I’ve been playing trumpet for 59 years and after trying these techniques I’ve experienced playing a full 6 notes higher than before! That’s HUGE for me! Thanks for sharing this technique.
I love the fact that you start students with middle G. I've always thought this is the place to start and playing low C is teaching students to have difficulty playing high. It solves so many problems.
The coursebook that I started trumpet with, 30 years ago had me start at G also but I couldn't do it. Only this low C wanted to pop out in the first week or 2. Took about 6 months to reach high c and didn't get much further since in any kind of consistent way, besides this freak accident where I suddenly jumped an octave and could not repeat, but sheet music almost never asks for anything over a G on top of the staff, so it wasn't a big handicap.
Hi Tito. Like you, I have been playing professionally since my late teens (I’m 67 now). I had the good fortune of studying trumpet with Canada’s great brass teacher Don Johnson and your pedagogy is almost exactly what Don shared with me. After a lifetime of daily practice, performing, teaching (university level) and observation of colleagues as well as students I have only one argument. By doing all of the correct things that you describe, a student should be able to develop their upper register potential but that potential is not the same for everyone. Some people I believe are blessed with physical characteristics that enable them to excel at the physical aspects of trumpet playing. The moment I turned on this video I thought to myself that that guy looks like a trumpet player. My professional life has been based in Toronto, Canada and through the years have worked with many world class lead trumpet players who travelled on the road with different performers. Probably Canada’s all-time great lead player was Arnie Chycoski who played with Rob McConnell and The Boss Brass. I was fortunate to play at his side in the Boss Brass as well countless recording sessions and other gigs. It was always a lesson. All of this to say that he had the same kind of facial characteristics as you and so many other fine players do (not me sadly). I hope this doesn’t sound defeatist. All I mean is that while we are all created equal maybe but not the same. On the other hand, the only way to know what you are capable of is to give it your best shot and in my opinion your ideas on upper register development are exactly right. Sorry for going on this long.
I appreciate your comments here John, thank you. 🙏🏽. My purpose for posting this video is to simply describe the process I went through in order to break through to a new level of upper register control. I don’t expect that everyone will be able to play a double C, but if something that I say here can help someone increase their range Even by a few notes, then I think it was worth posting. I agree with you that people have different facial structures, teeth structures, etc. and those are factors for range development. My goal is to help students make the trumpet easier so that they can play more of the music that they wanna play. Wow, I’ll have to look up Don Johnson, I don’t know him at all. Thank you for watching the video and for your kind words.
I think it’s the teeth as well as oral shape of mouth. I took lessons from Jerome Callet back in 76. You can increase range but some people will be limited. My grandfather was Bunny Berigan and he had power and range and was actually a good lead player.
Hi Tito! When I was young (some 50 years ago) I had a solid G. Since then, my lifestyle and types of bands I played in (loud and louder BS&T, TOP etc.) played havoc with my chops. I found your straw analogy very interesting. When I tried it out I was able to get up to Double C with very little effort! And, the movement of my corners coming in when going up is EXACTLY how the pedal register works for me! So, now I see why people have advocated practicing pedal ones. This is my first practice session utilizing what you showed us but I'm "jazzed"! Thanks so very much. From a 76 year old former Las Vegas Relief Band trumpet player! Greg Vanboven
I am starting to play some notes in the upper register. I started playing the trompet three years ago. Since I am retired, I have all the time in the world, I practice and rest a lot every day. I never had a teacher, only have my right arm. But I believe I am getting better everyday. Starting to read and play notes. The timing is where I have a little problem, but at my 70 years of age, I am very excited to play my trumpet.
Great tip that energy has to come from somewhere. 68 yr old comeback player, just for self, to try to do what I used to do in the 70's. Found I was pushing the air from lower body far too little. Think I've picked up D and E over high C, and could barely get D in my best days. Fun! Thanks!
My SUPER hero! ... comeback player after 45 years. I've been back at it consistently for 8 weeks now ... after watching and listening to you here ... first time ever double G ... wasn't held long or very loud but clear and on pitch ... still a very long way to go to be able to consistently reproduce and control anything above a D but it's a decent start. Having watched listened and experimented, I discovered that I already naturally form the tongue arch beginning on E at top of the staff ... (for me the key is) to bring my bottom lip up incrementally to close the aperture ... sounds so simple yet without your help I would not likely have been inspired ... thanks so much Tito!
I put down my trumpet 40 years ago and only recently picked it back up. Of all the videos on TH-cam on how to improve range yours stands out for its clarity and illustrations. Your video described some of the same problems I am having and explained the causes and more importantly, the solutions. You are an excellent teacher. Thank you.
Hi Tito I wish I had your video when I used to play. I took lessons back in 1976 from Jerry Callet and it did help me go from a strong hi C to a good high F . But I could never get higher with power and a good sound. Jerry told me use a lot of air but press the tongue against the lower lip. Keep the tongue forward. It helped but I went back to my old way I was taught because it felt too uncomfortable for me. My grandfather was Bunny Berigan and he was strong on the trumpet. He used a traditional way of playing. I am not sure but it worked. I think you make sense to me. I don’t play anymore but it fun to learn. Thanks and you sound great.
Hey Tito I'm just a high school student and yet when doing what you said as an exercise it greatly improved not just my range but the control of the note and pitch as well thank you so much man I have been looking for so long on TH-cam for some good advice and I finnaly found it thanks man ❤️
This video is a revelation for me! Thanks for putting out such great content. I haven't played high note with such an eased feeling ever. This is an entirely different perspective to playing up there. Thanks Tito!
