Brian - thank you for the explanation of the high G/A break phenomenon. That was clear, concise and very helpful! Finally, an explanation that makes sense of that problem.
Well said Bryan! Lets face it, it is a very difficult concept to grasp until you can do it. We all end up teaching ourselves, with some conceptual guidance (as in practicing softer in the upper register), IMO. Thanks!
Hi Bryan. Great video. Nice to hear what the issue is with those a's.... For my part it is the a above the g above the staff... It is litterely easier to play bb, and now you have shown a way to thange my mind set. Thank you. Have a nice weekend👍 Erik
Brian, I'm really enjoying your a to z series. I've been out of school for 40 some years and trying to get back into the swing of playing regularly. Keep the tips coming! Super informative. Have you found success in online tutoring at all? Must be difficult to make progress with students in that manner of training.
Hi Jody. Glad you've been enjoying the videos. I've been teaching online since 2008, long before it was popularized (or at least made acceptable) by the pandemic. These days, it's almost as good as being in the room, and I have students from all over the world making progress with me.
Great advice Bryan. I'm using ab compression on anything above a high D and it's working for me. Also, because I'm not blowing so hard my lips last longer and my practice sessions increase in duration and therefore Improving at a much higher rate because of your advice. Much appreciated.
I'm glad you're finding it helpful. However, with respect, the ab compression is not something that kicks in at a particular note. The basic core engagement is in place if I'm playing a low F#. There's just more compression the higher I go.
Having problems slurring down below C. For Example playing just the first valve Bb up to F up to Bb back down to F then back down to Bb. As I try lower sequences such as valves 12 for A to E to A then back down it gets even harder. Any suggestions?
At first it’s nice to see that you got well and get back to health... That’s the most important part. Then I agree in everything you said about range development 100%. In case the process is very simple and not difficult to understand but even my students don’t have sometimes the discipline of the patient to let it develop.. but it works 💯 %. Thanks for taking time and sharing your knowledge.. stay healthy...🍺🎺
Hi Brian. A couple of things. I find that there also is a break around A just on top of g above the staff. At least it is easier going from A to C than from F to C. That is probally only for me... Next. Your videos are a true inspiration. If you have an advice about books it would be nice. I do think of the ones you sell. I need to work on Articulation Stamina Range Volume up and down ...and everything else! From happy amateur to more secure and stability in playing... I would like to be the best 4.th trumpet possible💪🎺🎺🎺🎺 (I always wanted to play lead, but for now C above staff is absolute max range) Maybe range should come before stamina but they are some sort of same problem? Thanks for all videos...always a pleasure. Sincerely Erik Denmark
Hi Erik. Going A to C will be smoother than F to C because you're in the same partial. One less hurdle to jump over! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos and finding them helpful. In terms of my books, "Combination Drills, Vol 1" will be your best starting point. It covers all the aspects you mentioned. Get your air smooth as you move around and many things are improved. Best, Bryan
I'm so glad hear other people have that break. On good days I can bend to the A from above, but it's really a bend, not singing. I can't think that it would ever slot. Do you really feel your horn slots on A and Ab? Can you feel that way on different horns?
One of the things I like about my Schagerl James Morrison trumpet is how well it slots, particularly above high C. I’ve found it on other horns I’ve had too. It is there somewhere, but it’s not often the most obvious slot that you can push easily.
Hi Bryan.... First of all thank you so much for all of the videos that you always make to help all of us... I have a question about what you said at 1:40... So if it is blowing hard it is moving MORE of air? and in the contrary creating compression from the bottom will be more efficient..? Because as i feel as what you said in blowing harder i realize that i am pinching my lips unaware and eventually vibration stops... I am thinking to practice this compression because i think i am blowing hard rather than creating compression... I will keep you updated about this.. Thank you so much again Bryan...
