you've been doing. If you are desperate at this point you would be willing to read these paragraphs below! Also try these steps..


Before you even pick up the horn, take about three deep trumpet breaths, then place your mouthpiece at your mouth. Blow through the mouthpiece until you get a buzz going using the least amount of air and energy.


Using a piano if your ear is not good enough, play one note on the mouthpiece only, followed by the note one step above it. Continue this for a maximum of two minutes.


Play three notes up, 5 notes up, and back down and try to play a scale. You may also want to do a siren, where you are going from the middle of your range to the bottom, to the top, back to the middle. Try to do this without any breaks. Don't force it. If you can't play the higher notes, don't work too hard. They will come with practice.


Place the mouthpiece in the horn now.


Blow through the horn for about 1 minute without playing any notes. Make sure you're taking deep breaths and exhaling with ease. Use warm air. Also be sure to keep the airflow constant. Don't pause after the inhale.


Begin playing with some major scales, using long tones. Start with the C (concert Bb) scale, working your way up to the next major scale. Do this for 5-10 minutes.


Begin playing arpeggios (1-3-5-8). Again start at C (concert Bb) and work your way up. Perform this for 2-5 minutes.


By this time you should be quite warm. If not, do some lip slurs, going no higher than E (concert D) at the top of the staff.


Start by playing the G (concert F) right above the staff. If you have a metronome, set it at 60 beats per minute. Hold that note for 4 beats (equivalent to 4 seconds) and then proceed up a half step every 2 beats until you reach high C (concert Bb). Do this for 2-5 minutes. If this is too much, keep practicing up to this part until your chops have gotten strong enough to move on.


Work on expanding your range through lip slurs. Start on C (concert Bb) and slur up and down from there while keeping the same fingering. Keep your slur slow so you can center each note as it's played. Gradually work up the scale, by half-step, as high as you're able to play.


Repeat! Practice isn't good enough. This takes consistent practice. You will begin to lose strength if you rest for more than two days. Persistence is crucial while expanding your range.


When you get to the highest note that you can play, just tongue and play it over and over and over again. This is very tedious work, but the payoff is excellent, you will build the muscles needed to play that note every time you play it, so, make a little rhythm, whatever you need to make it, just a little interesting.





TIPS


Always have good posture. Never slouch.


Breathe in deep, filling your lungs with enough air to execute the notes.


Breathe from your stomach, not from your chest. This will give you more air pressure when reaching for higher notes. Support your tone from your diaphragm.


When you breathe, let your tongue hang loose, sort of like a dog panting. This will open up your throat more, allowing more air to enter.


Keep a solid embouchure (relaxed in the middle, solid on the corners).


Never push on the horn. Keep the pressure that you have on your lips to a minimum.


Rest at least as often as you play. It is only when you are not playing that you build muscle. If you play too much too often, then you are only tearing down and never building up.


Don't only worry about expanding your upper range, also concentrate on improving you lower register with slurs and pedal tones. This will not only help to make you a more rounded player, it will also help your tone and your ability to more effortlessly move around in different registers.


When playing an instrument tuned in the key of Bb, moving the pitches (transposing) to the key of C means seeing the written notes down a step. G on a Bb trumpet = (Concert) F on a Piano. (Even pros mess this up sometimes.)


Avoid tuning to a piano. They have tempered tuning. Instead, tune using an electronic (or better yet a strobe) tuner. Learn to hear pitch, especially in relation to any group you play with.


Try to take some of the major scales up an octave without removing the horn from your lips between octaves. If you can play from a low C to a high C and keep the same embouchure you'll start to see a dramatic increase in your range.


Never permanently set your embouchure for high notes. As you work your range up you should also keep working it down. Doing this will help you retain a good sound quality in all registers.


Do lots of buzzing, both with and without the mouthpiece. Buzz the full range low, high, and super-high. Do it without mashing the mouthpiece into your chops. This will build your muscles so they can support the notes on their own, without pressure from the horn.


Don't limit yourself to scales to get into the super register. Practice arpeggios, and also cold attacks (after long rests) on those notes.











http://www.wikihow.com/Play-High-Notes-o...
Reply:i used to play the trumpet...


now i play the trombone!!! trombones rock!!!