Greetings from Ireland Tito! You are a great teacher! Thank you! You have a new subscriber! I have been playing trumpet since the early mid "80" and I am unfortunately totally self taught. I'd get a few pointers with my father in law who was a fine trumpeter who started playing in his twenties in big band music in his brass group on a luxury liner from the USA to Britain in the mid 1930s. And went on playing most of his life. He put it down for awhile but, when he saw how much I loved playing he picked it back up. I purchased the "trumpet practice books and learned on my own. Fortunately I was fortunate enough to get a clear sound the first blowing into a trumpet. I wanted to play since I was a small child. Luis Armstrong was my favourite to listen to as a child. I have been playing since the mid "80s". I am now now 64. I can transpose on sight into different keys and have a clear sound. I practice 3 to 6 hours. But I have trouble playing very fast jazz. And I can only easily go up to F# to A but, can't go higher, only once in a while awhile. I used to love playing with my Father in law and he was happy to have someone to play with. We played a few times into the wee hours of the moring. We moved to Ireland and sadly He past away 😢. He was so kind to me and left me his fabulous and even a slide trumpet or more aptly called a saprano trombone. I have yet to learn it. I wish I had someone who could help me with the areas I have trouble. I have trouble doing the FAST Jazz articulations with many accidentals and fast double and triple tonguing. The ka ta ka ta ka... I need someone to help. There doesn't seem to be anymore here in Ireland accept someone who teaches trumpet to a marching band. And from the way they sound, I am probably beyond his teaching. I am truly hoping you can help me in these areas. I used to always play at church, but where we are now the musicians, accept for my hubby who is a classically trained violinist, all are guitarist who play by ear and have no idea and no way way of telling what key they are in most the time. I can't really play with them at this time, so I play the various Irish flutes in sifferent keys. My hubby can here what key they are in. So I play the flute with them. It's difficult to explain how I must transpose, it sounds like Japanese to them. I could play tthe trumpet if they would practice more than just awhile befor the meeting starts. So I play alone at home and somes with my hubby. I keep playing and LOVE to practice! I know someday I will play for my God and Saviour and I pray He is blessed. I willl pray that your operation is a success and our Lord who lloves yoou, give you the desire of yuour heart!❤✝️🕊🙏🏻
Tengo 66 ańos de edad y estoy tocando mejor y mas alto que cuando practicaba 3 horas a diario... tus consejos de relajar el cuerpo arriba y los labios y no usar fuerza y concentrarse en la boca y la varita, me están ayudando...
Sos el mejor Tito!!! Mil gracias por compartir este video con todos nosotros!!! (You are the best Tito!!! Thank you so much for sharing this video with all of us!!! you changed my life)
I just watched this video for the second time after 7 months and Ive leared a llot since then, and when i heard you say "hiw much air can you really blow throu a mouthpece anyway" it got me thingking so I tried it applied it to my horn and i was finally able to get to high E and it sounded good aswell. It really is mostly a mental game.
A few months ago I picked my trumpet back up after about 35 years. High notes have always been lip splitting punishment for me. Your video has really help me. I liked the part about Horizontal playing too. I also have hit some high notes that I’m amazed at. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Tito, man I may get emotional because I love trumpet playing to death.. you are explaining very clearly what has been my hard and long learning path and when you popped that MRI video i snapped man it's exactly where Im at. that video is so enlightening btw...Paying attention to the tongue, man I love trumpet here's a sub!!
Been playing as a rank amateur for 60 years now tinkering with piccolo trumpet to be concert tuba and everything in between. With piccolo trumpet I have learned that only a little air is needed just like you say in regards to the higher register. Thanks and I'll work on the tongue
Maynard Ferguson and Jerry Catlett were important contributors. It's simple physics... smaller the aperture, continuing air stream speed = higher the note. What he describes is 100% scientifically correct. Yep control with tiny air = control.
Hey Tito! I just stumbled on this video in my recommended and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I love the in depth explanation of the tongue arch with the xray video. I wanted to let you know that I had the chance to play alongside you at a jazz club in Phoenix a few years ago! I was a student of Russ Schmidt throughout high school and have continued my jazz studies at Utah State University as a music performance major. You were a major inspiration to me! I hope you’re doing well, and hope to see more videos. -Ronan
Hello Tito, I have struggled with range and endurance for a long time. That tongue-jaw concept made a huge difference in just one day of practicing it. Like you, I made a decent career playing the trumpet without the ability to play anything above high F. Even then, it sucked that I could not figure out how to break through it. Thank you!
Thanks Tito for your great video. I am a non professional trumpet player from bavaria, Germany. I've been doing some exercises quite similar to yours and it really helped to expand my upper register. Your video confirmed that in have been doing many things correctly, which is great and it makes me think more about abdominal breathing. I'm really excited to try your exercises and hopefully gain even more range. Thanks a lot. Auf Wiedersehen 😁
A really great video with a lot of helpful information and advice concerning to improve the upper register. One of the best I ever had seen. Thank you so much
I'm in my 3rd year of playing trumpet and the highest note I've ever been able to reach was the high f above 5th line.. (3 1/2 lines above the 5th).. and I always struggle with getting good tone with notes that are higher than the g above the staff................ this video helped a lot... thanks
Hidy and THANK YOU for doing the video. Tongue/Jaw + Lower Breath Support + Horizontal Airstream = a centered tone in all registers. Make it easy & sound great. Now to do all that and stretch my mouth into the look of a ghoulish hillbilly. I can do that, but It's taking the time to learn it all. I don't deserve a shortcut to playing big band stuff, but it gives me a place to strive for. THANK YOU, for your input.
Hi Tito, I wanna thank you for your lesson on playing high in the upper register. I've played trumpet since 4th grade and I'm 62yrs old. I never gave it a try...of playing every day softly in the upper register. I can finally hit a high E above the staff but, I'm struggling with trying to hit a F. I can hit it but, it comes out without any strong sound...so, I'm gonna give this lesson of playing everyday softly in the upper register and see where it takes me. I'll definitely let you know the results of my practice....sign Craig..
