I often hear "there's more to life than high notes". I totally agree. So why do I dedicate most of my time to them? Well 70k views in 7 months would suggest it's not a bad place to start! But if you think it's because I want everyone to play double C's you have missed the point. Play high effortlessly and you'll do everything else the same way. You'll rarely worry about stamina or hitting the highest note in whatever piece you are playing. You'll have more confidence in your ability and perform without fear. In case you missed that section take a look 1:42 - 2:20. It's not about the high note; it's about what comes with it. TP
The Trumpet Prof hey, thanks for the great video it really helped me out. Also I noticed that when you play, your neck puffs out. Mine does the same thing but no one else at my school does. Do you know why this happens and if it affects anything? Thanks!
As one of my voice teachers said, high notes reveal bad technique. It's like walking a high wire vs. a low wire. The technique is the same for both, but the consequences of faltering on the former are much more obvious!
Larnell Lewis once said something similar in about drumming. You sound the best when you are not overtaxing your brain, so the only way to play difficult things WELL (or reliably) is to learn how to play something even more difficult (i.e. increasing the upper bound of your ability)
It's not about playing high. It's what comes with it which is important. I will play that high because I'm pushing the boundaries of what is possible and so far achieving. I'm discovering new things both for myself and others. Composers are doing the same with the music they write and the sounds they create. Technical advancement is necessary for all. Forgive me for not responding to your second point but I have no idea what it means. TP
I just came across this channel and I have to admit to not really playing much of late and just needed a little inspiration and some direction. Watching and practicing along with this video has enabled me to quickly get the lips responding and those simple 3 principles of SIGH/ RELAXED TOP LIP/AIR PRESSURE are very useful starting points to building up confidence again and revisiting some pertinent points to get back into the trumpet playing saddle after a period of digression. Much appreciated.
I have been teaching Brass instruments for 38 years and have watched many videos on brass pedagogy. This is absolutely the most compelling information on you tube. I was a long time student of carmine caruso
@@pasqualegallo8234 I studied with Joe Marcinkiewicz (excellent player, trumpet manufacturer, and teacher). He spoke very highly and based his own teaching methods on those of Carmine Caruso.
The way that high G came out reminded me instantly of Malcolm McNab who can also play super high but without losing any beauty of tone. That's rare, most often you hear people scream out top high notes on very shallow mouthpieces. I once met a old trumpet player travelling around who had adapted his trumpet so he could play micro intervals accurately. He could whisper out very clear but not screaming super high notes without any effort at all.
Thanks. It requires a very specific way of playing. The biggest challenge is actually to develop the lower register sound to match the upper! That's what took me the time. TP
I played the trumpet from 5th to 12th grade and I graduated 20 yeas ago in 1999. Not once was I ever taught any of this from our music teachers or directors. I truly learned something new but I haven't played in years. Maybe I'll start to pick my trumpet back up again. I was able to hit a high A with no problem but the high C would sometimes give me trouble and now I finally understand why. Thank your for this valuable information!
Thanks Paul. Great video. I'm a comeback player and absolutely struggle with the A to high C range. I've been doing the James Stamp exercises which involves going from pedal tones to the upper register. I was primarily focusing on not manipulating the embouchure and maintaining a solid airstream to achieve the expanse of the range. Thanks to your video, I never considered maintaining resistance in the low register. I simply just relaxed the entire embouchure to play below middle G. I also noticed any note below middle C was always flat and with poor tone. Since your video I've been holding the embouchure in shape and trying to focus the low tones (increasing resistance) and it's actually been helping the upper register. Thanks for the insight.
Good to hear and thanks very much.. Throw away the "rule" book! It's not easy to let go of conventional ideas and techniques but if we knew the true source of them we'd probably never have wasted so much time with them in the first place! Experiment with ideas that make sense and can be explained. Keep me posted. TP
Great video. I struggle greatly trying to play even tough i practice every day for 20 years. I feel people should not be encouraged to play trumpet alone. It should be in tandem with another family of instrument. I strongly believe it is anatomy and how calm a person is that is the underlying factor to playing successfully. Not to a virtuoso level but to a degree where you can enjoy playing music with others.
Even as a tuba player, this was some helpful :) I'll be trying some of this. Sometimes I have inaccuracies in my extreme high range. Of course tuba players use that top octave all the time in performance, so I'm always looking for different perspectives. I buzz every day almost so I will be trying this on the mouthpiece first.
Just finished watching this and I feel enlightened :) Your way of teaching is top notch! Can you also make a video about embouchure? Buzzing vs Free-Buzzing approaches? I'm so glad that I have found your channel!!!
Hi. Yes I'll do that at some point. I see very few advantages in lip buzzing if you want to set your potential at the highest possible level. The air inside the instrument can move your lips sympathetically when it is excited, therefore any tension or obstruction of free movement will only upset this process. There are some benefits to free lip buzzing but for me they are more to condition muscle strength. TP
I'm enjoying your videos and practicing your techniques. Here's my problem. I find that high and soft is much easier than high and loud. I can play up to high C when playing softly. But when I have to play high and fortissimo, for example the last part of 1812 Overture, everything blows up on me. My chops are gone and there is not enough chop strength or air support to overcome the fatigue. Please address the issue of high and loud and talk about a path to get there.
Trumpet prof. This is very inspiring. Especially when I have been trying to do the same thing-not just playing high, but doing it with comfort, control and clearity. Thank you for boosting my confidence. Please, I want to learn to play lower notes like the lower C up to the next Cs. Please I need your help with something that can help me learn it. Thank you so much.
Don't try to make your low notes feel easy. Resistance is important in all registers of the trumpet and although it is possible to play low notes with very little effort it will not give you efficiency across your range and will limit your potential. Blow a narrow air stream into the mouthpiece which does not vibrate or buzz. The lips alone should not make a sound. The mouthpiece alone should not make a sound. When the trumpet is attached it will turn the air into sound so be patient and let the process happen naturally. Your lips will be drawn together you do not need to blow them apart. TP
I am an ex trumpet player now 89 years old and I am finding your lessons and explanations fantastic , I have been practicing without the trumpet for 3 weeks by just buzzzing and I am already going from bottom C to top C by just breathing the sound, wonderful keep the lessons coming ! Regards Alan Clarke.
Very interesting tips indeed! I would appreciate to see them discussed deeply and I expecially look forward to your remarks on the point of resistance. About some years ago, as an outcome of a lengthy crisis I found out about buzzing techniques as has been taught by Reinhold Friedrich and Kristian Steenstrup. This changed everything and brought me back to playing with confidence. Finally I happened to get a Yamaha 8335LA which instantly proofed to be the right trumpet for me. I am playing it with a Monette B3FS7 mouthpiece, so my setup can be described as "very free blowing".
Thanks for your comment. My first impression is that you do pretty much the opposite of what I teach! Important therefore for me to say that I'm not against any method or system because they all pretty much work for somebody. What I'm more concerned with is the level of potential each method / approach will set for an in individual. My views and beliefs are polar opposites to Steenstrup (that's for another time) and Friedrich approach I don't really know. If you're happy with your engine and it does what you want, then there's really no point changing it! TP
This is, for sure, one of the most useful trumpet thoughts video I have watched. I feel fortunate that i have find this. Thanks Paul, thanks for share all for free. You are inspiring me to caption all this kind of things that we should feel when we play and wich I was discovering in the lasts months. And, as well, how to practice to get those sensations. Thanks for these wise tips!!!!
Hello Paul, great job with you videos! Thanks for sharing all the trumpet technique goodies! I wonder if you can and would want to make a video that is focused on the physical aspects of trumpet playing and practising. And maybe share your take on how your playing techniques affect body posture, and how to practise this to avoid pain and problems.
Nice job of balancing your voice against the trumpet. Many TH-camrs can't do that; they mumble so you have to turn the volume up, then when they play they don't bother reducing that and it blows your ears inside out.
I see lots of trumpets and a trombone how do u split your practice time, does it depend on your preferred instrument receiving more attention to maintain competence?
I was a high school trumpet player in the early 70's - the days of Maynard Ferguson and Bill Chase (and other jazz and rock brass men). I had a fairly good set of "chops" for a high school player of that time and played lead in our stage band. But, in the summer between 11th and 12th grade, I went to a music camp. I was first trumpet in the orchestra and was introduced to classical orchestral music and the demands made on those trumpet players. We played the overture to Handel's music for "The Royal Fireworks Display." I found out that jazz trumpet players were not the only ones required to play high notes. Furthermore, orchestral players cannot "scream" the high notes but must play them with the same accuracy, tonal quality, and articulation as they would an octave lower. I was able to play the high "e" but never with the ease and accuracy of a professional. I did not go on to a career in music. But over the years, I listened carefully to orchestral players and gained a great appreciation their phenomenal talent. Actually, it was a realization of the amount of discipline, time, and practice required to become even a moderate professional - and discipline was never my strong suit. LOL. I continued playing as a hobby in community bands and even played some in the pep band of the local High School into my 40's. I simply relied on my JetTone Bill Chase model mouthpiece for high notes. Then for many years, I hardly played my trumpet at all. Needless to say, high notes of any sort are are no longer in my repertoire! LOL.
It is a video to give you the potential to play high. Also watch How To Develop The Three Essential Tips. Resistance is the key. You need to create resistance to play high. TP
Returning to the trumpet after 50 years, I find myself falling into the old habits of straining in the upper range. I comprehend the 'sigh' and relax the top lip. I would like to ask for a bit more on air pressure. I'm not getting the mechanics of increasing air pressure when coupled with the sigh. Thanks, your videos are great!
Hi Robert, apologies for my late response. There's sighing and trying to sigh. The sigh creates a strong feeling of moving air at low air pressure (the feeling in your lungs). If you sigh and quickly close your lips the sigh is on "hold" and you have a feeling of high air pressure; these are the two extremes. What I am talking about creating is everything in-between. So if you have the sigh on hold and then open your lips a tiny amount you have engaged the sigh again but at high air pressure. The more you open your lips the lower the feeling of pressure in your lungs. So TO BEGIN WITH when you play; try to create the high air pressure feeling for high notes AND for low notes. If you experiment this way anything you discover will be positive. I'll address this again soon now I'm back up and at em! TP
I'm guilty of all of the negatives you mentioned. Wow, I've got lots of work to do. My range is a consistent high C and I bump D occasionally. But I can't seem to increase range. I will be practicing your method, although I'm not real clear on "resistance ".
Please explain what you mean when you say, ”its very important to know where the resistance is coming from” I've been doing this exercise now for two weeks and like you say, the sound just gets louder. Is this something that one have to figure out on your own? What are the feelings like when you start to notice the resistance? The problem is that when i introduce more air, the lips collapse. The note only goes up, for me, when I use more lip pressure. So again, what's the feeling when you start to notice the resistance? What's gonna key me in to this feeling? This is not as easy as it sounds Paul. Thanks so much.
now i'm confused, you're saying to blow at a higher air pressure by what it seems to me, forcing it, whereas I was told and have experienced just an increase in volume whenever I used that technique. but have since learned to arch the tongue upward to the pallet of the mouth and contract the lip muscles slightly so even at a constant air flow, I can seemlessly change between notes
The top lip always tenses up for me, which messes me up and it’s sad I’m doing band and I can’t hit a F and sometimes even a normal high c.. the Sighing technique helps a lot though
In your discussion of varying resistance, you did not mention raising the tongue playing higher by saying "eee" and bringing it down playing lower by saying "aww". Why not? Walter Lemann (student of a teacher who was a student of Timofei Dokshizer in Moscow). Thank you. I enjoy your teaching very much.