The harmonic series of a wind column and the overtone series are one and the same thing. The only difference is the numbering. The first overtone is the second harmonic. When you mentioned overtones you flicked the bell, giving me the impression that you were referring to notes radiating from the bell metal while playing. Compared to the notes coming out of the wind column, those are virtually inaudible - 90 to 100 dB softer. If you were referring to bell vibrations getting involved, there is a possibility there. Mechanical vibrations can work their way back to the lips in a sort of mechanical feedback. This was discovered by accident by the physics dept at Rollins College in Florida. This is the real reason that less massive horns seem brighter. Lighter horns and mouthpieces can allow higher frequencies to get through by virtue of lower inertia. It is extremely unlikely that the brightness has anything to with sound radiating from the bell metal. Also, when horn manufacturers make a trumpet, they are not running tests on the resonant tones produced by the vibrating bell. It is only likely to be coincidence that the bell flick note have any relation to the notes played. The high A (for me it’s Bb) struggles seem most likely to be an unholy relationship between the mouthpiece, leadpipe and oral cavity and to a lesser extent, the rest of the horn.
Hi Bryan! Your advices really helps me! But, there is a little thing that I can't understand in your videos. That 3 compressions. As I understood, it's the lip, the air escort and the air speed right? Anyway, the main problem is when I playing above the F2 my throat shrinks and makes the playing too hard and uncomfortable. So, why it's happens and how can I get over it?
Throat tension is generally caused by a lack of proper breath support and overblowing, or some combination of the two. I’m not sure if that’s a bad Google translate about what the 3 compressions are....
Hi Bryan, first of all thanks for your videos. I have started a few days trying to improve my tongue arch, first in the mouthpiece and then playing in the horn, using a very small quantity of air. After about one hour of playing and resting I get notes like high A, double C and sometimes above double C. However those notes sound more like a squeeze (maybe due to the amount of air I'm using for). Tell me, what do you think about this approach to improve high range?
For me, tongue arch is about flexibility and fine tuning of pitch. I’m doing the heavy lifting with my abdominal compression. Are you changing vowel sound to encourage extra tongue arch? (ah, ee, ts etc?) Your tongue can still arch without changing vowels, which then doesn’t change the sound so much.
@@AirflowMusicNYC I'm using abdominal compression as well, but it's more like a natural movement for me. When I use the tongue I'm always focusing in arch close to the high teeth, and trying to avoid arch the back part of the tongue, because when I do that I see a tendency to close the throat, hence causing extra tension.
João Fabio Lourenço - if your throat is closing, that’s usually because your basic breath support is not in place properly and you’re blowing harder than necessary to compensate. The arch naturally occurs in the back of the tongue - otherwise it’d be known as “lifting the tongue”
It's strange for me because my G would be fairly thick and clear most the time. Then I switch from the cheap trumpet I had to an artisan bach 190s stradivarius and all the notes are fine until my g and I can't slot it anymore 😕
@@AirflowMusicNYC exactly maybe that's it but how I've had so many gigs with it so far and practices. But i also think that since I just graduated high school I don't play daily so the g just left but ima find it again Ik I will 😤
If you can develop the knack for increasing core compression *and* decrescendoing as you ascend, the upper register can be played as freely as any other!
So I have been working on range for about 2 weeks now and when I'm fresh I can start to explore the extreme upper register. When I do that though, the mouthpiece kind of slides down. My questions are, should I let that happen and not think so much, or just not even try to play up there yet and build my comfortable range. Thank you for your help.
Demetrius Sheats I can't say too much without seeing you play, but I would say that it's best to keep your setup as same as possible throughout all registers. However, plenty of players do change their mouthpiece placement when registers change. I would just try to practice your comfortable range, it may take longer but it will save you a lot of pain.
@Demetrius - what are you considering the “extreme upper register”? I always try to work range so I move in and out of the unfamiliar register, usually by the octave flexandos, so I stay connected to the rest of my range. By all means explore, but it’s important to work this as one range, with everything connected from low to high and back.
A above High C. There are so many conflicting opinions about when the doubles begin, and little logic involved, so I was trying to avoid getting bogged down in that argument.