Straw size is a GREAT way to describe aperture shape/dynamics. BRAVO!!! My wonderful French horn teacher, Thomas Bacon used the same analogy. It made all the difference. I was eventually able to regularly/consistently'solidly play to a double-G on French horn. (High D on Bb trumpet) Now, I play Bb trumpet and can easily and constently nail high D's on Bb trumpet. Working on consistently reaching double G. It's going to happen - even using a Schilke M1* mouthpiece. Straw size. Yeah! - and angle and inside diameter of rim and... and... Yeah. You can do it! LET IT BE EASY. Find the way.
My first college instructor had me make subtle adjustments to my jaw position to find my "sound center". He had me do that throughout my range. That alone went a long way with helping improve my range. Other things just fell into place for me.
But Jason, you were already terrifyingly good at this stuff!!! Thank you for watching, you are a huge inspiration to me, especially how you are able to fluidly incorporate your upper register into your improvisations. Much love! 🙏🏽
What's crazy with me is that I had a DHC LONG before I could play a double A. It took me forever to get that A. The A doesn't exist on the Bb Trumpet, you have to find it by backing off and finding the "slot" for it and then gradually opening it up. There are also alternate fingerings you can try. Most cats use either the 2nd or 3rd valve to play the A. Arnie Chycoski played it open. Bill Chase was the ONLY guy I know to play the A with all 3 valves-he also could play his Ab that way and on my Schilke B6, sure enough, the Ab and A CAN be played with all 3 valves down, but the A tends to be under pitch-you have to lip it up into pitch. Crazy. Now my Bb doesn't exist for 50 grand. And my psychiatrist wonders why I'm insane.
I’m not a trumpet player but I do play trombone. I just talked to you about how to establish a practice routine at Purdue university. I find it really interesting that you say using a lot of air doesn’t help high notes. One of my band directors told me that you need more air to hit high notes. I’m not too sure why I’m writing this as a comment but it just peaked my interest.
Yeah, I’ve been told that before as well. I’m not necessarily telling you to back off. What I’m saying is that your airstream is getting smaller and smaller in diameter as you ascend, which will mean you’re technically using less air. You’ll be using more air if you play high AND loud, but still not as much air if you’re playing low and loud. Low notes are where we use most of our air.
Tito, this is the first video I watched since finding your channel. I'm a guitarist who studied French Horn in college but has always had issues with endurance and high register. I recently returned to playing horn after 40 years off. This video enabled me to pick up the horn cold and with the faster air play right up to high C as a real note for the first time ever! Not a wobbly squeal, a real centered note! My bassoonist wife was shocked! Now I watch all of your videos! Thank you so much!
Thank you ! If even a pro like you could have such limitations, this gives us amateurs hope as well. I was not able to break that high barrier on my tuba for 20+ years. I know that easy is crucial here as I occasionally blew (almost in error) a very high note without effort, but never managed to reproduce it consistently.
Thank you Tito. I find your approach extremely helpful. No one I’ve heard explains the inner mechanisms of trumpet playing as well as you You’re a great teacher.
Wow .Thanks for this education on what is practical , possible on the trumpet and showing the effort needed . Composers rely on your type of video so we can write with some knowledge . Thankyou . The A 5 sounds impossible .The C is indefinite pitched but it's there . I wrote a trumpet concerto that inches up to a g 5 . I won't write above that now that I've seen this .
Hi Tito, greetings from Ann Arbor! I hope all is well! This is fantastic and I'll be working on your methods immediately. Very inspiring and so patiently explained and beautifully demonstrated. Stay well!
Hola Tito! Excellent material, thanks. Another factor, perhaps, is slight variations in the pressure of the mouthpiece against the lips. I can see it in the videos (fingers come closer), and from personal experience. Very subtle movements. In short, more pressure in higher notes for a better "seal".
GREAT video, and I'm only 14 minutes in! The other thing about the "internal" idea that makes range difficult to convey to other players is: Everyone is BUILT DIFFERENT. What Jon Faddis or Wayne did to figure it out may not be the same as what you, or I are doing.
Hi Tito, thanks a lot for this amazing video! I'm a singer and I was absolutely fascinated by the fact that every single advice or concept you give applies to singing. Lower body engagement, long neck, small regular stream of air, importance of tongue/jaw apparatus, what we call "pharyngeal vowels", no fiddling around and tightening your lips or any part of your face and above all the two principles "sounds great/feels easy" for any note, high, medium or low. WOW!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
You explained concepts I was familiar with already, but never worked out for me, in such clear detail that I started to trust them again and they seem to be giving me interesting results I might add to my system! Thank you so much.
Yes Yes and Yes! I have been dealing with all of this recently and this video is a light bulb moment especially Identifying with the specific breathing for me! Wishing you well for your recovery also! We need you🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾!!!!!!
Good info! Practicing in the upper register SOFTLY is critical in developing an easy and playable upper register.... saying that, most upper register playing while playing music is LOUD... this is why PRACTICING softly in the upper register is so important... if you are only playing music in the upper register, you will almost always be approaching the upper register with your embouchure way too open.
Tito, I’ve taken lessons and I’ve watched a LOT of trumpet techniques videos on TH-cam. Never before has anyone explained the use of the lower body to add energy in playing in the high registers before. I’ve been using the upper body for physicality in the upper register, but your approach makes upper register long tones MUCH easier to play! Also, your explanation about keeping the core engaged for support in register leaps was an epiphany!! I’m looking forward to practicing this until it becomes second nature. Playing trumpet is NOT as easy as breathing if you’re not breathing for playing the trumpet!! THANK YOU!!
This makes me so happy, thanks for your comment Tyr! To be fair, there are quite a few videos discussing things like the yoga breath or wedge breath by Roger Ingram and Bobby Shew, and those teachings have influenced my approach.
@@jazzmindwithtitocarrillo605 I was absolutely transfixed by your ability to ascend into the upper register left hand only. Obviously only a seal without tremendous mouthpiece pressure, so that really emphasized your point of lower body support, even seated!