Hello Walter. Thank you for your message. This video is really an introduction to the foundations required to play high successfully and I hope it will motivate players to experiment a little with their technique. The thing that held me back as a young player was my need to be told exactly how to do things. Experimentation without guidance is a long road; often to nowhere. But with the right ideas and principles it is the key to success. I address these essential tips in more detail in this video th-cam.com/video/ZzHNP4peTe8/w-d-xo.html and talk about the tongue from 13:47 Best wishes, TP
Your instruction is great, and it ties a lot of ideas I have heard before together in a much more cohesive way. I have a question--when I do the "sigh" exercise and go higher, around E above staff, I start to feel that my diaphragm is contracting to "push" the air --in other words, instead of feeling relaxed, as in a sigh, it is more effort to move the air past the resistance of my embouchure. I can "hit" the E above the first one above staff--and I can play C above staff well--but, my endurance above A above staff is not good--in a session if I hit C above staff a bunch of times, it really exhausts me (and I can't hit that C more than a few times in a session), so I am wondering if that is a sign I am not breathing right, and should be able to get the lips vibrating at high notes, without pushing the air with my diaphram?
Hi, thanks for your question. To play high you need to use a lot of effort! But we must try to transfer the energy/effort to the stronger muscles and at the same time keep the throat area relaxed and natural. That is the role of the sigh. You will feel contraction in lots of places but as long as you focus on pushing/delivering your air from the chest (sigh) you will find the engine begins to function more freely and efficiently. Embrace air pressure! Hope that helps. TP
Hi Trumpet Prof, I am enjoying the challenges your videos provide. Will do be doing a video on strength building in terms of playing in the upper register?
Hi Caleb. Already have! Test & Build Your Air Power is the most important "building" exercise you can do. Playing high is as much, if not more, about relaxation as it is strength. Most successful high note players don't use great strength in their face. Just watch Maynard, Sandoval, Morrison, Andre . . . . They're not controlling their face to move around the upper register. It's the way their facial components are assembled that gives them their ability. Their engine! Of course, you can build facial strength and increase your range (James Stamp) but it's less efficient and has limited potential. I used Stamp years ago as I struggled to play in the upper register and my stamina was poor. A fantastic crossover player I was working with at the time, John Barclay, told me to back off in the upper register. Relax more. It was the opposite advice to what I'd always been taught. It put me on a completely new and different path which proved to be the right one! TP
@@TheTrumpetProf ... Many thanks for your reply. We discussed building, and we discussed relaxation. Do you have any advice on relaxing the lips? I have been playing for years, and I may have the air pressure required. Hard to know. I seem to do well with the straw test, although honestly I find it hard to compare currencies as I am Canadian. How do I keep the lips relaxed enough to vibrate throughout the upper register? I feel as if no matter what I try they eventually seize to vibrate. The only time that I can achieve a smooth run of harmonics up to a E or F is when I have removed myself from the horn for a couple of days.
@@caliban542 Have you seen my latest video on developing the three essential tips? Some advice and tips on keeping top lip relaxed there. Important to remember though; my videos so far are more about preparing for high notes. TP
Hi just starting to work with your techniques, if the resistance is not generated by the lips then where else would the resistance be created. Have played most of my life and always dreamed of the upper register but C above the staff is about my limit. I plan on viewing your series numerous times or at least until all the information sinks in. Most of the information makes sense but you lost me when you said the lips was not the only way to create resistance. Your information and techniques make more sense then the other web sites I have visited. My goal is to be able to play and or perform some of the selections from the collection of Wayne Naus's CD touch the spirit. By the way I am over 60 but am still active in the Sheriff's Dept. Honor Guard not that taps needs that kind of range but would like to play some of the selections for our church services.
Hi Kevin, thanks so much for your message. Check out this video particularly from 13.47 because I touch on resistance. th-cam.com/video/ZzHNP4peTe8/w-d-xo.html Worth pointing out that the two high note videos are really to prepare you to play high. Remember to follow on Facebook too. I'm going to use my Trumpet Prof Facebook page to comment on videos and the reaction to them so you'll pick up even more tips. facebook.com/thetrumpetprof Keep in touch. TP
I personally have kinda thick lips, and my tone quality is a lil wacky and my range isn’t where I want it to be. I dream of being in DCI, but I just want to be able to improve my tone quality and range. Do you have any mouthpiece suggestions and tips? I use a standard 5b
Hi. That sounds a bit small for a player with larger lips. My advice to players with large lips is use two mouthpieces. Get the widest mouthpiece and develop your range and general technique as much as you can. Then try to transfer your ability on to a smaller mouthpiece. You'll eventually find a balance. TP
The resistance does not determine the air pressure. The air pressure level is achieved by the blowing effort amount. Also, the resistance in the instrument is the one that must be dominant for efficient playing. The physics of playing do revolve around air pressure, air flow (which you refer to as air "volume") and resistance. But a vibrating embouchure has frequency, not "speed". The frequency is determined by the state of the pulsating aperture. And yes tension must increase in the aperture to ascend. The air pressure then controls the loudness of tone.
Hi Paul, I am a very young trombonist (18) and obviously not as experienced as you and, still, I very much enjoyed your video but I feel like there were two misconceptions presented: tubas and trumpets have opposite tendencies and the exercise in which faster air creates a break into the next partial. For the first, Tubas play low notes and trumpets play low notes and the same goes for the high, the difference is only in the tubing which creates phonic tendencies in regards to pitches, which to the tubist and the trumpeter, if we could unbiasedly compare the sensation of playing in those ranges, probably feels, to said player, the same. now, the way I see it, the difference in the air usage or even pressure between the two instruments is relatively similar but the variation in air needed to produce functional pitches is actually caused by the effort needed to play with consistent dynamics: if we were to play with the exact same air consistency in the series of low, middle, and high range notes in, say, a forte dynamic, we would not be able to accurately sustain the dynamic because of the fact that various pitches are easier or harder to hear in regards to human's ability to cling to certain pitches. So, to play a variety of notes which span the extremes of human hearing we must use more air, relative to their ability to be heard by increasing wave intensity as so to match a single dynamic, for the tuba, more air for lower pitches and trumpets, more air in the higher register. As to address my second critique, you mentioned that the difference in outcomes, that is, playing louder or breaking through the next partial is due to resistance, which I feel is generally true although, I feel that we should actually chalk this up to intent which I feel is an important detail to develop what you called developing an understanding of the relationship between air pressure and resistance. These are primarily notes for my later reference but if anyone has any insight for me, I would appreciate it.
Hi Marcos, very interesting views thank you. My objective is to help trumpet players play better and I use whatever means I can to do that. Sometimes the information is to stimulate and motivate the correct response. It might not always be scientifically accurate but It will trigger the correct response. With the comparison between the tuba and trumpet I'm trying to put forward the need to "think" differently and to avoid trying to put more air down the instrument. I don't think anyone can disagree that the things I suggest as opposite are anything other than that. I do agree with your point about the tubing but my focus is on the physical engine and getting away from a conventional and general brass playing approach. Yes it is possible to play the trumpet and tuba in similar ways but you will become a better tuba player than trumpet player this way. We both play low and we both play high but I disagree the sensation spectrum is relative. The frequency difference is much greater playing one octave on the trumpet than on the tuba. Therefore the "effort" required is much greater. Generally I don't like to use the phrase "faster air" to play higher but I made an exception for the test because a more open aperture will result in a louder dynamic/same note (like a tuba would) and a more closed aperture will result in higher air pressure and a "kick" up to the next partial (unlike a tuba). TP
The Trumpet Prof Yes, thank you for the response, I appreciated the line about becoming a better tubist than trumpet player and I actually will agree that they have great differences but I think I meant that the sensations relative to the players own experiences to a general, for a lack of a better word, discomfort while playing in those extremes of their instruments would be a similar one, but definitely a lot different from a literal physical standpoint . I hope that what I mean is realized. I would just like to say that this claim made me very curious and I feel, as I further explore the tendencies between brass instruments, I will better be able to develop my own understanding of what this means for my own brass playing and idea of pedagogy. Thank you.
Hi, Paul! I'm a woodwind multi-instrumentalist who is also in love with the trumpet. I played when I was 9.. I was lousy, but I just loved it. Now, in my later years, I have decided to get back into the horn. Your videos help me a lot. Thanks. John. (youtube: "songs featuring John Phillips on woodwinds")
Very interesting video! I came on it very much on purpose... I generally agree with your explanation. You are a fantastic teacher! But, one thing you were saying about the lips to be open can course a problem to the attack of a note. If this attack has to be clear, you need to start with closed and relax lips inside the embouchure... A high blower in a big band does not have tot care about this, but a classical trumpet player needs precision in his attack... I wanted to share this with you... Rik Ghesquière, trumpet player Brussels Philharmonic
Thank you for your comments and kind words. I don't disagree with your approach to achieving a clean "classical" articulation but it can be done successfully both ways. I prefer to generally advise lips open and then allow the player to experiment with a couple of exercises until a more focussed personal position or placement is found. The whisper tone exercise and also removing the instrument while playing are effective ways to allow the player to find the correct position, feel and positive signals. I agree that having the lips too far apart can cause articulation issues but coupled with the right exercises and understood outcomes it gives a less general and more personal approach. I hope my viewers will read your comment and experiment with both approaches but although It's a subtle difference I personally think the "space" sets a higher level of potential. It's a privilege to also get the opinions and thoughts of professional players challenging all aspects of trumpet technique and thinking so many thanks for taking the time. TP
Very interesting video. What do you mean when you talk about playing with high resistance? I didn't really understand your explanation of why you jumped up to the next harmonic rather than getting louder.
Hi Robin. Take a look at my Test and Build Your Air Power video. From 1:07 should explain. I didn't really expand on why the harmonic jumped up other than to say I play at much higher resistance. The specific reason I'll explain another time, simply because it is unusual, will require greater explanation and is sure to create interest.
@@TheTrumpetProf Thanks very much. The other video is really good too. The note kicks up with me too when I blow harder. When I tried the other test of pulling the mouthpiece out while playing, most of the time I just get air. Sometimes a (higher) note sounds, though nowhere near as loud and clear as yours.
My big question is: how or when does on incorporate these techniques into their daily practice? Does on immediately start playing using these techniques?
Yes I would incorporate them at the earliest opportunity. We are trying to change behaviour and rebalance. I will be addressing the sigh breath in more detail in a video soon. TP
Hi Paul, this video is great! Can you explain a little bit about the embouchure setting? That will be very helpful . Greetings from the Dominican Republic
Thanks so much for this. I’m a music teacher and have been struggling to help a pupil with high notes through Zoom lessons (I find it hard not being in the room to watch how he’s using his body when he plays) but this video has been really helpful. Any tips on what to suggest when top space E and top line F just aren’t sounding cleanly even if the G then comes out fine?! Thank you :)
Hi Deborah. Thank you, I'm so glad this helped. The E/F problem when a G is good is often quite common in students with braces. When you are one-on-one with your student again, have him play the G holding the trumpet up LH only (RH by his side) and you press the valves so he slurs down F# - F - E. He should "hold" the G at all times. If that doesn't work try him on a different mouthpiece. If that doesn't work get him to place his mouthpiece slightly: Higher/Lower/Left/Right, BUT ONLY BY A VERY VERY SLIGHT AMOUNT, so he hardly feels it. Let me know how that goes. TP
Paul, I love your videos--they are very helpful and you're an amazing player an enviable tone quality / control in the upper register. I'm an amateur comeback player who has been playing consistently for about a year and a half. I could never get above the staff much back in high school and a little college despite a lot of practice and lessons. I stumbled across some other TH-cam videos and have had success playing more relaxed and open and now high C isn't very difficult and can consistently play F above High C now, although I'm still working on my dynamic control, articulation and usefulness of the top of my range, etc. My question is about the section in which you pull the mouthpiece off and there's a pitch on the mouthpiece. When I pull the mouthpiece off, especially in the low to mid register (i.e. up to E on the staff), there's no pitch--just air. I thought that was a good thing, showing that my aperture was open and I was playing relaxed. Is that incorrect? Should I be playing in such a way that a pitch comes out? I thought only beginning students buzz on the MP to make a sound on the instrument in the low to middle registers and when they do that the sound isn't very good, it's tight and nasally, etc. Can you please clarify / help me understand? Thanks again for all the great videos you're posting; they've been a big help!
