you know what. this is the best i've seen. ever. but i'm very much a newbie and i can't play. maybe never will. only had a trumpet about a year and still can't reliably get c5. okay? a real bum. but listen, I do think i've learned something. I do. And many or most of these guys never mention it. It's this: it's in the mind. You have to have it in the mind. It is in the mind first. Now I know that is true from whistling. To my surprise there's many people who can't whistle. When I was a kid we all could whistle. You taught yourself. You 'found' your whistle. And then you whistle notes, up and down, 'from the mind'. You don't know how you do it. You just whistle it because that's what you want to whistle and out it comes. And I think trumpet players (and many other players) are really like that. They 'found' their way to get a sound and from then on the do it from the mind, really. And they think about what they just did after they do it and then try to tell you that as the way for you to do it. Copy them, they're saying. I just did this, so if you do that you'll get the same thing. And they tell you as faithfully as they can exactly what they've noticed that they did. tightened this, slackened that, moved this and so on. breathed this way or that way. But they don't tell you that first they 'thought' it. the way a whistler 'thinks' what he's going to whistle without even thinking he's thinking it. Okay? And another thing I reckon I have discovered even though I'm 'getting nowhere' and am a total bum at it: and it's this: for me at least: start at the top. It's part of 'thinking it' really. I started 'at the bottom'. Found after lots of effort a note I could reliably get and made that my starting point. It was C. C4. (Bb really of course). And I kept trying to go up from there. And it became a series of harder trying, more push, more strain, more effort, more tension. And couldn't reliably get past the G never mind get to C5. BUT: I'd come 'off the end' of a note as the breath ran out and it'd leap up to a higher note ! That's common. With me at least. Has happened a million times. Quite clear the message. Lip tension, tons of air, hard blowing: not needed for a higher note. Not needed. Then I saw a child prodigy. Little girl in china somewhere picked up a trumpet - she wouldn't have been more than 10 years old if that - and from the first note blew clear and strong with adult authority. So what the hell is going on I'm thinking. And I started thinking of thinking the note. Which I'm such a lousy cloth ear would be musician I can't even really 'think' a note at all but I started just thinking 'high' sort of if you see what I mean. And blowing quiet. And without strain. And to cut the long story short I found my best starting note now at least is the G and doing a scale now get possible C5 down G4. Whereas, I forget to mention this and really its the most significant bit - starting at the low 'my starter' place my slack embouchure couldn't change to accommodate the higher notes on the way up and if it did by some miracle it certainly couldn't undo it to come back down. WHEREAS: the 'start high' thing gave me, gives me, an embouchure that accommodates the high of course, that's where it starts, but can run down and back up again with an ease never previously attainable. So that's my little rave. Targeted to that tiny group of individuals who may share my own set of problems and live with the same difficulties. I can tell you that I'm currently waiting. Yes, waiting. For my face, my body, to decide how it is going to make those high notes. How it is going to make the embouchure necessary to do it. When I ask it to do it I find it can't. I'm thinking C5 and nothing comes out. Take a run up to C5 and it comes: therefore it can do it. It's me stopping it. And above C5. They pop out here and there all the time. Like I said before : on the 'relaxing' times, when I'm 'coming down off' the tension and the trying. I'm 'looking for my whistle'. :)
We HAVE been lied to! (unintentionally, I'm sure) Trumpeters joke that the pinkie hook is our "octave key." But it works. Why? The increase in pressure of metal-on-flesh firms up the system in the same way a flex does. Likewise, pulling the corners back with the risorius muscle (literally "smile muscle") firms things up by stretching and thinning the lips. So pulling the horn onto the face works and smiling works, too. The problem with both strategies is that the tissues become bruised and starved of nourishing circulation from the excess pressure of the rim. (Also the thin, stressed tissue doesn't sound so good, either) So, endurance is severely limited. Chis is correct that the orbicularis orbis muscles, which pucker the lips, co-contract (in an isometric contraction) with the smile muscles to form a secure, working embouchure. Nakariakov accomplishes this (in his unique fashion) with his frowning muscles (depressor anguli oris), but so what, it works to stabilize his set-up very well. For me, the problem is how do you teach an involuntary, unconscious action? Jerry Callet (RIP) thought that correct playing in the staff sets up the conditions to develop range, provided the chops are never stretched or abused with pressure. Rest often. Relax. Don't over-blow. Kudos to Chris for his intelligent exploration of this subject. Too many well- intentioned teachers focus on air (in vast quantities) or muscle strength (gadgets, pencil exercises, etc.). These are tiny muscles and must be treated gingerly. Besides, it's the skin covering these muscles that do the actual vibrating. If the skin swells, vibration is shut down. Gosh, I do prattle on!