I remember many years ago doing trumpet recitals at a public school in front of an audience my knees shaking never sure if I could hit that elusive G sitting on top of the stave let alone the A above it. I never realised until seeing this that it is a prevalent problem. My teacher was a professional musician earning pin money who never really helped and probably did not know himself how he did it. The wealth of information now is such a boon for any new aspiring musicians as I just suffered in silence with little help. This does make me feel less of a failure hearing all this. I abandoned the trumpet and switched to a flute but purely for my own amusement.
I am a similar come back player with 38 years of no trumpet after college. This Hass to be the absolute best video I have ever seen regarding use of the tongue, jaw and lower body. Interestingly, my teacher in college Renée Lemart also taught this and has or had a very nice book on it. Bravo Tito, for bringing this up and elaborating on it so nicely.
Great video. I'm about halfway through. Glad to see someone else talking straws, I stumbled on that analogy teaching one day and was like "holy crap", this is a great way to represent this.
Great video . The one thing I question is what you say about the throat. If you look at both Sarah's video and the trumbone video, maybe the biggest movement from low to high after the tongue is actually the larynx which is low in the low range and high in the high range. This indicates to me that the larynx is being used as a resistance point and is rising for greater stability up top. On the dvd of the study which Sarah took part of there was a laryngoscopic study done of Schneider, who unlike Sarah is a high horn wizard, he had a high degree of ariepiglotic narrowing while playing high and the larynx was clearly a big determiner of his ability to shift notes and achieve the famous horn lip trill. This is an interesting point because whereas Farkas in his foundational book said that the larynx was one of the 3 resistance points, most players seem to have decided that is wrong and that Farkas was wrong . Well but I've watched a lot of these various mri videos and I'm yet to see someone navigate the range without a high degree of laringeal involvement seen . That said, if the air versus resistance ratio is good the player may not feel his larynx at all, but it's problematic to say the throat isn't involved. There is a way to prove it, take a very deep breath and put your finger on your larynx, it should be very low, then play and see how high you can get without I lifting. I actually do this as an exercise while playing horn and trumpet for singing and I can barely get to an A above the staff that way and the technique while a good trainer is very unnatural, I dont believe any pro trumpeter plays the high range that way
This just popped up in my feed. Grateful! I will be examining your approach over the coming weeks. I've been playing for quite a number of years and constantly plagued by high note failure (an no, not extreme high register, i struggle with A on top of the staff), which often over shadows a lot of other things because it's always a worry (and a feeling of imposter syndrome).
Tito! I'm only half way through the video, but I keep saying YES as I'm listening. So much of what you are presenting resonates exactly with what has worked for me as I can continue to develop as a trumpeter and what I'm finding works for my students.
An excellent Lesson - Thanks for your down to Earth honest methodology. I`m looking forward to getting into those upper registers with your help. Bless you.
Yo Tito I need to get another lesson with you, last time was WAY back in 1996 when you were still around DeKalb occasionally. Still got my high E ceiling (with occasional F’s) my early 40s. Would love to pick your brain over Zoom sometime when you have free time over break perhaps. You sound incredible as always Tito! Talk to you later bro.
My experience is that the main barrier to playing high is a mental barrier. Also, the essential elements book often used for beginning band does start you on middle G rather than low C.
Thanks so much for this absolute help. In just this short video I'm been places in the upper register I thought I'd never see. Your the man.
So glad this helped you Walter! 🙏🏽
THIS GUY IS MY GOAT. IM IN 8TH GRADE AND NOW I CAN PLAY LIKE DOUBLE Bs EASILY THANK YOU
I’ve been playing trumpet for 59 years and after trying these techniques I’ve experienced playing a full 6 notes higher than before! That’s HUGE for me! Thanks for sharing this technique.
Wow Rich, that's amazing! So glad the techniques are helping, and thanks for watching!
THANKS!! TITO!! YOU'VE DEFINITELY! HELPED ME FIGURE OUT HOW TO PLAY HIGH NOTES ON MY TRUMPET! YOUR AN EXCELLENT TEACHER!!!🎺👍
I love the fact that you start students with middle G. I've always thought this is the place to start and playing low C is teaching students to have difficulty playing high. It solves so many problems.
The coursebook that I started trumpet with, 30 years ago had me start at G also but I couldn't do it. Only this low C wanted to pop out in the first week or 2. Took about 6 months to reach high c and didn't get much further since in any kind of consistent way, besides this freak accident where I suddenly jumped an octave and could not repeat, but sheet music almost never asks for anything over a G on top of the staff, so it wasn't a big handicap.
Hi Tito. Like you, I have been playing professionally since my late teens (I’m 67 now). I had the good fortune of studying trumpet with Canada’s great brass teacher Don Johnson and your pedagogy is almost exactly what Don shared with me. After a lifetime of daily practice, performing, teaching (university level) and observation of colleagues as well as students I have only one argument. By doing all of the correct things that you describe, a student should be able to develop their upper register potential but that potential is not the same for everyone. Some people I believe are blessed with physical characteristics that enable them to excel at the physical aspects of trumpet playing. The moment I turned on this video I thought to myself that that guy looks like a trumpet player. My professional life has been based in Toronto, Canada and through the years have worked with many world class lead trumpet players who travelled on the road with different performers. Probably Canada’s all-time great lead player was Arnie Chycoski who played with Rob McConnell and The Boss Brass. I was fortunate to play at his side in the Boss Brass as well countless recording sessions and other gigs. It was always a lesson. All of this to say that he had the same kind of facial characteristics as you and so many other fine players do (not me sadly). I hope this doesn’t sound defeatist. All I mean is that while we are all created equal maybe but not the same. On the other hand, the only way to know what you are capable of is to give it your best shot and in my opinion your ideas on upper register development are exactly right. Sorry for going on this long.