Hi John thanks for your comments much appreciated. Yes I see how this may seem to be a contradiction but the key is to "play it at a good dynamic. Play it at a good healthy forte." That's the most important part. If you play it around mp-mf ideally you shouldn't hear anything except silent air as this indicates the lips are relaxed and have good spacing. If you play it louder and you still get no sound your lips are probably too open OR you don't have enough resistance. This question has come up a few times actually but I always encourage players to listen to every word! The answers to most of the questions I get are actually already in the videos! It doesn't matter how high the pitch ascends but experiment with your set up until it goes up. Hope that helps. Keep in touch. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Thanks Paul! I'm so glad I asked this, I'm going to give it a try. Thank you. I forgot that you did mention playing it forte--makes sense!
What are your thoughts about playing soft (dynamics) in the high register? Increasing air speed/pressure is one factor of course, but it also increases tone volume. I agree about "keeping the top lip relaxed" to some degree, but the word " relaxed" can be confusing to many.
Hello Eric, appreciate you taking the time. Playing softly in the upper register is complex and the precise mechanics of it will vary from player to player depending on the way they play. Trying to generalize this aspect of technique is almost impossible but there are a few things worth mentioning. Air speed and air pressure have to be separated and balanced in different ways. When I ascend at 1:33 I'm not playing loud and could certainly get much softer. As I sigh a little faster, air is being compressed naturally because my resistance is high while small sympathetic adjustments happen at my aperture. I'm not actively trying to compress or squeeze the air. If I want to play louder I'll actively get involved with the compression process, sigh with greater force and balance resistance at my aperture. I'm keeping my top lip very relaxed and my aperture is closing down a very specific way (not helpful to share right now). Not allowing the oral cavity to continually close down toward the front of the mouth will also help. Maximum space directly behind the front teeth is vital for playing softly in the upper register and especially for maintaining quality of sound. For me maximum efficiency will happen when the top lip is totally relaxed. It just isn't possible for everyone to go fully "total" but it is possible for those players to get very close to it. It should always be a very long term goal though, as so much of the system has to be rebalanced and synchronized before it is realistic to expect this to happen. You'll notice I almost always say "as much as you can, as often as you can". Of course for some styles of playing it is necessary to apply top lip tension in order to get a desired sound and effect. But I'm striving for a default approach to playing which can be adapted to cross all styles and technical demands. All best, Paul
@@TheTrumpetProf Hi Paul, thanks for your reply. For me, my top lip can not be "relaxed" (as you described) in the upper register. (it's almost like trying play high notes on a violin without getting the string tension increased.) In my years of teaching and playing alongside many top players, mechanical part of playing high notes varies so much...... Often times, they may say totally different and contradicting ways to explain their techniques. I think this is because the physical diversity, along with our musical personality difference and given musical performance needs, one's playing technique can't be generalized in one way. This is why I never offer playing tips on internet. I have to be with the person on a "one on one" situation to be able to offer proper advice the will fit his or her needs. All these internal part of our playing: Breathing, tongue positions, air pressure, wedge breathing, "relaxed" backing off etc. These things are difficult to explain through one sided communication like the SNS youtube, and also written articles. The most dangerous word in trying to teach brass playing may be "relax" We need to realize the resistance and tension, (from our lips, tongue position, mouthpiece, or the horn) in parts of our playing, so this word needs to be carefully guided in person, thorough communicative on site lessons. Well, this is just my two cents! Sorry for the long ass reply..... I am still trying to learn how to be a better player and better teacher, so I am thankful for your insights. Eric
Hello Phyllis. It's all about balance. The high note on a piano is so because the string is shorter than the other notes. But it is also the tension which determines the pitch. The string is also very thin compared with the lowest notes. It is also of a different material to the lowest notes. So there we have 4 reasons for the note being high on a piano. Now let's think in terms of the trumpet. The vibration must be small or narrow. The amount of air pressure plays a role. The area of the lip affects frequency. The volume of the oral cavity also. By balancing these things the right way we can try to maintain a more relaxed top lip so it is as free as it can be to vibrate in sympathy with instrument. Sometimes the change is instant. Sometimes it takes longer, it really depends on exactly how you try to change things. TP
A question: Cornet mouthpieces are smaller and their fundamental will be higher in pitch. Yet, cornet players do not usually go so high. Does the same principle apply for the cornet?
Hi. I'm not inferring the shorter the mouthpiece the higher you can play. Only that your lips will be "pulled toward" a natural frequency of the mouthpiece if they are relaxed enough. The properties of the air stream also play a role in the outcome but there is no advantage or disadvantage on a cornet mouthpiece. Of course, they tend to be deeper which is a factor too. When the mouthpiece is in the instrument the length is the same anyway. In short, they should work in very similar ways for the purpose of this exercise. TP
Paul can you clarify something for me? When you say sigh into the trumpet, what exactly do you mean? Is that meant to help me relax? Or are you saying something completely different? Please clarify this for me.
I am confused - isn't "kicking" the air or blowing the air faster an opposite action to the sigh release of air that you recommend? In one of your Trumpet Takeaway videos you specifically say not to blow the trumpet so that is somewhat of a disconnect for me.
Hi William. I hope others read this reply because it is important for those who follow my teaching. Firstly, my two channels are very different and are really meant for two different types of player. Many of the techniques on Trumpet Takeaway are quick fixes. They are techniques that can be introduced quickly and without too much practice. They are not necessarily for building a complex engine or progressing to an advanced level. They are there to give those who play for fun a way to make small instant improvements and get more out of the few times they play each week. So, there will be contradictions if you compare the information on both channels, but all the techniques work. My next video will explain the sigh in greater detail because there has been some confusion and misinterpretation and it is such an important part of building your engine successfully. When most think of "blowing" they imagine an act like blowing out candles. Air is "blown" or "delivered" from the lips. It is cold on the hand. Sighing is felt more as a push from the chest. It is warm on the hand. You can sigh fast or slow, so when I talk of "kicking it" I mean a quicker more aggressive sigh. There are many reasons for using the sigh which I will go in to soon but essentially it avoids any contraction in the muscles of the face, therefore helping the top lip to remain more relaxed. However, there may be times when it is more beneficial to advise a student to blow from the lips because they require a certain embouchure shape or need to narrow the corners etc so we must never say never. But, it is less efficient to play this way and I'm trying to set a higher level of potential which the sigh certainly gives. Hope that helps. My next video will expand on the three essential tips. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Another major factor is shape of your mouth along with the mouth pieces you are using such as a 3C, 5C, 7C, and others. I've always preferred the 3C & 5C over the 7C. I had a few others that were not too bad but the cups felt too deep, I like a slightly more shallow cup. I never had a chance to use a 4C or 1C...
Hi Amos. My next video will answer this, and other questions I've had from this video very soon. If you "close" your throat so you are talking with a strained voice you have resistance at the throat and a relaxed top lip! Now that's not great for playing the trumpet but it is an example of high resistance / relaxed top lip. I'm giving information which will help every type of player however they play and whatever their physiological build. I am conscious that I'm not always being specific but there are two main reasons why: 1. We're still building foundations. They are the same for everyone. After that we will get more specific and I will inform players what will and won't work for them based on the way they play (hard to imagine but possible) so you won't waste time working at something which isn't likely to work for you. 2. Experimentation. Taking some responsibility for your own progress is vital but of course with the correct guidance. If I give an example of resistance (for instance), you can get creative and try to think of different ways to achieve it. Your experimentation will "fit" around your own attributes. Resistance comes from several places never just one place just as we play with several apertures (the definition of aperture shouldn't be different just because we are talking from a trumpet perspective!). MiniMakuta below is right of course. But we aren't concerned right now what is going on downstream of the lips, only upstream. Hope that helps a little. TP
Wonderful video Paul.. is your Facebook page up yet ? Question for you... I’ve played cornet and trumpet for the past 50+ years and unfortunately I have always applied too much pressure on my upper lip. I have been a cornet soloist with many Salvation Army Bands around the world but the past couple of years I’ve noticed that my endurance is “ not what it used to be “ :) ...are there specific exercises that I can do to learn how to take unnecessary pressure off my upper lip ? Again, thank you for your video... I love the sound of your double high G..
Hi Randall. Thanks for your question and feedback it's a very important issue you raise. Top lip pressure isn't always a bad thing. I actively "use" top lip pressure to ascend and descend because it's one of the most efficient ways to move register. BUT, my top lip is totally relaxed and therefore the pressure isn't "damaging". Top lip tension makes top lip pressure a problem. My initial thought with your issue is that as we get older muscles don't recover as quickly and are not of the same "quality" as in our younger years. Conventional type embouchures rely on the strength of the facial muscles to control the aperture and vibrating tissue. I would suggest two things: 1. Take care of your facial muscles! Regularly hydrate them using aqua cream or similar. Drink water! Warm up as much as you can in the low register (I will have a video on warming up very soon). Look at your practice schedule and possibly space it out more to give your muscles more time to recover. 2. Look at ways to use your "high tongue" level more effectively. I have another video uploading in a few days which will touch on this. It's rare to find one single thing that will correct a problem. As we get older things change and we have to rebalance or we lose a little of what we had. Hope that helps for now. TP
I know this video is really old but I just saw it and I feel like I’m doing almost all of the things described in this video very well and my range is still super inconsistent and not that great I think it might be something with my embouchure but I’m not sure anymore
@@anonymousyoutubeuser7013 This video is to prepare you to play high. The techniques here are unlikely to give you high notes. My recent videos do that.
Have you seen Greg Spence. He gives an interesting concept that seems to make sense to me. Take a deep breath and then relax your rib cage against the full lungs and that's the pressure you use to play with. It's already pressurized . That's the sigh your talking about. I think 🤔
It's interesting that some players get what I mean straight away with the Sigh. For others it's not so straightforward and needs explaining. Yes Greg's process is almost the same. I prefer to start with shorter or one word explanations and see where it takes me.
@@TheTrumpetProf There seems to be a difference between playing without music for exercises and focusing more on the music when you play. Something changes mentally as you begin to tire. When you HAVE to deliver and you begin to fade the body seems to compensate with getting the high ranges done with more pressure! Especially at the end of long passages!
@@RobertOssemHagan OK! That's why so many of my exercises are without music. That's why we work with sensations and try to reproduce them. That's why knowledge of what your doing and how you're doing it is so important. I haven't really discussed all this yet but try to keep the exercises separate from the way you normally play. You'll often hear me say "isolate" a particular technique or exercise because you have to BUILD on the sensations until you do things naturally and without conscious control. As I also say, "there are no quick fixes"! It's all about settings and shape and form and being able to maintain them. Use a particular exercise to create or set the physical side of your technique and then play a short passage of something which requires it. Always begin with short passages and build from there. I'll do more on this soon because it is an important topic and really exposes the need for patience, repetition and understanding the process involved in changing behavior. Great question! Thanks. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Looking forward to learning more. I have been performing with trumpet since I was 12. I am 70 now. I trained at the Navy School of Music and stayed full time professional but not just on trumpet. I sing, play bass, piano and have a one man band. I was always second chair in the big bands before but I am now the lead player in an 18 piece dance band in Sequim, WA. It requires me to read music and achieve a consistent high G working range. My experience is that reading and playing by memory are extremely different. The lips "flatten out" on the long passages and tend to struggle with range at the end of them. Then it's either smash or crash! Bob Hagan awesomebobonline.com
Hey Paul. Love all your content, good job :) It is fun playing with your video's and trying out your awesome ideas. I am a comeback player, took a 15 year break. Was a decent Trumpet player, the lead player for my band back in the day. Been playing now for 2 years without any guidance. I still feel that my endurance is not at the level it was. I practise a lot, every day, I am currently doing the Claude Gordon SADP (at lesson 11) and I feel my progress is going very slow and sometimes it feels underwhelming to spend so many hours playing without any noticeable progress. Ideas: How to practice effectively? How to measure your progress of endurance/playing high? Will playing a 2 hour program with your band where you feel exhausted in the chops after 5 minutes kill your progress? Thank you again for your content.