Hey Chris, First you misunderstand the verb "to flex". What you do is mixing it up with the verb "to tense". They are not the same. What you do - is to open (low note) or close (high note) the aperture. Variations between those change the tone. The note - on the contrary is dependent on the natural scale of the instrument and (which you demonstrate, and (not "or")) by changing the length of the tube by your valves. The size of the aperture is giving the premise for the tone within each of the ranges dedided by the instruments natural or valve-changed tube length. I give you cred for your playing, but your theory is largely faulty in the basics. The high notes demand more energy to reach a musical level of volume. The higher, the mor energy. You have probably a long time ago developed the neccessary musculature in your lips, so you do this effortlessly, like a weightlifter effortlessly lifts a hundred pounds. Notice players not quite so good, how they turn red in the face, pushing for double C. It is never a question of just power or aperture. If that was so, we would not have all the different instrument sizes, from the soprano trumpet to the tuba. The natural tones given by each depends on length of tube and size of aperture plus the neccessary input of energy from lungs and abdomen. A trumpet demands much energy, but not so much volume of air. The tuba demands not so much energy, but a large volume of air for the lower tones. Trumpets work with small apertures, tubas with large apertures. Take a look at the mouthpieces.
Fantastic video
Great sound also!!
you know what. this is the best i've seen. ever. but i'm very much a newbie and i can't play. maybe never will. only had a trumpet about a year and still can't reliably get c5. okay? a real bum. but listen, I do think i've learned something. I do. And many or most of these guys never mention it. It's this: it's in the mind. You have to have it in the mind. It is in the mind first.
Now I know that is true from whistling. To my surprise there's many people who can't whistle. When I was a kid we all could whistle. You taught yourself. You 'found' your whistle. And then you whistle notes, up and down, 'from the mind'. You don't know how you do it. You just whistle it because that's what you want to whistle and out it comes.
And I think trumpet players (and many other players) are really like that. They 'found' their way to get a sound and from then on the do it from the mind, really.
And they think about what they just did after they do it and then try to tell you that as the way for you to do it. Copy them, they're saying. I just did this, so if you do that you'll get the same thing. And they tell you as faithfully as they can exactly what they've noticed that they did. tightened this, slackened that, moved this and so on. breathed this way or that way.
But they don't tell you that first they 'thought' it. the way a whistler 'thinks' what he's going to whistle without even thinking he's thinking it.
Okay?
And another thing I reckon I have discovered even though I'm 'getting nowhere' and am a total bum at it: and it's this: for me at least: start at the top.
It's part of 'thinking it' really.
I started 'at the bottom'. Found after lots of effort a note I could reliably get and made that my starting point. It was C. C4. (Bb really of course). And I kept trying to go up from there.
And it became a series of harder trying, more push, more strain, more effort, more tension.
And couldn't reliably get past the G never mind get to C5.
BUT: I'd come 'off the end' of a note as the breath ran out and it'd leap up to a higher note !
That's common. With me at least. Has happened a million times. Quite clear the message. Lip tension, tons of air, hard blowing: not needed for a higher note.
Not needed.
Then I saw a child prodigy. Little girl in china somewhere picked up a trumpet - she wouldn't have been more than 10 years old if that - and from the first note blew clear and strong with adult authority.
So what the hell is going on I'm thinking.
And I started thinking of thinking the note. Which I'm such a lousy cloth ear would be musician I can't even really 'think' a note at all but I started just thinking 'high' sort of if you see what I mean.