I appreciate your comments here John, thank you. 🙏🏽. My purpose for posting this video is to simply describe the process I went through in order to break through to a new level of upper register control. I don’t expect that everyone will be able to play a double C, but if something that I say here can help someone increase their range Even by a few notes, then I think it was worth posting. I agree with you that people have different facial structures, teeth structures, etc. and those are factors for range development. My goal is to help students make the trumpet easier so that they can play more of the music that they wanna play. Wow, I’ll have to look up Don Johnson, I don’t know him at all. Thank you for watching the video and for your kind words.
Thoughts on Maynard? Was he using a similar approach?
@@jazzmindwithtitocarrillo605 16:38
Why do we rarely (never?) see female lead trumpeters?
I hope it's not because we're not "built right". 🤪😆
I think it’s the teeth as well as oral shape of mouth. I took lessons from Jerome Callet back in 76. You can increase range but some people will be limited. My grandfather was Bunny Berigan and he had power and range and was actually a good lead player.
Hi Tito! When I was young (some 50 years ago) I had a solid G. Since then, my lifestyle and types of bands I played in (loud and louder BS&T, TOP etc.) played havoc with my chops. I found your straw analogy very interesting. When I tried it out I was able to get up to Double C with very little effort! And, the movement of my corners coming in when going up is EXACTLY how the pedal register works for me! So, now I see why people have advocated practicing pedal ones. This is my first practice session utilizing what you showed us but I'm "jazzed"! Thanks so very much.
From a 76 year old former Las Vegas Relief Band trumpet player! Greg Vanboven
That’s amazing Greg! Thanks for sharing, and keep it going, sounds like you’ve got some more juice left in there! 👊🏽
I am starting to play some notes in the upper register. I started playing the trompet three years ago. Since I am retired, I have all the time in the world, I practice and rest a lot every day. I never had a teacher, only have my right arm. But I believe I am getting better everyday. Starting to read and play notes. The timing is where I have a little problem, but at my 70 years of age, I am very excited to play my trumpet.
Great tip that energy has to come from somewhere. 68 yr old comeback player, just for self, to try to do what I used to do in the 70's. Found I was pushing the air from lower body far too little. Think I've picked up D and E over high C, and could barely get D in my best days. Fun! Thanks!
My SUPER hero! ... comeback player after 45 years. I've been back at it consistently for 8 weeks now ... after watching and listening to you here ... first time ever double G ... wasn't held long or very loud but clear and on pitch ... still a very long way to go to be able to consistently reproduce and control anything above a D but it's a decent start. Having watched listened and experimented, I discovered that I already naturally form the tongue arch beginning on E at top of the staff ... (for me the key is) to bring my bottom lip up incrementally to close the aperture ... sounds so simple yet without your help I would not likely have been inspired ... thanks so much Tito!
I put down my trumpet 40 years ago and only recently picked it back up. Of all the videos on TH-cam on how to improve range yours stands out for its clarity and illustrations. Your video described some of the same problems I am having and explained the causes and more importantly, the solutions. You are an excellent teacher. Thank you.
Thank you Willy, I wish you the best on your trumpet journey!
ÀMEN!🎉 I agree completely!!!
This is the best tutorial on this subject I've seen so far.
This is pure gold! I needed this in the 90's, haha
As I sit here browsing TH-cam and wearing a grey flat cap I am hoping this will help me get up there.
Hi Tito I wish I had your video when I used to play. I took lessons back in 1976 from Jerry Callet and it did help me go from a strong hi C to a good high F . But I could never get higher with power and a good sound. Jerry told me use a lot of air but press the tongue against the lower lip. Keep the tongue forward. It helped but I went back to my old way I was taught because it felt too uncomfortable for me. My grandfather was Bunny Berigan and he was strong on the trumpet. He used a traditional way of playing. I am not sure but it worked. I think you make sense to me. I don’t play anymore but it fun to learn. Thanks and you sound great.
Wow, Bunny Berigan was a true trumpet legend! Thanks for watching Wayne, I appreciate you! 🙏🏽
Hey Tito I'm just a high school student and yet when doing what you said as an exercise it greatly improved not just my range but the control of the note and pitch as well thank you so much man I have been looking for so long on TH-cam for some good advice and I finnaly found it thanks man ❤️
This video is a revelation for me! Thanks for putting out such great content. I haven't played high note with such an eased feeling ever. This is an entirely different perspective to playing up there. Thanks Tito!
Greetings from Ireland Tito! You are a great teacher! Thank you! You have a new subscriber! I have been playing trumpet since the early mid "80" and I am unfortunately totally self taught. I'd get a few pointers with my father in law who was a fine trumpeter who started playing in his twenties in big band music in his brass group on a luxury liner from the USA to Britain in the mid 1930s. And went on playing most of his life. He put it down for awhile but, when he saw how much I loved playing he picked it back up. I purchased the "trumpet practice books and learned on my own. Fortunately I was fortunate enough to get a clear sound the first blowing into a trumpet. I wanted to play since I was a small child.
Luis Armstrong was my favourite to listen to as a child. I have been playing since the mid "80s". I am now now 64. I can transpose on sight into different keys and have a clear sound. I practice 3 to 6 hours. But I have trouble playing very fast jazz. And I can only easily go up to F# to A but, can't go higher, only once in a while awhile. I used to love playing with my Father in law and he was happy to have someone to play with. We played a few times into the wee hours of the moring. We moved to Ireland and sadly He past away 😢. He was so kind to me and left me his fabulous and even a slide trumpet or more aptly called a saprano trombone. I have yet to learn it. I wish I had someone who could help me with the areas I have trouble. I have trouble doing the FAST Jazz articulations with many accidentals and fast double and triple tonguing. The ka ta ka ta ka... I need someone to help. There doesn't seem to be anymore here in Ireland accept someone who teaches trumpet to a marching band. And from the way they sound, I am probably beyond his teaching. I am truly hoping you can help me in these areas. I used to always play at church, but where we are now the musicians, accept for my hubby who is a classically trained violinist, all are guitarist who play by ear and have no idea and no way way of telling what key they are in most the time. I can't really play with them at this time, so I play the various Irish flutes in sifferent keys. My hubby can here what key they are in. So I play the flute with them. It's difficult to explain how I must transpose, it sounds like Japanese to them. I could play tthe trumpet if they would practice more than just awhile befor the meeting starts. So I play alone at home and somes with my hubby. I keep playing and LOVE to practice! I know someday I will play for my God and Saviour and I pray He is blessed. I willl pray that your operation is a success and our Lord who lloves yoou, give you the desire of yuour heart!❤✝️🕊🙏🏻
Tengo 66 ańos de edad y estoy tocando mejor y mas alto que cuando practicaba 3 horas a diario... tus consejos de relajar el cuerpo arriba y los labios y no usar fuerza y concentrarse en la boca y la varita, me están ayudando...