Not a question of proving you wrong. If you blow harder into a system of limited size, like a brass instrument, then you are compressing air. The trouble is that you are very limited in how much you can compress in that way before some part of the system breaks down. The flesh tends to give before the metal does. It’s a sure way to hurt yourself. The other problem is that, in order to achieve/maintain resonance in the instrument, as you ascend, it requires smaller and smaller quantities of faster and faster air. By blowing harder, you’re giving it the opposite, expending more energy than necessary, and usually hurting yourself in the process. It’s not efficient. I spent a lot of years doing this the hard way. I hurt my lips constantly, and very nearly to an extent I don’t believe I could have recovered from. Fortunately, I was able to get good advice before it was too late and turn things around. Just trying to help those of you who are open-minded enough to accept that you don’t know everything cut out some of the painful stuff in the middle. The simple truth of all of this is that, if you’re doing it efficiently, it doesn’t hurt to play a brass instrument. There should be no “acceptable levels” of pain and injury involved in it. I’d invite you to prove me wrong about that, but you can’t.
Much later than I intended, but here it is. This week is a followup to last week's video - please let me know if you have any further questions...
Brian - thank you for the explanation of the high G/A break phenomenon. That was clear, concise and very helpful! Finally, an explanation that makes sense of that problem.
Well said Bryan! Lets face it, it is a very difficult concept to grasp until you can do it. We all end up teaching ourselves, with some conceptual guidance (as in practicing softer in the upper register), IMO. Thanks!
Thank you for watching. Glad you dug it.
Thank you so much!
Hi Bryan.
Great video.
Nice to hear what the issue is with those a's.... For my part it is the a above the g above the staff... It is litterely easier to play bb, and now you have shown a way to thange my mind set.
Thank you.
Have a nice weekend👍
Erik
Brian, I'm really enjoying your a to z series. I've been out of school for 40 some years and trying to get back into the swing of playing regularly. Keep the tips coming! Super informative. Have you found success in online tutoring at all? Must be difficult to make progress with students in that manner of training.
Hi Jody. Glad you've been enjoying the videos. I've been teaching online since 2008, long before it was popularized (or at least made acceptable) by the pandemic. These days, it's almost as good as being in the room, and I have students from all over the world making progress with me.
Great advice Bryan. I'm using ab compression on anything above a high D and it's working for me. Also, because I'm not blowing so hard my lips last longer and my practice sessions increase in duration and therefore Improving at a much higher rate because of your advice. Much appreciated.
I'm glad you're finding it helpful. However, with respect, the ab compression is not something that kicks in at a particular note. The basic core engagement is in place if I'm playing a low F#. There's just more compression the higher I go.
Having problems slurring down below C. For Example playing just the first valve Bb up to F up to Bb back down to F then back down to Bb. As I try lower sequences such as valves 12 for A to E to A then back down it gets even harder. Any suggestions?
At first it’s nice to see that you got well and get back to health...
That’s the most important part. Then I agree in everything you said about range development 100%.
In case the process is very simple and not difficult to understand but even my students don’t have sometimes the discipline of the patient to let it develop.. but it works 💯 %.
Thanks for taking time and sharing your knowledge.. stay healthy...🍺🎺
High note fever is a perennial problem for many trumpet players...
Thanks!!! Great tips!!!
Great video Bryan these tips helped me play better
Glad to have been helpful. Thanks for watching.
Thanks Bryan.
You’re welcome.
Hi Brian.
A couple of things.
I find that there also is a break around A just on top of g above the staff. At least it is easier going from A to C than from F to C.
That is probally only for me...
Next.
Your videos are a true inspiration.
If you have an advice about books it would be nice.
I do think of the ones you sell.
I need to work on
Articulation
Stamina
Range
Volume up and down
...and everything else!
From happy amateur to more secure and stability in playing... I would like to be the best 4.th trumpet possible💪🎺🎺🎺🎺 (I always wanted to play lead, but for now C above staff is absolute max range)
Maybe range should come before stamina but they are some sort of same problem?