Hi Jakob, really appreciate your feedback. Decide how long you are going to spend on a particular technique or system based on your progress. If progress is slow for too long I would question if it is going to work for you. Don't spend hours and hours on something that gives little return on your time. Effective practice for me is mostly about experimentation. Of course it is based on solid beliefs and principles but don't be afraid to try new things. If someone offers advice, try it AND try the opposite! Look for signals of something working. Take an interest in every sensation and outcome. Often range can be improved instantly through technique. Building strength is more for stamina in my experience. Measuring progress can be done through clever exercises (two of them in this video). Also test yourself with the straw/coin exercise. If your feeling tired after 5 minutes of a two hour gig I would proceed with caution. It certainly won't help your progress! Your feedback is really important for me because it will help guide me with future video topics so thanks again. Keep me posted. TP
Hi Rik. What happens when you start on different notes on the trumpet? Does the mouthpiece pitch differ? This is an exercise to give you an idea of your natural/default aperture size and will allow you to hear progress as the pitch begins to rise. I will make a video about this sometime soon, TP
thank you professor. practice number 2 - relax top lip is not easy to me. I tried to be conscious that but almost always automatically my top lip was hardened. is there any other practice or training to make top lip relaxed?
Hi Michael. Yes, have a look at my other video "How to develop the three essential tips" and read through some comments below as this topic has come up a few times. TP
Hi Paul, I was wondering. If it comes to range there are loads of video's a bout the upper register. I think there should be more focussing on the lower register (C to F#). I often hear people that can't play ff or pp in the lower register... Flexibility is even a bigger problem. Can you once elaborate on that?
Hi sorry not to get back before. There are many high note videos but they are purely based on getting high notes at any cost. My technique has been developed to maintain resonance and quality of sound across all registers. I agree with your point though. Playing loud and quiet with a good sound in the lower register is about having an adequate amount of lip mass to vibrate inside the mouthpiece. Of course that's the opposite to playing high where you need to reduce mass and aperture size. Flexibility for me is about high notes. The ingredients needed to play high are the same as those required to attain efficient flexibility and control. It's worth a video I think. I'll add it to the list! TP
Paul, thank you for your wonderful videos and instruction. I had a question about 11:30-12:30 in this one. I don't understand what the concept is exactly, or what you are going for by achieving the fundamental of the mouthpiece when you are playing and then removing the mouthpiece. Can you please explain any further, particularly the goal one should be after when striving for this? Is your goal "trying" to achieve this particular pitch each time? Thank you!
Hi Alan. This exercise is purely a test. The purpose of which is to indicate and show you how efficiently you are playing and how you are progressing with the exercises I have suggested you practice. Actually practicing this will have little or no benefit to your progress. Ideally you want the pitch to rise and be as close to the fundamental as possible when removing the mouthpiece from the instrument. But you mustn't get involved and you certainly mustn't try!! It is where it is without your involvement. As you become more efficient and play with better technique you should find your pitch gets closer to the fundamental pitch quite naturally. What happens when you do the exercise? Which note do you end up with? Hope that helps. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Thank you for your quick and kind reply! This helps some. I'm still not coming to terms with the idea say, of playing a G in the staff with a proper airstream/blow & aperture, and then when removing the mouthpiece having the buzz go up as much as to a high D (without manipulation). What does "more efficient and play with better technique" mean to you ideally in the end? You mention a healthy blow and a relaxed top lip. These things? And more? BTW, when I try this - if I am indeed doing it naturally and without manipulating - I go up about a Perfect 4th. Thanks for your advice! Al
@@alanhoodtrumpet Up a fourth is very good! The idea and thinking behind this is that we try to have a default setting which is as high as possible. Most players don't know what their default pitch is because they are always playing or trying to play a specific note. Removing the mouthpiece while playing takes us to a pitch. It is different for each player (and should be) because of the way we play physically and because of our unique components. The higher it is, the greater our potential for playing more efficiently. For me there are two types of technique: Physical technique and technical technique. Physical technique is the way you assemble and use your physical components (lips, lungs, teeth, tongue etc). Technical technique is learning double or triple tonguing or improving finger dexterity or scales or pretty much anything in the Arban! What the Arban can't do is set you a higher level of potential. It can only help you to fulfil what you have. Playing more efficiently is about physical technique. It means using the strong muscles to do the physical work and the tiny muscles of the face to focus and aid their work. Playing more efficiently is playing a high C with no greater "feeling" of effort than a low C. It's doing less to achieve the same result. It's getting to the point where you just never lose your lip however high or for however long you play. Healthy blow is a sigh because a sigh won't engage facial muscles where "blowing" will. I hope that clears a few things up and apologies for the length of reply but I think these responses (and questions) can help the whole Prof community so thanks for posting. TP
@The Trumpet Prof, Thank you for a great tutorial. I am currently working on a song that starts at A3 and hits A6 towards the end (Gustav Holst's Jupiter (the Eb section normally played by strings)). I currently confidently hit a C6 and sometimes get the D. Is it possible to use your techniques to increase my range to the A? Am I better off practicing the top range on a piccolo trumpet? Thanks again.
Hi Richard sorry for delay in getting back. The techniques will help to A6 but that's a difficult note on the trumpet because it doesn't truly exist. I would always continue to develop range on the Bb trumpet which can only help your picc playing. Always maintain the 3 golden rules when extending range but experiment too. I'll do a video on helping you to experiment soon. TP
TProf, I'm wondering, in your long endeavor for improved efficiency, if changes in equipment were part of that. Also, are there techniques you can recommend for developing compression within the oral cavity?
Hi James. Changes in equipment played a big part in my progress. But those changes were made AFTER making physical changes. For instance, If physically you start playing with a higher level of resistance, you can then lower it somewhere else. My mouthpiece is a Monette Prana B4S S2.. It has a huge throat. Most would think that helps in the low register (which it does) but it helps more in the upper! Another very important point here: It took about a month before it really started to work for me. Most would have given up after a few days but I knew in theory it should work so I gave it the time. My teaching is the same. It is based on fact, knowledge and experience. Compression in the oral cavity all comes under the umbrella of air pressure which is controlled by the sigh. Maybe what you mean is simply developing the use of the oral cavity and yes there are plenty of ways to do that. When we talk about the oral cavity and using the back of the tongue everything seems so simplistic. It isn't. There are so many ways you can set and use the oral cavity and it plays such an important role in developing your engine. I'm literally about to make my next video on developing the three essential tips and I briefly touch on this aspect then. Thanks for writing. TP
Paul how do you set your embouchure?is it relax or tight?and what's with your tongue when you go higher,does only tongue go higher or the aperture is closing?you make great videos.thanks
Hi Mihael. The "embouchure" has many interpretations! There is muscular activity in my face when I play (particularly in the depressor Labii Inferioris) but the face is a basket-weave of muscle and being too specific is of no use to anyone else because we are all so different in physical make-up (jaw, teeth, lips etc). Top-lip-relaxed is relevant to the majority. Depressor Labii Inferioris is or should be one of the most active muscles while playing for most, but it should be reactive not directly controlled by the player. Embouchure should be relaxed as much as possible. My tongue moves in many ways. It changes shape and moves higher and lower all the time but it is reacting to forces from elsewhere. I don't consciously control it. Everything is about balance and finding that balance is about experimentation. Productive experimentation is about knowledge and the knowledge you need will mostly come from physics and not trumpet players. My channel is very much about helping you to learn how to experiment so you can find the right way for you. Hope that helps for now. Thanks for your time. TP
Thanks for an interesting video! I’m a little confused by a couple of things though and hope you’ll help clear things up for me. How do you increase air pressure? I assume you don’t simply mean “blow harder” as you would want to continue sighing out the air even as air pressure is increased. How can one resist the air pressure if not at the lips? You mention that there are other options but don’t specify which ones. Thanks again
@@rolfthoftesrensen7536 Many thanks for the comment and questions. I'm going to make the next video about the sigh breath and air pressure as I think it needs some clarification and further explanation. Of course the sigh can be interpreted many ways but for me it's really about delivering/pushing the air from the chest and not "blowing" the air from the lips . The natural act of sighing delivers a high flow rate of air. But in general to play the trumpet I want a low flow rate of air most of the time. Whatever your level of resistance, you can still "try" to sigh the air. Focus more on the act of sighing, or think of it as a long sigh with added resistance. As for resistance, I didn't specify because this video is about preparing to play high. Resistance techniques are used to actually play high. If I offered these first, many would not bother with the prep' work which is just as important for success. Hope that helps for now. TP
Hello, i find extremely difficult to hit any note above d in the fourth line of the staff. I play for about 2 months, total begginer. Is it normal? I try really hard but only air comes out. I use a practice mute everytime. Is it a problem? Thank you
If you've only played for 2 months you're doing ok (I realize that was a few months ago) with a D. However, find the correct technique and high notes can be instant. You have to experiment but experiment the right way. This video should guide you and also my follow up video on how to develop the three essential tips. The sensation of air pressure is so important. I will be producing more videos from now and hope they will help you discover new ways to play.
Obviously, successful trumpeters through hard work or maybe shear talent or both find a way to efficient playing and then start to conceptualize their experience. Here Paul presents his bunch of (useful) concepts. However for a less successful trumpeter these concepts are reverse engineered and may have different degree of usefulness. Some maybe get more out of 'air flow' while others could have more success with 'air pressure' and for others nothing will work and they need to find another concept to get over problems in their playing. Let me present my general universal set of concept for trumpet playing : you need 1. Air flow and breath support; 2. Strong facial muscles to maintain embouchure for a wide range of pitches. What you do with those 2 is very much conceptual and every successful trumpet player will have his own set of concepts.
Thanks for your message. I think your comments are generally valid and I would totally agree when referring to almost all teachers or players sharing their knowledge. However I totally disagree with them in relation to my own teaching. My concepts and techniques have not been reversed engineered. If you watch my very first ever video on this channel "The Trumpet Prof" I explain exactly where my teaching has come from and how I got to where I am with them. These techniques are not about my own personal way of playing the trumpet, having been develop with hundreds of students of all ages and abilities. I work and build from scientific principles. I design and engineer the physical components of a player before I hear them play. It is far more about design than discovery. I've had total success with air pressure over air flow. Breath support I agree with. Strong facial muscles will produce limited results and give limited potential in my experience. The interesting thing is that in my early twenties I would have agreed with all of your universal concepts. As I always say; at the end of the day the student will decide anyway! TP
Paul - I definitely see where you are coming from and I'm not going to argue with you because it's pointless. I also see that it's possible to look at all your concepts from another angle without ruining them. Yes, high air pressure is needed for playing trumpet, the higher the pitch the higher the pressure is required to produce that pitch.Without strong embouchure muscles no one will be able to create high air pressure behind lips and once high air pressure is created for high notes it will translate into fast air flow - the higher the pitch the faster the airflow. All these concepts are interrelated and individual teachers would emphasize one or another and I assume the best of teacher will emphasize one or another concept with particular students to achieve best results since some people will better respond to certain concepts. In this respect the success of teaching is not the concepts themselves but the ability of a teacher to use his concepts to provide noticeable progress in the student's development. As such the teacher's talent is much more important than the set of concepts he derives or modelled. The sole measure of the teacher's success is his students and their progress and achievements.