Sos el mejor Tito!!! Mil gracias por compartir este video con todos nosotros!!! (You are the best Tito!!! Thank you so much for sharing this video with all of us!!! you changed my life)
Hi thanks, the straw description is maybe the best advice i ever got for my playing trumpet❤️
I just watched this video for the second time after 7 months and Ive leared a llot since then, and when i heard you say "hiw much air can you really blow throu a mouthpece anyway" it got me thingking so I tried it applied it to my horn and i was finally able to get to high E and it sounded good aswell. It really is mostly a mental game.
outstanding.. my teacher 55 years ago started every lesson with long tones on g , bored me stupid but it worked . great lesson
A few months ago I picked my trumpet back up after about 35 years. High notes have always been lip splitting punishment for me. Your video has really help me. I liked the part about Horizontal playing too. I also have hit some high notes that I’m amazed at. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Yes Tito. Absolutely nailed it. Now I'm off to practise again.
Thank you maestro will try it if you speak Spanish can you do one explaining it in Spanish for the Spanish speaking students
Hi Tito, man I may get emotional because I love trumpet playing to death.. you are explaining very clearly what has been my hard and long learning path and when you popped that MRI video i snapped man it's exactly where Im at. that video is so enlightening btw...Paying attention to the tongue, man I love trumpet here's a sub!!
Been playing as a rank amateur for 60 years now tinkering with piccolo trumpet to be concert tuba and everything in between. With piccolo trumpet I have learned that only a little air is needed just like you say in regards to the higher register. Thanks and I'll work on the tongue
Maynard Ferguson and Jerry Catlett were important contributors. It's simple physics... smaller the aperture, continuing air stream speed = higher the note. What he describes is 100% scientifically correct. Yep control with tiny air = control.
Air stream speed?
Hey Tito! I just stumbled on this video in my recommended and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I love the in depth explanation of the tongue arch with the xray video. I wanted to let you know that I had the chance to play alongside you at a jazz club in Phoenix a few years ago! I was a student of Russ Schmidt throughout high school and have continued my jazz studies at Utah State University as a music performance major. You were a major inspiration to me! I hope you’re doing well, and hope to see more videos. -Ronan
I remember you Ronan, small world! I’ll be back in AZ next May 4-6 with Russ Schmidt if you’re around. Thanks for watching!
Literally changed my life’s struggle thank you so much bro! Time to shed!
Tito you think as I have thought regarding the tongue & jaw relationship, congratulations my friend!
Hello Tito,
I have struggled with range and endurance for a long time. That tongue-jaw concept made a huge difference in just one day of practicing it. Like you, I made a decent career playing the trumpet without the ability to play anything above high F. Even then, it sucked that I could not figure out how to break through it. Thank you!
The f right about the bar?
Thanks Tito for your great video. I am a non professional trumpet player from bavaria, Germany. I've been doing some exercises quite similar to yours and it really helped to expand my upper register. Your video confirmed that in have been doing many things correctly, which is great and it makes me think more about abdominal breathing. I'm really excited to try your exercises and hopefully gain even more range. Thanks a lot. Auf Wiedersehen 😁
Thank you Johannes! 🙏🏽
A really great video with a lot of helpful information and advice concerning to improve the upper register. One of the best I ever had seen. Thank you so much
Extremely well put. Could not agree more. Thank you!!
Glad you’re doing well after surgery, Tito.
I'm in my 3rd year of playing trumpet and the highest note I've ever been able to reach was the high f above 5th line.. (3 1/2 lines above the 5th).. and I always struggle with getting good tone with notes that are higher than the g above the staff................ this video helped a lot... thanks
Hidy and THANK YOU for doing the video.
Tongue/Jaw + Lower Breath Support + Horizontal Airstream = a centered tone in all registers. Make it easy & sound great. Now to do all that and stretch my mouth into the look of a ghoulish hillbilly. I can do that, but It's taking the time to learn it all. I don't deserve a shortcut to playing big band stuff, but it gives me a place to strive for. THANK YOU, for your input.
I have found the same things! Excellent!
Hi Tito, I wanna thank you for your lesson on playing high in the upper register. I've played trumpet since 4th grade and I'm 62yrs old. I never gave it a try...of playing every day softly in the upper register. I can finally hit a high E above the staff but, I'm struggling with trying to hit a F. I can hit it but, it comes out without any strong sound...so, I'm gonna give this lesson of playing everyday softly in the upper register and see where it takes me. I'll definitely let you know the results of my practice....sign Craig..
Straw size is a GREAT way to describe aperture shape/dynamics. BRAVO!!!
My wonderful French horn teacher, Thomas Bacon used the same analogy.
It made all the difference. I was eventually able to regularly/consistently'solidly play to a double-G on French horn. (High D on Bb trumpet)
Now, I play Bb trumpet and can easily and constently nail high D's on Bb trumpet. Working on consistently reaching double G. It's going to happen - even using a Schilke M1* mouthpiece.
Straw size. Yeah! - and angle and inside diameter of rim and... and... Yeah. You can do it! LET IT BE EASY. Find the way.