Thanks for all videos...always a pleasure.
Sincerely
Erik
Denmark
Hi Erik. Going A to C will be smoother than F to C because you're in the same partial. One less hurdle to jump over!
I'm glad you're enjoying the videos and finding them helpful. In terms of my books, "Combination Drills, Vol 1" will be your best starting point. It covers all the aspects you mentioned. Get your air smooth as you move around and many things are improved.
Best,
Bryan
Order is set...looking forward to "Go practice" with your book. Books are great and thanks for using PDF!
I appreciate the order! Enjoy the book and please email me if you have any questions.
@@AirflowMusicNYC . Thanks a lot Bryan. Take care and have a nice day🌞🎺🎺
I'm so glad hear other people have that break. On good days I can bend to the A from above, but it's really a bend, not singing. I can't think that it would ever slot. Do you really feel your horn slots on A and Ab? Can you feel that way on different horns?
One of the things I like about my Schagerl James Morrison trumpet is how well it slots, particularly above high C. I’ve found it on other horns I’ve had too. It is there somewhere, but it’s not often the most obvious slot that you can push easily.
Hi Bryan.... First of all thank you so much for all of the videos that you always make to help all of us... I have a question about what you said at 1:40... So if it is blowing hard it is moving MORE of air? and in the contrary creating compression from the bottom will be more efficient..? Because as i feel as what you said in blowing harder i realize that i am pinching my lips unaware and eventually vibration stops... I am thinking to practice this compression because i think i am blowing hard rather than creating compression... I will keep you updated about this.. Thank you so much again Bryan...
You need less air as you ascend. Try actively decrescendoing as you go up a scale, arpeggio or flexando.
@@AirflowMusicNYC thanks Bryan and it's like how you explain in F as falsetto...
The harmonic series of a wind column and the overtone series are one and the same thing. The only difference is the numbering. The first overtone is the second harmonic.
When you mentioned overtones you flicked the bell, giving me the impression that you were referring to notes radiating from the bell metal while playing. Compared to the notes coming out of the wind column, those are virtually inaudible - 90 to 100 dB softer.
If you were referring to bell vibrations getting involved, there is a possibility there. Mechanical vibrations can work their way back to the lips in a sort of mechanical feedback. This was discovered by accident by the physics dept at Rollins College in Florida. This is the real reason that less massive horns seem brighter. Lighter horns and mouthpieces can allow higher frequencies to get through by virtue of lower inertia. It is extremely unlikely that the brightness has anything to with sound radiating from the bell metal.
Also, when horn manufacturers make a trumpet, they are not running tests on the resonant tones produced by the vibrating bell. It is only likely to be coincidence that the bell flick note have any relation to the notes played.
The high A (for me it’s Bb) struggles seem most likely to be an unholy relationship between the mouthpiece, leadpipe and oral cavity and to a lesser extent, the rest of the horn.
Hi Bryan! Your advices really helps me! But, there is a little thing that I can't understand in your videos. That 3 compressions. As I understood, it's the lip, the air escort and the air speed right? Anyway, the main problem is when I playing above the F2 my throat shrinks and makes the playing too hard and uncomfortable. So, why it's happens and how can I get over it?
Throat tension is generally caused by a lack of proper breath support and overblowing, or some combination of the two.
I’m not sure if that’s a bad Google translate about what the 3 compressions are....
By high A, are you talking about directly above the staff or the one an octave above that?
A over High C
Hi Bryan, first of all thanks for your videos.
I have started a few days trying to improve my tongue arch, first in the mouthpiece and then playing in the horn, using a very small quantity of air. After about one hour of playing and resting I get notes like high A, double C and sometimes above double C. However those notes sound more like a squeeze (maybe due to the amount of air I'm using for).
Tell me, what do you think about this approach to improve high range?