I often hear "there's more to life than high notes".
I totally agree. So why do I dedicate most of my time to them? Well 70k views in 7 months would suggest it's not a bad place to start!
But if you think it's because I want everyone to play double C's you have missed the point. Play high effortlessly and you'll do everything else the same way. You'll rarely worry about stamina or hitting the highest note in whatever piece you are playing. You'll have more confidence in your ability and perform without fear. In case you missed that section take a look 1:42 - 2:20.
It's not about the high note; it's about what comes with it. TP
The Trumpet Prof hey, thanks for the great video it really helped me out. Also I noticed that when you play, your neck puffs out. Mine does the same thing but no one else at my school does. Do you know why this happens and if it affects anything? Thanks!
As one of my voice teachers said, high notes reveal bad technique. It's like walking a high wire vs. a low wire. The technique is the same for both, but the consequences of faltering on the former are much more obvious!
Thanks
Larnell Lewis once said something similar in about drumming. You sound the best when you are not overtaxing your brain, so the only way to play difficult things WELL (or reliably) is to learn how to play something even more difficult (i.e. increasing the upper bound of your ability)
Paul: You wont play that high anyway!
SCV 2019: hold my drink.
yuh
It's not about playing high. It's what comes with it which is important.
I will play that high because I'm pushing the boundaries of what is possible and so far achieving. I'm discovering new things both for myself and others. Composers are doing the same with the music they write and the sounds they create. Technical advancement is necessary for all.
Forgive me for not responding to your second point but I have no idea what it means. TP
The Trumpet Prof Santa Clara Vanguard is a Drum Corp (Elite marching band) that in their latest show, showcased some ridiculously high notes
@@TheOnlyWay2Go. but they sounded like someone put a microphone in a beehive
@@TheTrumpetProf hes saying that santa clara vanguard can play that high
learned a lot from an Army Jazz Ambassidor and this demonstration fits in nicely.
Thanks for making a higher level channel. Great playing and awesome information. I think you should make one in depth about articulation
Thanks so much for the warm up tips I’m already noticing a difference in stamina, tone and higher register
I just came across this channel and I have to admit to not really playing much of late and just needed a little inspiration and some direction. Watching and practicing along with this video has enabled me to quickly get the lips responding and those simple 3 principles of SIGH/ RELAXED TOP LIP/AIR PRESSURE are very useful starting points to building up confidence again and revisiting some pertinent points to get back into the trumpet playing saddle after a period of digression. Much appreciated.
Thank you Alan. They will give you a firm foundation on which to experiment. TP
I have been teaching Brass instruments for 38 years and have watched many videos on brass pedagogy. This is absolutely the most compelling information on you tube. I was a long time student of carmine caruso
Pasquale thank you. I hope you've loved every minute of your 38 years! I'm a few years behind you but I owe everything to it. Best wishes to you. TP
@@hawkeye2958 carmine caruso was one of the greatest Brass teachers ever
@@pasqualegallo8234 I studied with Joe Marcinkiewicz (excellent player, trumpet manufacturer, and teacher). He spoke very highly and based his own teaching methods on those of Carmine Caruso.
thank you so much ,i was seen as just a trainee but after your video I'm now a core member of my orchestra
The way that high G came out reminded me instantly of Malcolm McNab who can also play super high but without losing any beauty of tone. That's rare, most often you hear people scream out top high notes on very shallow mouthpieces. I once met a old trumpet player travelling around who had adapted his trumpet so he could play micro intervals accurately. He could whisper out very clear but not screaming super high notes without any effort at all.
Thanks. It requires a very specific way of playing. The biggest challenge is actually to develop the lower register sound to match the upper! That's what took me the time. TP
Hi Paul, Your advice in this post made such a difference to playing high notes. Thank you.
I played the trumpet from 5th to 12th grade and I graduated 20 yeas ago in 1999. Not once was I ever taught any of this from our music teachers or directors. I truly learned something new but I haven't played in years. Maybe I'll start to pick my trumpet back up again. I was able to hit a high A with no problem but the high C would sometimes give me trouble and now I finally understand why. Thank your for this valuable information!
high A is way above high C!
Thanks Paul. Great video.
I'm a comeback player and absolutely struggle with the A to high C range. I've been doing the James Stamp exercises which involves going from pedal tones to the upper register. I was primarily focusing on not manipulating the embouchure and maintaining a solid airstream to achieve the expanse of the range.
Thanks to your video, I never considered maintaining resistance in the low register.
I simply just relaxed the entire embouchure to play below middle G. I also noticed any note below middle C was always flat and with poor tone. Since your video I've been holding the embouchure in shape and trying to focus the low tones (increasing resistance) and it's actually been helping the upper register.
Thanks for the insight.
Good to hear and thanks very much.. Throw away the "rule" book! It's not easy to let go of conventional ideas and techniques but if we knew the true source of them we'd probably never have wasted so much time with them in the first place! Experiment with ideas that make sense and can be explained. Keep me posted. TP
Thanks for those remarks. That was it what I first missed, listening to the video !
Thank-you. The sigh has benefited both my high brass and low brass playing.
That was super high quality content! thanks a lot!
Gabriel Angelotti I got the pun😉😉
Unless the pun wasn’t intended...
Great video. I struggle greatly trying to play even tough i practice every day for 20 years. I feel people should not be encouraged to play trumpet alone. It should be in tandem with another family of instrument. I strongly believe it is anatomy and how calm a person is that is the underlying factor to playing successfully. Not to a virtuoso level but to a degree where you can enjoy playing music with others.
Even as a tuba player, this was some helpful :) I'll be trying some of this. Sometimes I have inaccuracies in my extreme high range. Of course tuba players use that top octave all the time in performance, so I'm always looking for different perspectives. I buzz every day almost so I will be trying this on the mouthpiece first.
Thank you so much, the lower lip principle really has changed my playing
Just finished watching this and I feel enlightened :) Your way of teaching is top notch!
Can you also make a video about embouchure? Buzzing vs Free-Buzzing approaches? I'm so glad that I have found your channel!!!
Hi. Yes I'll do that at some point. I see very few advantages in lip buzzing if you want to set your potential at the highest possible level. The air inside the instrument can move your lips sympathetically when it is excited, therefore any tension or obstruction of free movement will only upset this process. There are some benefits to free lip buzzing but for me they are more to condition muscle strength. TP
Free buzzing has nothing to do with trumpet playing. Lip slurs, and dismiss the BS. Talk to A. Herseth, or my teacher, Charlie Geyer.
Your channel stands out really well! Thank you very much for your efforts!!!
thank you very for sharing your knowledge , about playing trumpet. i like your way of teaching. from philippines po.
Interesting concepts, I like it. I have trouble with the trumpet when it comes to high notes. Thanks for making this video!
I'm enjoying your videos and practicing your techniques. Here's
my problem. I find that high and soft is much easier than high and loud.
I can play up to high C when playing softly. But when I have to play high and fortissimo, for example the
last part of 1812 Overture, everything blows up on me. My chops are
gone and there is not enough chop strength or air support to overcome
the fatigue. Please address the issue of high and loud and talk about
a path to get there.
Trumpet prof.
This is very inspiring. Especially when I have been trying to do the same thing-not just playing high, but doing it with comfort, control and clearity.
Thank you for boosting my confidence.
Please, I want to learn to play lower notes like the lower C up to the next Cs.
Please I need your help with something that can help me learn it.
Thank you so much.
Don't try to make your low notes feel easy. Resistance is important in all registers of the trumpet and although it is possible to play low notes with very little effort it will not give you efficiency across your range and will limit your potential.
Blow a narrow air stream into the mouthpiece which does not vibrate or buzz. The lips alone should not make a sound. The mouthpiece alone should not make a sound. When the trumpet is attached it will turn the air into sound so be patient and let the process happen naturally. Your lips will be drawn together you do not need to blow them apart. TP
I am an ex trumpet player now 89 years old and I am finding your lessons and explanations fantastic , I have been practicing without the trumpet for 3 weeks by just buzzzing and I am already going from bottom C to top C by just breathing the sound, wonderful keep the lessons coming ! Regards Alan Clarke.
Hello Alan thank you! Hope I'm still playing at your age! Best wishes, Paul
Thank you for your service Alan 🫡
Very interesting tips indeed!
I would appreciate to see them discussed deeply and I expecially look forward to your remarks on the point of resistance. About some years ago, as an outcome of a lengthy crisis I found out about buzzing techniques as has been taught by Reinhold Friedrich and Kristian Steenstrup. This changed everything and brought me back to playing with confidence. Finally I happened to get a Yamaha 8335LA which instantly proofed to be the right trumpet for me. I am playing it with a Monette B3FS7 mouthpiece, so my setup can be described as "very free blowing".
Thanks for your comment. My first impression is that you do pretty much the opposite of what I teach! Important therefore for me to say that I'm not against any method or system because they all pretty much work for somebody. What I'm more concerned with is the level of potential each method / approach will set for an in individual.
My views and beliefs are polar opposites to Steenstrup (that's for another time) and Friedrich approach I don't really know. If you're happy with your engine and it does what you want, then there's really no point changing it! TP
This is, for sure, one of the most useful trumpet thoughts video I have watched. I feel fortunate that i have find this. Thanks Paul, thanks for share all for free. You are inspiring me to caption all this kind of things that we should feel when we play and wich I was discovering in the lasts months. And, as well, how to practice to get those sensations. Thanks for these wise tips!!!!
Thank you David. I hope your playing continues to improve.
What a lecture!!! Thank you!!
I love your sound! Thank you! I will try incorporating it!
@William Ash what?
Hello Paul, great job with you videos! Thanks for sharing all the trumpet technique goodies! I wonder if you can and would want to make a video that is focused on the physical aspects of trumpet playing and practising. And maybe share your take on how your playing techniques affect body posture, and how to practise this to avoid pain and problems.
Intreging and captivational, well presented, thanks for sharing.
Nice job of balancing your voice against the trumpet. Many TH-camrs can't do that; they mumble so you have to turn the volume up, then when they play they don't bother reducing that and it blows your ears inside out.
I see lots of trumpets and a trombone how do u split your practice time, does it depend on your preferred instrument receiving more attention to maintain competence?
Brilliant. Can't wait to see what's next!
I was a high school trumpet player in the early 70's - the days of Maynard Ferguson and Bill Chase (and other jazz and rock brass men). I had a fairly good set of "chops" for a high school player of that time and played lead in our stage band. But, in the summer between 11th and 12th grade, I went to a music camp. I was first trumpet in the orchestra and was introduced to classical orchestral music and the demands made on those trumpet players. We played the overture to Handel's music for "The Royal Fireworks Display." I found out that jazz trumpet players were not the only ones required to play high notes. Furthermore, orchestral players cannot "scream" the high notes but must play them with the same accuracy, tonal quality, and articulation as they would an octave lower. I was able to play the high "e" but never with the ease and accuracy of a professional.
I did not go on to a career in music. But over the years, I listened carefully to orchestral players and gained a great appreciation their phenomenal talent. Actually, it was a realization of the amount of discipline, time, and practice required to become even a moderate professional - and discipline was never my strong suit. LOL. I continued playing as a hobby in community bands and even played some in the pep band of the local High School into my 40's. I simply relied on my JetTone Bill Chase model mouthpiece for high notes. Then for many years, I hardly played my trumpet at all. Needless to say, high notes of any sort are are no longer in my repertoire! LOL.