Fantastic. I’ll watch again and again. It’s so Claude Gordon!
This is pure gold, very informative, and helpful.
My first college instructor had me make subtle adjustments to my jaw position to find my "sound center". He had me do that throughout my range. That alone went a long way with helping improve my range. Other things just fell into place for me.
so much information. so clear. thanks for cutting through the noise
Spot on Tito. Finaly a good video. I am playing for more than 35 Years trumpet and my new Australian trumpet Teacher tells the same 👍👍👍🍀🍀🍀
This is incredible guidance Dr. C!!! It's helping me instantly!
But Jason, you were already terrifyingly good at this stuff!!! Thank you for watching, you are a huge inspiration to me, especially how you are able to fluidly incorporate your upper register into your improvisations. Much love! 🙏🏽
What's crazy with me is that I had a DHC LONG before I could play a double A. It took me forever to get that A. The A doesn't exist on the Bb Trumpet, you have to find it by backing off and finding the "slot" for it and then gradually opening it up. There are also alternate fingerings you can try. Most cats use either the 2nd or 3rd valve to play the A.
Arnie Chycoski played it open. Bill Chase was the ONLY guy I know to play the A with all 3 valves-he also could play his Ab that way and on my Schilke B6, sure enough, the Ab and A CAN be played with all 3 valves down, but the A tends to be under pitch-you have to lip it up into pitch. Crazy. Now my Bb doesn't exist for 50 grand. And my psychiatrist wonders why I'm insane.
I’m not a trumpet player but I do play trombone. I just talked to you about how to establish a practice routine at Purdue university. I find it really interesting that you say using a lot of air doesn’t help high notes. One of my band directors told me that you need more air to hit high notes. I’m not too sure why I’m writing this as a comment but it just peaked my interest.
Yeah, I’ve been told that before as well. I’m not necessarily telling you to back off. What I’m saying is that your airstream is getting smaller and smaller in diameter as you ascend, which will mean you’re technically using less air. You’ll be using more air if you play high AND loud, but still not as much air if you’re playing low and loud. Low notes are where we use most of our air.
Thanks!
Thank you very much from France 👍
Tito, this is the first video I watched since finding your channel. I'm a guitarist who studied French Horn in college but has always had issues with endurance and high register. I recently returned to playing horn after 40 years off. This video enabled me to pick up the horn cold and with the faster air play right up to high C as a real note for the first time ever! Not a wobbly squeal, a real centered note! My bassoonist wife was shocked! Now I watch all of your videos! Thank you so much!
Thank you ! If even a pro like you could have such limitations, this gives us amateurs hope as well. I was not able to break that high barrier on my tuba for 20+ years. I know that easy is crucial here as I occasionally blew (almost in error) a very high note without effort, but never managed to reproduce it consistently.
Tito - thanks so much for this. Great tips. Can’t wait to leverage these to improve upper register efficiency for myself and son.
Thank you Tito. I find your approach extremely helpful. No one I’ve heard explains the inner mechanisms of trumpet playing as well as you You’re a great teacher.
Big Master tito. Always my apretiation for u. You're always amazing. Take care.❤❤❤
Gracias Moisés! 🙏🏽
Dynamite lesson! Your tips were great. Including the MRI video put it over the top.
Go TITO! I found this by accident and it made my day! I am back in Illinois, but not in C-U. I'll have to drop by and say "hey," sometime.
Mark! Would love to see you again, my man! Hugs to the family!
ThankYou so Much for this video✨❤️🔥✨
Awesome, thanks for the help man! 3 months in 🎺
Bedankt
Me gusta tu manera de enseńar. Gracias...
This is great. A full explanation and clear.
Wow .Thanks for this education on what is practical , possible on the trumpet and showing the effort needed . Composers rely on your type of video so we can write with some knowledge . Thankyou . The A 5 sounds impossible .The C is indefinite pitched but it's there . I wrote a trumpet concerto that inches up to a g 5 . I won't write above that now that I've seen this .
Hi Tito, greetings from Ann Arbor! I hope all is well! This is fantastic and I'll be working on your methods immediately. Very inspiring and so patiently explained and beautifully demonstrated. Stay well!
Mark! Big hugs from down in TX from my family to yours!
Tito, and the very same to you and your family. We are well here and hope the same for you! And sounding great! @@jazzmindwithtitocarrillo605
Hola Tito! Excellent material, thanks. Another factor, perhaps, is slight variations in the pressure of the mouthpiece against the lips. I can see it in the videos (fingers come closer), and from personal experience. Very subtle movements. In short, more pressure in higher notes for a better "seal".
GREAT video, and I'm only 14 minutes in! The other thing about the "internal" idea that makes range difficult to convey to other players is: Everyone is BUILT DIFFERENT. What Jon Faddis or Wayne did to figure it out may not be the same as what you, or I are doing.
Great point Andy!
Hi Tito, thanks a lot for this amazing video! I'm a singer and I was absolutely fascinated by the fact that every single advice or concept you give applies to singing. Lower body engagement, long neck, small regular stream of air, importance of tongue/jaw apparatus, what we call "pharyngeal vowels", no fiddling around and tightening your lips or any part of your face and above all the two principles "sounds great/feels easy" for any note, high, medium or low. WOW!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
You explained concepts I was familiar with already, but never worked out for me, in such clear detail that I started to trust them again and they seem to be giving me interesting results I might add to my system! Thank you so much.
Yes Yes and Yes! I have been dealing with all of this recently and this video is a light bulb moment especially Identifying with the specific breathing for me! Wishing you well for your recovery also! We need you🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾!!!!!!
Much love, Ryan, thank you! 🙏🏽
Congrats man way to flip the switch 😊
I was playing high f when I was 15 on my Conn Constellation with Raphael Mendez mouthpiece.