For me, tongue arch is about flexibility and fine tuning of pitch. I’m doing the heavy lifting with my abdominal compression. Are you changing vowel sound to encourage extra tongue arch? (ah, ee, ts etc?) Your tongue can still arch without changing vowels, which then doesn’t change the sound so much.
@@AirflowMusicNYC I'm using abdominal compression as well, but it's more like a natural movement for me. When I use the tongue I'm always focusing in arch close to the high teeth, and trying to avoid arch the back part of the tongue, because when I do that I see a tendency to close the throat, hence causing extra tension.
João Fabio Lourenço - if your throat is closing, that’s usually because your basic breath support is not in place properly and you’re blowing harder than necessary to compensate. The arch naturally occurs in the back of the tongue - otherwise it’d be known as “lifting the tongue”
It's strange for me because my G would be fairly thick and clear most the time. Then I switch from the cheap trumpet I had to an artisan bach 190s stradivarius and all the notes are fine until my g and I can't slot it anymore 😕
Sounds like you haven’t quite found your balance on the new horn yet. It just blows a little different.
@@AirflowMusicNYC exactly maybe that's it but how I've had so many gigs with it so far and practices. But i also think that since I just graduated high school I don't play daily so the g just left but ima find it again Ik I will 😤
The only method i mean of the most used ones that deals with the upper register with the diminuendo is the Schlossberg!!!
If you can develop the knack for increasing core compression *and* decrescendoing as you ascend, the upper register can be played as freely as any other!
@@AirflowMusicNYC thanks
So I have been working on range for about 2 weeks now and when I'm fresh I can start to explore the extreme upper register. When I do that though, the mouthpiece kind of slides down. My questions are, should I let that happen and not think so much, or just not even try to play up there yet and build my comfortable range. Thank you for your help.
Demetrius Sheats I can't say too much without seeing you play, but I would say that it's best to keep your setup as same as possible throughout all registers. However, plenty of players do change their mouthpiece placement when registers change. I would just try to practice your comfortable range, it may take longer but it will save you a lot of pain.
@Demetrius - what are you considering the “extreme upper register”? I always try to work range so I move in and out of the unfamiliar register, usually by the octave flexandos, so I stay connected to the rest of my range. By all means explore, but it’s important to work this as one range, with everything connected from low to high and back.
@@AirflowMusicNYC By extreme I mean double g. and thank you.
@@matthias6824 I might do that then, thank you.
Are we talking about Double A or A above the staff?
A above High C. There are so many conflicting opinions about when the doubles begin, and little logic involved, so I was trying to avoid getting bogged down in that argument.
i am having issues with my key C of the upper octave?
how can i achieve that?
All the notes of the key C, or the note C itself? Which octave are you referring to as “the upper octave”?
To me compression = blowing harder, please prove me wrong!
Not a question of proving you wrong. If you blow harder into a system of limited size, like a brass instrument, then you are compressing air. The trouble is that you are very limited in how much you can compress in that way before some part of the system breaks down. The flesh tends to give before the metal does. It’s a sure way to hurt yourself.
The other problem is that, in order to achieve/maintain resonance in the instrument, as you ascend, it requires smaller and smaller quantities of faster and faster air. By blowing harder, you’re giving it the opposite, expending more energy than necessary, and usually hurting yourself in the process. It’s not efficient.
I spent a lot of years doing this the hard way. I hurt my lips constantly, and very nearly to an extent I don’t believe I could have recovered from. Fortunately, I was able to get good advice before it was too late and turn things around. Just trying to help those of you who are open-minded enough to accept that you don’t know everything cut out some of the painful stuff in the middle.
The simple truth of all of this is that, if you’re doing it efficiently, it doesn’t hurt to play a brass instrument. There should be no “acceptable levels” of pain and injury involved in it. I’d invite you to prove me wrong about that, but you can’t.
actually, the high G is a lot more elusive and problematic to me...(having the break between F# and G).
It can vary, depending on your physicality and equipment, as I said in the video. The solution is still the same.