Bravo teacher, excellent explanations, thank you very much, Ivan do Brasil.
Best trumpet educational video ever!
I’m currently struggling with high notes and I have been for a couple years now. Hopefully this helps!!
It is a video to give you the potential to play high. Also watch How To Develop The Three Essential Tips. Resistance is the key. You need to create resistance to play high. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf jaaaaa
Returning to the trumpet after 50 years, I find myself falling into the old habits of straining in the upper range. I comprehend the 'sigh' and relax the top lip. I would like to ask for a bit more on air pressure. I'm not getting the mechanics of increasing air pressure when coupled with the sigh. Thanks, your videos are great!
Hi Robert, apologies for my late response. There's sighing and trying to sigh. The sigh creates a strong feeling of moving air at low air pressure (the feeling in your lungs). If you sigh and quickly close your lips the sigh is on "hold" and you have a feeling of high air pressure; these are the two extremes. What I am talking about creating is everything in-between. So if you have the sigh on hold and then open your lips a tiny amount you have engaged the sigh again but at high air pressure. The more you open your lips the lower the feeling of pressure in your lungs.
So TO BEGIN WITH when you play; try to create the high air pressure feeling for high notes AND for low notes. If you experiment this way anything you discover will be positive.
I'll address this again soon now I'm back up and at em! TP
I'm guilty of all of the negatives you mentioned. Wow, I've got lots of work to do. My range is a consistent high C and I bump D occasionally. But I can't seem to increase range. I will be practicing your method, although I'm not real clear on "resistance ".
Please explain what you mean when you say, ”its very important to know where the resistance is coming from” I've been doing this exercise now for two weeks and like you say, the sound just gets louder. Is this something that one have to figure out on your own? What are the feelings like when you start to notice the resistance? The problem is that when i introduce more air, the lips collapse. The note only goes up, for me, when I use more lip pressure. So again, what's the feeling when you start to notice the resistance? What's gonna key me in to this feeling? This is not as easy as it sounds Paul. Thanks so much.
This is my problem. Did you figure anything out about it?
Thanks for the excellent lesson. The only thing missing was coverage of the top lip relaxed technique. How to do it?
Hi Walter. For help with this, take a look at my How to Develop the Three Essential Tips video. Good luck. TP
now i'm confused, you're saying to blow at a higher air pressure by what it seems to me, forcing it, whereas I was told and have experienced just an increase in volume whenever I used that technique. but have since learned to arch the tongue upward to the pallet of the mouth and contract the lip muscles slightly so even at a constant air flow, I can seemlessly change between notes
The top lip always tenses up for me, which messes me up and it’s sad I’m doing band and I can’t hit a F and sometimes even a normal high c.. the Sighing technique helps a lot though
In your discussion of varying resistance, you did not mention raising the tongue playing higher by saying "eee" and bringing it down playing lower by saying "aww". Why not? Walter Lemann (student of a teacher who was a student of Timofei Dokshizer in Moscow). Thank you. I enjoy your teaching very much.
Hello Walter. Thank you for your message. This video is really an introduction to the foundations required to play high successfully and I hope it will motivate players to experiment a little with their technique. The thing that held me back as a young player was my need to be told exactly how to do things. Experimentation without guidance is a long road; often to nowhere. But with the right ideas and principles it is the key to success.
I address these essential tips in more detail in this video th-cam.com/video/ZzHNP4peTe8/w-d-xo.html and talk about the tongue from 13:47
Best wishes, TP
Ok when I started blowing faster my high register improved instantly. I just got the f above the f on the top line of the staff
Me watching, who can't play past a high G like 👁️👄👁️
I struggle with playing a high E or higher 😂
i just started hitting high a naturally like 2 weeks ago
Been 2 years… how are you?🙂
Your instruction is great, and it ties a lot of ideas I have heard before together in a much more cohesive way. I have a question--when I do the "sigh" exercise and go higher, around E above staff, I start to feel that my diaphragm is contracting to "push" the air --in other words, instead of feeling relaxed, as in a sigh, it is more effort to move the air past the resistance of my embouchure. I can "hit" the E above the first one above staff--and I can play C above staff well--but, my endurance above A above staff is not good--in a session if I hit C above staff a bunch of times, it really exhausts me (and I can't hit that C more than a few times in a session), so I am wondering if that is a sign I am not breathing right, and should be able to get the lips vibrating at high notes, without pushing the air with my diaphram?
Hi, thanks for your question. To play high you need to use a lot of effort! But we must try to transfer the energy/effort to the stronger muscles and at the same time keep the throat area relaxed and natural. That is the role of the sigh. You will feel contraction in lots of places but as long as you focus on pushing/delivering your air from the chest (sigh) you will find the engine begins to function more freely and efficiently. Embrace air pressure! Hope that helps. TP
Hi Trumpet Prof, I am enjoying the challenges your videos provide. Will do be doing a video on strength building in terms of playing in the upper register?
Hi Caleb. Already have! Test & Build Your Air Power is the most important "building" exercise you can do. Playing high is as much, if not more, about relaxation as it is strength. Most successful high note players don't use great strength in their face. Just watch Maynard, Sandoval, Morrison, Andre . . . . They're not controlling their face to move around the upper register. It's the way their facial components are assembled that gives them their ability. Their engine! Of course, you can build facial strength and increase your range (James Stamp) but it's less efficient and has limited potential. I used Stamp years ago as I struggled to play in the upper register and my stamina was poor. A fantastic crossover player I was working with at the time, John Barclay, told me to back off in the upper register. Relax more. It was the opposite advice to what I'd always been taught. It put me on a completely new and different path which proved to be the right one! TP
@@TheTrumpetProf ... Many thanks for your reply. We discussed building, and we discussed relaxation. Do you have any advice on relaxing the lips? I have been playing for years, and I may have the air pressure required. Hard to know. I seem to do well with the straw test, although honestly I find it hard to compare currencies as I am Canadian. How do I keep the lips relaxed enough to vibrate throughout the upper register? I feel as if no matter what I try they eventually seize to vibrate. The only time that I can achieve a smooth run of harmonics up to a E or F is when I have removed myself from the horn for a couple of days.
@@caliban542 Have you seen my latest video on developing the three essential tips? Some advice and tips on keeping top lip relaxed there.
Important to remember though; my videos so far are more about preparing for high notes. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf I hadn't seen the new video by the time I posed the question. Thank you for the new video, it's exactly what I was looking for.
@@caliban542 No problem. Let me know how you get on. TP
Hi just starting to work with your techniques, if the resistance is not generated by the lips then where else would the resistance be created. Have played most of my life and always dreamed of the upper register but C above the staff is about my limit. I plan on viewing your series numerous times or at least until all the information sinks in. Most of the information makes sense but you lost me when you said the lips was not the only way to create resistance. Your information and techniques make more sense then the other web sites I have visited. My goal is to be able to play and or perform some of the selections from the collection of Wayne Naus's CD touch the spirit. By the way I am over 60 but am still active in the Sheriff's Dept. Honor Guard not that taps needs that kind of range but would like to play some of the selections for our church services.
Hi Kevin, thanks so much for your message. Check out this video particularly from 13.47 because I touch on resistance.
th-cam.com/video/ZzHNP4peTe8/w-d-xo.html
Worth pointing out that the two high note videos are really to prepare you to play high.
Remember to follow on Facebook too. I'm going to use my Trumpet Prof Facebook page to comment on videos and the reaction to them so you'll pick up even more tips.
facebook.com/thetrumpetprof
Keep in touch. TP
I personally have kinda thick lips, and my tone quality is a lil wacky and my range isn’t where I want it to be. I dream of being in DCI, but I just want to be able to improve my tone quality and range. Do you have any mouthpiece suggestions and tips? I use a standard 5b
Hi. That sounds a bit small for a player with larger lips. My advice to players with large lips is use two mouthpieces. Get the widest mouthpiece and develop your range and general technique as much as you can. Then try to transfer your ability on to a smaller mouthpiece. You'll eventually find a balance. TP
The resistance does not determine the air pressure. The air pressure level is achieved by the blowing effort amount. Also, the resistance in the instrument is the one that must be dominant for efficient playing. The physics of playing do revolve around air pressure, air flow (which you refer to as air "volume") and resistance. But a vibrating embouchure has frequency, not "speed". The frequency is determined by the state of the pulsating aperture. And yes tension must increase in the aperture to ascend. The air pressure then controls the loudness of tone.
Hi Paul, I am a very young trombonist (18) and obviously not as experienced as you and, still, I very much enjoyed your video but I feel like there were two misconceptions presented: tubas and trumpets have opposite tendencies and the exercise in which faster air creates a break into the next partial. For the first, Tubas play low notes and trumpets play low notes and the same goes for the high, the difference is only in the tubing which creates phonic tendencies in regards to pitches, which to the tubist and the trumpeter, if we could unbiasedly compare the sensation of playing in those ranges, probably feels, to said player, the same. now, the way I see it, the difference in the air usage or even pressure between the two instruments is relatively similar but the variation in air needed to produce functional pitches is actually caused by the effort needed to play with consistent dynamics: if we were to play with the exact same air consistency in the series of low, middle, and high range notes in, say, a forte dynamic, we would not be able to accurately sustain the dynamic because of the fact that various pitches are easier or harder to hear in regards to human's ability to cling to certain pitches. So, to play a variety of notes which span the extremes of human hearing we must use more air, relative to their ability to be heard by increasing wave intensity as so to match a single dynamic, for the tuba, more air for lower pitches and trumpets, more air in the higher register. As to address my second critique, you mentioned that the difference in outcomes, that is, playing louder or breaking through the next partial is due to resistance, which I feel is generally true although, I feel that we should actually chalk this up to intent which I feel is an important detail to develop what you called developing an understanding of the relationship between air pressure and resistance.
These are primarily notes for my later reference but if anyone has any insight for me, I would appreciate it.
Hi Marcos, very interesting views thank you. My objective is to help trumpet players play better and I use whatever means I can to do that. Sometimes the information is to stimulate and motivate the correct response. It might not always be scientifically accurate but It will trigger the correct response.
With the comparison between the tuba and trumpet I'm trying to put forward the need to "think" differently and to avoid trying to put more air down the instrument. I don't think anyone can disagree that the things I suggest as opposite are anything other than that. I do agree with your point about the tubing but my focus is on the physical engine and getting away from a conventional and general brass playing approach. Yes it is possible to play the trumpet and tuba in similar ways but you will become a better tuba player than trumpet player this way. We both play low and we both play high but I disagree the sensation spectrum is relative. The frequency difference is much greater playing one octave on the trumpet than on the tuba. Therefore the "effort" required is much greater.
Generally I don't like to use the phrase "faster air" to play higher but I made an exception for the test because a more open aperture will result in a louder dynamic/same note (like a tuba would) and a more closed aperture will result in higher air pressure and a "kick" up to the next partial (unlike a tuba). TP
The Trumpet Prof Yes, thank you for the response, I appreciated the line about becoming a better tubist than trumpet player and I actually will agree that they have great differences but I think I meant that the sensations relative to the players own experiences to a general, for a lack of a better word, discomfort while playing in those extremes of their instruments would be a similar one, but definitely a lot different from a literal physical standpoint . I hope that what I mean is realized. I would just like to say that this claim made me very curious and I feel, as I further explore the tendencies between brass instruments, I will better be able to develop my own understanding of what this means for my own brass playing and idea of pedagogy. Thank you.
Hi, Paul! I'm a woodwind multi-instrumentalist who is also in love with the trumpet. I played when I was 9.. I was lousy, but I just loved it. Now, in my later years, I have decided to get back into the horn. Your videos help me a lot. Thanks. John. (youtube: "songs featuring John Phillips on woodwinds")
Thanks John. It's a shame the trumpet doesn't love us back, but unfortunately that's the way it is. And it's worth remembering! TP
@@TheTrumpetProf You're welcome, Paul. John.