Good info! Practicing in the upper register SOFTLY is critical in developing an easy and playable upper register.... saying that, most upper register playing while playing music is LOUD... this is why PRACTICING softly in the upper register is so important... if you are only playing music in the upper register, you will almost always be approaching the upper register with your embouchure way too open.
Very nicely explained Tito. Will begin working on this daily. Simple (as in not complex), and obviously effective.
Thank you James! 🙏🏽
Tito, I’ve taken lessons and I’ve watched a LOT of trumpet techniques videos on TH-cam. Never before has anyone explained the use of the lower body to add energy in playing in the high registers before. I’ve been using the upper body for physicality in the upper register, but your approach makes upper register long tones MUCH easier to play! Also, your explanation about keeping the core engaged for support in register leaps was an epiphany!! I’m looking forward to practicing this until it becomes second nature. Playing trumpet is NOT as easy as breathing if you’re not breathing for playing the trumpet!! THANK YOU!!
This makes me so happy, thanks for your comment Tyr! To be fair, there are quite a few videos discussing things like the yoga breath or wedge breath by Roger Ingram and Bobby Shew, and those teachings have influenced my approach.
@@jazzmindwithtitocarrillo605 I was absolutely transfixed by your ability to ascend into the upper register left hand only. Obviously only a seal without tremendous mouthpiece pressure, so that really emphasized your point of lower body support, even seated!
The wedge breath. Give thanks to the great trumpet guru, Bobby Shew.
I remember many years ago doing trumpet recitals at a public school in front of an audience my knees shaking never sure if I could hit that elusive G sitting on top of the stave let alone the A above it. I never realised until seeing this that it is a prevalent problem. My teacher was a professional musician earning pin money who never really helped and probably did not know himself how he did it. The wealth of information now is such a boon for any new aspiring musicians as I just suffered in silence with little help. This does make me feel less of a failure hearing all this. I abandoned the trumpet and switched to a flute but purely for my own amusement.
I am a similar come back player with 38 years of no trumpet after college. This Hass to be the absolute best video I have ever seen regarding use of the tongue, jaw and lower body. Interestingly, my teacher in college Renée Lemart also taught this and has or had a very nice book on it. Bravo Tito, for bringing this up and elaborating on it so nicely.
Great video. I'm about halfway through. Glad to see someone else talking straws, I stumbled on that analogy teaching one day and was like "holy crap", this is a great way to represent this.
Thank`s so helpul to understand this high notes
Great video . The one thing I question is what you say about the throat. If you look at both Sarah's video and the trumbone video, maybe the biggest movement from low to high after the tongue is actually the larynx which is low in the low range and high in the high range. This indicates to me that the larynx is being used as a resistance point and is rising for greater stability up top. On the dvd of the study which Sarah took part of there was a laryngoscopic study done of Schneider, who unlike Sarah is a high horn wizard, he had a high degree of ariepiglotic narrowing while playing high and the larynx was clearly a big determiner of his ability to shift notes and achieve the famous horn lip trill.
This is an interesting point because whereas Farkas in his foundational book said that the larynx was one of the 3 resistance points, most players seem to have decided that is wrong and that Farkas was wrong . Well but I've watched a lot of these various mri videos and I'm yet to see someone navigate the range without a high degree of laringeal involvement seen . That said, if the air versus resistance ratio is good the player may not feel his larynx at all, but it's problematic to say the throat isn't involved. There is a way to prove it, take a very deep breath and put your finger on your larynx, it should be very low, then play and see how high you can get without I lifting. I actually do this as an exercise while playing horn and trumpet for singing and I can barely get to an A above the staff that way and the technique while a good trainer is very unnatural, I dont believe any pro trumpeter plays the high range that way
This is a great video. Thank you for sharing 👍
very good video, sometimes i reach high notes and i don't know how and that helped me to find. Thank you
Muchas gracias maestro!!!!😃👍🎺
This just popped up in my feed. Grateful! I will be examining your approach over the coming weeks. I've been playing for quite a number of years and constantly plagued by high note failure (an no, not extreme high register, i struggle with A on top of the staff), which often over shadows a lot of other things because it's always a worry (and a feeling of imposter syndrome).
Look up 'set point.' This is important for your to start with to improve your embouchure.
@@tomloya7366 I will. Thank you.
Tito! I'm only half way through the video, but I keep saying YES as I'm listening. So much of what you are presenting resonates exactly with what has worked for me as I can continue to develop as a trumpeter and what I'm finding works for my students.
Thanks for watching Jon! 🙏🏽
Really good thorough and engaging explanation Tito. Louis Maggio's book describes similar ideas. Thanks man.
Es más difícil explicarlo que tocarlo; tú haz hecho las dos cosas. "cuando se siente fácil" is the way! 🙏
Muchísimas gracias Gilberto! 🙏🏽
An excellent Lesson - Thanks for your down to Earth honest methodology. I`m looking forward to getting into those upper registers with your help. Bless you.
Yo Tito I need to get another lesson with you, last time was WAY back in 1996 when you were still around DeKalb occasionally. Still got my high E ceiling (with occasional F’s) my early 40s. Would love to pick your brain over Zoom sometime when you have free time over break perhaps. You sound incredible as always Tito! Talk to you later bro.
Hmu in December when school lets out. I remember that lesson in DeKalb, you were killing it way back then! Best to you Ray 🙏🏽
Beautiful explanation of what you do, analogies, examples, etc. THANK YOU!!
Thanks so much for your sharing. I’m looking forward to trying the tips.
Tito, you are the best. Thank you
Tongue position big part of Claude Gordon approach
Very good explanation. Thx for your thoughts👌.
I loved the video. I will be practicing these techniques.
Great tutorial thank you ,keep well ,regards Jack
My experience is that the main barrier to playing high is a mental barrier. Also, the essential elements book often used for beginning band does start you on middle G rather than low C.
You’re analogies for trumpet playing are amazing! Trumpet has only gotten harder since I started but this has helped a ton.
Great Job Tito!!!🎺🎺