And blowing quiet. And without strain.
And to cut the long story short I found my best starting note now at least is the G and doing a scale now get possible C5 down G4.
Whereas, I forget to mention this and really its the most significant bit - starting at the low 'my starter' place my slack embouchure couldn't change to accommodate the higher notes on the way up and if it did by some miracle it certainly couldn't undo it to come back down.
WHEREAS: the 'start high' thing gave me, gives me, an embouchure that accommodates the high of course, that's where it starts, but can run down and back up again with an ease never previously attainable.
So that's my little rave.
Targeted to that tiny group of individuals who may share my own set of problems and live with the same difficulties. I can tell you that I'm currently waiting. Yes, waiting. For my face, my body, to decide how it is going to make those high notes. How it is going to make the embouchure necessary to do it. When I ask it to do it I find it can't. I'm thinking C5 and nothing comes out. Take a run up to C5 and it comes: therefore it can do it. It's me stopping it. And above C5. They pop out here and there all the time. Like I said before : on the 'relaxing' times, when I'm 'coming down off' the tension and the trying.
I'm 'looking for my whistle'.
:)
We HAVE been lied to! (unintentionally, I'm sure) Trumpeters joke that the pinkie hook is our "octave key." But it works. Why? The increase in pressure of metal-on-flesh firms up the system in the same way a flex does. Likewise, pulling the corners back with the risorius muscle (literally "smile muscle") firms things up by stretching and thinning the lips. So pulling the horn onto the face works and smiling works, too. The problem with both strategies is that the tissues become bruised and starved of nourishing circulation from the excess pressure of the rim. (Also the thin, stressed tissue doesn't sound so good, either) So, endurance is severely limited. Chis is correct that the orbicularis orbis muscles, which pucker the lips, co-contract (in an isometric contraction) with the smile muscles to form a secure, working embouchure. Nakariakov accomplishes this (in his unique fashion) with his frowning muscles (depressor anguli oris), but so what, it works to stabilize his set-up very well.
For me, the problem is how do you teach an involuntary, unconscious action? Jerry Callet (RIP) thought that correct playing in the staff sets up the conditions to develop range, provided the chops are never stretched or abused with pressure. Rest often. Relax. Don't over-blow.
Kudos to Chris for his intelligent exploration of this subject. Too many well- intentioned teachers focus on air (in vast quantities) or muscle strength (gadgets, pencil exercises, etc.). These are tiny muscles and must be treated gingerly. Besides, it's the skin covering these muscles that do the actual vibrating. If the skin swells, vibration is shut down.
Gosh, I do prattle on!
Your singing is also great ^ ^
how can one acquire this skill? by playing a lot of lipslurs?
oh…Blackburn PIPE？😮
Hey Chris,
First you misunderstand the verb "to flex". What you do is mixing it up with the verb "to tense". They are not the same.
What you do - is to open (low note) or close (high note) the aperture. Variations between those change the tone.
The note - on the contrary is dependent on the natural scale of the instrument and (which you demonstrate, and (not "or")) by changing the length of the tube by your valves.
The size of the aperture is giving the premise for the tone within each of the ranges dedided by the instruments natural or valve-changed tube length.
I give you cred for your playing, but your theory is largely faulty in the basics. The high notes demand more energy to reach a musical level of volume. The higher, the mor energy.
You have probably a long time ago developed the neccessary musculature in your lips, so you do this effortlessly, like a weightlifter effortlessly lifts a hundred pounds.
Notice players not quite so good, how they turn red in the face, pushing for double C.
It is never a question of just power or aperture. If that was so, we would not have all the different instrument sizes, from the soprano trumpet to the tuba. The natural tones given by each
depends on length of tube and size of aperture plus the neccessary input of energy from lungs and abdomen. A trumpet demands much energy, but not so much volume of air.
The tuba demands not so much energy, but a large volume of air for the lower tones. Trumpets work with small apertures, tubas with large apertures. Take a look at the mouthpieces.
Very interesting!