Very interesting video! I came on it very much on purpose... I generally agree with your explanation. You are a fantastic teacher! But, one thing you were saying about the lips to be open can course a problem to the attack of a note. If this attack has to be clear, you need to start with closed and relax lips inside the embouchure... A high blower in a big band does not have tot care about this, but a classical trumpet player needs precision in his attack... I wanted to share this with you... Rik Ghesquière, trumpet player Brussels Philharmonic
Thank you for your comments and kind words. I don't disagree with your approach to achieving a clean "classical" articulation but it can be done successfully both ways. I prefer to generally advise lips open and then allow the player to experiment with a couple of exercises until a more focussed personal position or placement is found. The whisper tone exercise and also removing the instrument while playing are effective ways to allow the player to find the correct position, feel and positive signals.
I agree that having the lips too far apart can cause articulation issues but coupled with the right exercises and understood outcomes it gives a less general and more personal approach. I hope my viewers will read your comment and experiment with both approaches but although It's a subtle difference I personally think the "space" sets a higher level of potential.
It's a privilege to also get the opinions and thoughts of professional players challenging all aspects of trumpet technique and thinking so many thanks for taking the time. TP
Very interesting video. What do you mean when you talk about playing with high resistance? I didn't really understand your explanation of why you jumped up to the next harmonic rather than getting louder.
Hi Robin. Take a look at my Test and Build Your Air Power video. From 1:07 should explain. I didn't really expand on why the harmonic jumped up other than to say I play at much higher resistance. The specific reason I'll explain another time, simply because it is unusual, will require greater explanation and is sure to create interest.
@@TheTrumpetProf Thanks very much. The other video is really good too. The note kicks up with me too when I blow harder. When I tried the other test of pulling the mouthpiece out while playing, most of the time I just get air. Sometimes a (higher) note sounds, though nowhere near as loud and clear as yours.
The highest note I can play is a C above a middle C but I want to play higher
My big question is: how or when does on incorporate these techniques into their daily practice? Does on immediately start playing using these techniques?
Yes I would incorporate them at the earliest opportunity. We are trying to change behaviour and rebalance. I will be addressing the sigh breath in more detail in a video soon. TP
can you go deeper into air pressure? how do build it, how do feel it better, exercises? Thanks! Great stuff! :-)
Have a look at my "Test and Build your Air Power" video and also "How to Develop the Three Essential Tips". TP
Hi Paul, this video is great! Can you explain a little bit about the embouchure setting? That will be very helpful . Greetings from the Dominican Republic
Hi Victor. There's a little information in my response to Mihael above. I'll make a video on this topic soon. TP
Thanks so much for this. I’m a music teacher and have been struggling to help a pupil with high notes through Zoom lessons (I find it hard not being in the room to watch how he’s using his body when he plays) but this video has been really helpful. Any tips on what to suggest when top space E and top line F just aren’t sounding cleanly even if the G then comes out fine?! Thank you :)
Hi Deborah. Thank you, I'm so glad this helped. The E/F problem when a G is good is often quite common in students with braces. When you are one-on-one with your student again, have him play the G holding the trumpet up LH only (RH by his side) and you press the valves so he slurs down F# - F - E. He should "hold" the G at all times. If that doesn't work try him on a different mouthpiece. If that doesn't work get him to place his mouthpiece slightly: Higher/Lower/Left/Right, BUT ONLY BY A VERY VERY SLIGHT AMOUNT, so he hardly feels it. Let me know how that goes. TP
The Trumpet Prof thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Will definitely try this when we’re back face-to-face. Much appreciated.
Great contribution, teacher!
This is amazing instruction. Much thanks !!
fantastic information. Thank you!
what about: exercises to prevent or unlearn neck tension? ties in with sighing
Look up "A NEW APPROACH TO ALTISSIMO TRUMPET PLAYING" BY JOHN H. LYNCH...U CAN GET IT ON SCRIBD
Paul, I love your videos--they are very helpful and you're an amazing player an enviable tone quality / control in the upper register. I'm an amateur comeback player who has been playing consistently for about a year and a half. I could never get above the staff much back in high school and a little college despite a lot of practice and lessons. I stumbled across some other TH-cam videos and have had success playing more relaxed and open and now high C isn't very difficult and can consistently play F above High C now, although I'm still working on my dynamic control, articulation and usefulness of the top of my range, etc.
My question is about the section in which you pull the mouthpiece off and there's a pitch on the mouthpiece.
When I pull the mouthpiece off, especially in the low to mid register (i.e. up to E on the staff), there's no pitch--just air.
I thought that was a good thing, showing that my aperture was open and I was playing relaxed. Is that incorrect? Should I be playing in such a way that a pitch comes out?
I thought only beginning students buzz on the MP to make a sound on the instrument in the low to middle registers and when they do that the sound isn't very good, it's tight and nasally, etc.
Can you please clarify / help me understand?
Thanks again for all the great videos you're posting; they've been a big help!
Hi John thanks for your comments much appreciated.
Yes I see how this may seem to be a contradiction but the key is to "play it at a good dynamic. Play it at a good healthy forte." That's the most important part.
If you play it around mp-mf ideally you shouldn't hear anything except silent air as this indicates the lips are relaxed and have good spacing. If you play it louder and you still get no sound your lips are probably too open OR you don't have enough resistance.
This question has come up a few times actually but I always encourage players to listen to every word! The answers to most of the questions I get are actually already in the videos!
It doesn't matter how high the pitch ascends but experiment with your set up until it goes up. Hope that helps. Keep in touch. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Thanks Paul! I'm so glad I asked this, I'm going to give it a try. Thank you. I forgot that you did mention playing it forte--makes sense!
What are your thoughts about playing soft (dynamics) in the high register?
Increasing air speed/pressure is one factor of course, but it also increases tone volume.
I agree about "keeping the top lip relaxed" to some degree, but the word " relaxed" can be confusing to many.
Hello Eric, appreciate you taking the time.
Playing softly in the upper register is complex and the precise mechanics of it will vary from player to player depending on the way they play. Trying to generalize this aspect of technique is almost impossible but there are a few things worth mentioning. Air speed and air pressure have to be separated and balanced in different ways. When I ascend at 1:33 I'm not playing loud and could certainly get much softer. As I sigh a little faster, air is being compressed naturally because my resistance is high while small sympathetic adjustments happen at my aperture. I'm not actively trying to compress or squeeze the air. If I want to play louder I'll actively get involved with the compression process, sigh with greater force and balance resistance at my aperture. I'm keeping my top lip very relaxed and my aperture is closing down a very specific way (not helpful to share right now).
Not allowing the oral cavity to continually close down toward the front of the mouth will also help. Maximum space directly behind the front teeth is vital for playing softly in the upper register and especially for maintaining quality of sound.
For me maximum efficiency will happen when the top lip is totally relaxed. It just isn't possible for everyone to go fully "total" but it is possible for those players to get very close to it. It should always be a very long term goal though, as so much of the system has to be rebalanced and synchronized before it is realistic to expect this to happen. You'll notice I almost always say "as much as you can, as often as you can". Of course for some styles of playing it is necessary to apply top lip tension in order to get a desired sound and effect. But I'm striving for a default approach to playing which can be adapted to cross all styles and technical demands. All best, Paul
@@TheTrumpetProf
Hi Paul, thanks for your reply.
For me, my top lip can not be "relaxed" (as you described) in the upper register.
(it's almost like trying play high notes on a violin without getting the string tension increased.)
In my years of teaching and playing alongside many top players, mechanical part of playing high notes varies so much......
Often times, they may say totally different and contradicting ways to explain their techniques.
I think this is because the physical diversity, along with our musical personality difference and given musical performance needs, one's playing technique can't be generalized in one way.
This is why I never offer playing tips on internet.
I have to be with the person on a "one on one" situation to be able to offer proper advice the will fit his or her needs.
All these internal part of our playing:
Breathing, tongue positions, air pressure, wedge breathing, "relaxed" backing off etc.
These things are difficult to explain through one sided communication like the SNS youtube, and also written articles.
The most dangerous word in trying to teach brass playing may be
"relax"
We need to realize the resistance and tension, (from our lips, tongue position, mouthpiece, or the horn) in parts of our playing, so this word needs to be carefully guided in person, thorough communicative on site lessons.
Well, this is just my two cents!
Sorry for the long ass reply.....
I am still trying to learn how to be a better player and better teacher, so I am thankful for your insights.
Eric
If one already plays using too much pressure, how does one CHANGE that, and how long might it take to make the change?
Hello Phyllis. It's all about balance. The high note on a piano is so because the string is shorter than the other notes. But it is also the tension which determines the pitch. The string is also very thin compared with the lowest notes. It is also of a different material to the lowest notes. So there we have 4 reasons for the note being high on a piano. Now let's think in terms of the trumpet. The vibration must be small or narrow. The amount of air pressure plays a role. The area of the lip affects frequency. The volume of the oral cavity also. By balancing these things the right way we can try to maintain a more relaxed top lip so it is as free as it can be to vibrate in sympathy with instrument.
Sometimes the change is instant. Sometimes it takes longer, it really depends on exactly how you try to change things. TP
I wish I could practice this rn but french horn is my main instrument and I have an audition in a few days
A question: Cornet mouthpieces are smaller and their fundamental will be higher in pitch. Yet, cornet players do not usually go so high. Does the same principle apply for the cornet?
Hi. I'm not inferring the shorter the mouthpiece the higher you can play. Only that your lips will be "pulled toward" a natural frequency of the mouthpiece if they are relaxed enough. The properties of the air stream also play a role in the outcome but there is no advantage or disadvantage on a cornet mouthpiece. Of course, they tend to be deeper which is a factor too. When the mouthpiece is in the instrument the length is the same anyway. In short, they should work in very similar ways for the purpose of this exercise. TP
Paul can you clarify something for me? When you say sigh into the trumpet, what exactly do you mean? Is that meant to help me relax? Or are you saying something completely different? Please clarify this for me.
Hello Michael. Take a look at this video from 1:08 th-cam.com/video/ZzHNP4peTe8/w-d-xo.html
Let me know if that doesn't answer your questions. TP
I am confused - isn't "kicking" the air or blowing the air faster an opposite action to the sigh release of air that you recommend? In one of your Trumpet Takeaway videos you specifically say not to blow the trumpet so that is somewhat of a disconnect for me.
Hi William. I hope others read this reply because it is important for those who follow my teaching. Firstly, my two channels are very different and are really meant for two different types of player. Many of the techniques on Trumpet Takeaway are quick fixes. They are techniques that can be introduced quickly and without too much practice. They are not necessarily for building a complex engine or progressing to an advanced level. They are there to give those who play for fun a way to make small instant improvements and get more out of the few times they play each week. So, there will be contradictions if you compare the information on both channels, but all the techniques work.
My next video will explain the sigh in greater detail because there has been some confusion and misinterpretation and it is such an important part of building your engine successfully. When most think of "blowing" they imagine an act like blowing out candles. Air is "blown" or "delivered" from the lips. It is cold on the hand. Sighing is felt more as a push from the chest. It is warm on the hand. You can sigh fast or slow, so when I talk of "kicking it" I mean a quicker more aggressive sigh. There are many reasons for using the sigh which I will go in to soon but essentially it avoids any contraction in the muscles of the face, therefore helping the top lip to remain more relaxed. However, there may be times when it is more beneficial to advise a student to blow from the lips because they require a certain embouchure shape or need to narrow the corners etc so we must never say never. But, it is less efficient to play this way and I'm trying to set a higher level of potential which the sigh certainly gives. Hope that helps. My next video will expand on the three essential tips. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Another major factor is shape of your mouth along with the mouth pieces you are using such as a 3C, 5C, 7C, and others. I've always preferred the 3C & 5C over the 7C. I had a few others that were not too bad but the cups felt too deep, I like a slightly more shallow cup. I never had a chance to use a 4C or 1C...
Very useful!! Thank you!!
Superb video Paul!!
Good evening. Would you give online lessons to help an intermediate trumpet player work on his range? If so, how can I get in touch?
Hi. Please email: prof@thetrumpetprof.com
How do you keep high resistance while relaxing the top lip? Is all the resistance coming from the bottom lip?
I believe the resistance comes from the trumpet and the mouthpiece itself
Hi Amos. My next video will answer this, and other questions I've had from this video very soon. If you "close" your throat so you are talking with a strained voice you have resistance at the throat and a relaxed top lip! Now that's not great for playing the trumpet but it is an example of high resistance / relaxed top lip. I'm giving information which will help every type of player however they play and whatever their physiological build. I am conscious that I'm not always being specific but there are two main reasons why:
1. We're still building foundations. They are the same for everyone. After that we will get more specific and I will inform players what will and won't work for them based on the way they play (hard to imagine but possible) so you won't waste time working at something which isn't likely to work for you.
2. Experimentation. Taking some responsibility for your own progress is vital but of course with the correct guidance. If I give an example of resistance (for instance), you can get creative and try to think of different ways to achieve it. Your experimentation will "fit" around your own attributes.
Resistance comes from several places never just one place just as we play with several apertures (the definition of aperture shouldn't be different just because we are talking from a trumpet perspective!).
MiniMakuta below is right of course. But we aren't concerned right now what is going on downstream of the lips, only upstream. Hope that helps a little. TP
How do you "keep your top lip relaxed" while using the muscles in your embochure to prevent your lops from collapsing?
I personally let the mouthpiece hold my lips together (especially top lip) as much as possible and use some of the chin muscles to support this.
Thanks for sharing, very useful!
Wonderful video Paul.. is your Facebook page up yet ? Question for you... I’ve played cornet and trumpet for the past 50+ years and unfortunately I have always applied too much pressure on my upper lip. I have been a cornet soloist with many Salvation Army Bands around the world but the past couple of years I’ve noticed that my endurance is “ not what it used to be “ :) ...are there specific exercises that I can do to learn how to take unnecessary pressure off my upper lip ? Again, thank you for your video... I love the sound of your double high G..
Hi Randall. Thanks for your question and feedback it's a very important issue you raise. Top lip pressure isn't always a bad thing. I actively "use" top lip pressure to ascend and descend because it's one of the most efficient ways to move register. BUT, my top lip is totally relaxed and therefore the pressure isn't "damaging". Top lip tension makes top lip pressure a problem. My initial thought with your issue is that as we get older muscles don't recover as quickly and are not of the same "quality" as in our younger years. Conventional type embouchures rely on the strength of the facial muscles to control the aperture and vibrating tissue. I would suggest two things:
1. Take care of your facial muscles! Regularly hydrate them using aqua cream or similar. Drink water! Warm up as much as you can in the low register (I will have a video on warming up very soon). Look at your practice schedule and possibly space it out more to give your muscles more time to recover.
2. Look at ways to use your "high tongue" level more effectively. I have another video uploading in a few days which will touch on this.
It's rare to find one single thing that will correct a problem. As we get older things change and we have to rebalance or we lose a little of what we had.
Hope that helps for now. TP
I know this video is really old but I just saw it and I feel like I’m doing almost all of the things described in this video very well and my range is still super inconsistent and not that great I think it might be something with my embouchure but I’m not sure anymore
@@anonymousyoutubeuser7013 This video is to prepare you to play high. The techniques here are unlikely to give you high notes. My recent videos do that.
Have you seen Greg Spence. He gives an interesting concept that seems to make sense to me. Take a deep breath and then relax your rib cage against the full lungs and that's the pressure you use to play with. It's already pressurized . That's the sigh your talking about. I think 🤔
It's interesting that some players get what I mean straight away with the Sigh. For others it's not so straightforward and needs explaining. Yes Greg's process is almost the same. I prefer to start with shorter or one word explanations and see where it takes me.
I’m able to play high Eb’s but I am not able to maintain them. How can i fix that?
Excellent tutorial. Why can I go up to a double high G in practice using your technique but struggle to have a G below double high C working range?
Hi Robert. Forgive me but I don't entirely understand your question. Could you explain a little more please? TP
@@TheTrumpetProf There seems to be a difference between playing without music for exercises and focusing more on the music when you play. Something changes mentally as you begin to tire. When you HAVE to deliver and you begin to fade the body seems to compensate with getting the high ranges done with more pressure! Especially at the end of long passages!
@@RobertOssemHagan OK!
That's why so many of my exercises are without music. That's why we work with sensations and try to reproduce them. That's why knowledge of what your doing and how you're doing it is so important. I haven't really discussed all this yet but try to keep the exercises separate from the way you normally play. You'll often hear me say "isolate" a particular technique or exercise because you have to BUILD on the sensations until you do things naturally and without conscious control. As I also say, "there are no quick fixes"!
It's all about settings and shape and form and being able to maintain them. Use a particular exercise to create or set the physical side of your technique and then play a short passage of something which requires it. Always begin with short passages and build from there. I'll do more on this soon because it is an important topic and really exposes the need for patience, repetition and understanding the process involved in changing behavior. Great question! Thanks. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Looking forward to learning more. I have been performing with trumpet since I was 12. I am 70 now. I trained at the Navy School of Music and stayed full time professional but not just on trumpet. I sing, play bass, piano and have a one man band. I was always second chair in the big bands before but I am now the lead player in an 18 piece dance band in Sequim, WA. It requires me to read music and achieve a consistent high G working range. My experience is that reading and playing by memory are extremely different. The lips "flatten out" on the long passages and tend to struggle with range at the end of them. Then it's either smash or crash!
Bob Hagan
awesomebobonline.com
Hey Paul.
Love all your content, good job :)
It is fun playing with your video's and trying out your awesome ideas.
I am a comeback player, took a 15 year break. Was a decent Trumpet player, the lead player for my band back in the day.
Been playing now for 2 years without any guidance. I still feel that my endurance is not at the level it was.
I practise a lot, every day, I am currently doing the Claude Gordon SADP (at lesson 11) and I feel my progress is going very slow and sometimes it feels underwhelming to spend so many hours playing without any noticeable progress.
Ideas:
How to practice effectively?
How to measure your progress of endurance/playing high?
Will playing a 2 hour program with your band where you feel exhausted in the chops after 5 minutes kill your progress?
Thank you again for your content.
Hi Jakob, really appreciate your feedback. Decide how long you are going to spend on a particular technique or system based on your progress. If progress is slow for too long I would question if it is going to work for you. Don't spend hours and hours on something that gives little return on your time. Effective practice for me is mostly about experimentation. Of course it is based on solid beliefs and principles but don't be afraid to try new things. If someone offers advice, try it AND try the opposite! Look for signals of something working. Take an interest in every sensation and outcome. Often range can be improved instantly through technique. Building strength is more for stamina in my experience.
Measuring progress can be done through clever exercises (two of them in this video). Also test yourself with the straw/coin exercise.
If your feeling tired after 5 minutes of a two hour gig I would proceed with caution. It certainly won't help your progress!
Your feedback is really important for me because it will help guide me with future video topics so thanks again. Keep me posted. TP
regarding essential tip #2: When I remove the mp from the horn, the same note resonates, not the mp fundamental like you demonstrate. Please advise.
Hi Rik. What happens when you start on different notes on the trumpet? Does the mouthpiece pitch differ? This is an exercise to give you an idea of your natural/default aperture size and will allow you to hear progress as the pitch begins to rise. I will make a video about this sometime soon, TP
thank you professor. practice number 2 - relax top lip is not easy to me. I tried to be conscious that but almost always automatically my top lip was hardened. is there any other practice or training to make top lip relaxed?
Hi Michael. Yes, have a look at my other video "How to develop the three essential tips" and read through some comments below as this topic has come up a few times. TP
Great tips ! Thanks
How does this translate to the trombone?
Hi Paul, I was wondering. If it comes to range there are loads of video's a bout the upper register. I think there should be more focussing on the lower register (C to F#). I often hear people that can't play ff or pp in the lower register... Flexibility is even a bigger problem. Can you once elaborate on that?
Hi sorry not to get back before. There are many high note videos but they are purely based on getting high notes at any cost. My technique has been developed to maintain resonance and quality of sound across all registers. I agree with your point though. Playing loud and quiet with a good sound in the lower register is about having an adequate amount of lip mass to vibrate inside the mouthpiece. Of course that's the opposite to playing high where you need to reduce mass and aperture size. Flexibility for me is about high notes. The ingredients needed to play high are the same as those required to attain efficient flexibility and control. It's worth a video I think. I'll add it to the list! TP
Paul, thank you for your wonderful videos and instruction. I had a question about 11:30-12:30 in this one. I don't understand what the concept is exactly, or what you are going for by achieving the fundamental of the mouthpiece when you are playing and then removing the mouthpiece. Can you please explain any further, particularly the goal one should be after when striving for this? Is your goal "trying" to achieve this particular pitch each time? Thank you!
Hi Alan. This exercise is purely a test. The purpose of which is to indicate and show you how efficiently you are playing and how you are progressing with the exercises I have suggested you practice. Actually practicing this will have little or no benefit to your progress. Ideally you want the pitch to rise and be as close to the fundamental as possible when removing the mouthpiece from the instrument. But you mustn't get involved and you certainly mustn't try!! It is where it is without your involvement. As you become more efficient and play with better technique you should find your pitch gets closer to the fundamental pitch quite naturally. What happens when you do the exercise? Which note do you end up with? Hope that helps. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf Thank you for your quick and kind reply! This helps some. I'm still not coming to terms with the idea say, of playing a G in the staff with a proper airstream/blow & aperture, and then when removing the mouthpiece having the buzz go up as much as to a high D (without manipulation). What does "more efficient and play with better technique" mean to you ideally in the end? You mention a healthy blow and a relaxed top lip. These things? And more? BTW, when I try this - if I am indeed doing it naturally and without manipulating - I go up about a Perfect 4th. Thanks for your advice! Al
@@alanhoodtrumpet Up a fourth is very good! The idea and thinking behind this is that we try to have a default setting which is as high as possible. Most players don't know what their default pitch is because they are always playing or trying to play a specific note. Removing the mouthpiece while playing takes us to a pitch. It is different for each player (and should be) because of the way we play physically and because of our unique components. The higher it is, the greater our potential for playing more efficiently.
For me there are two types of technique: Physical technique and technical technique. Physical technique is the way you assemble and use your physical components (lips, lungs, teeth, tongue etc). Technical technique is learning double or triple tonguing or improving finger dexterity or scales or pretty much anything in the Arban!
What the Arban can't do is set you a higher level of potential. It can only help you to fulfil what you have.
Playing more efficiently is about physical technique. It means using the strong muscles to do the physical work and the tiny muscles of the face to focus and aid their work. Playing more efficiently is playing a high C with no greater "feeling" of effort than a low C. It's doing less to achieve the same result. It's getting to the point where you just never lose your lip however high or for however long you play.
Healthy blow is a sigh because a sigh won't engage facial muscles where "blowing" will.
I hope that clears a few things up and apologies for the length of reply but I think these responses (and questions) can help the whole Prof community so thanks for posting. TP
@@TheTrumpetProf My pleasure, Paul - thank you so much! I will continue to "test" occasionally, and see what transpires!
I’m not even a trumpet player, but I find this fascinating 😂
Recommend for you
@The Trumpet Prof, Thank you for a great tutorial. I am currently working on a song that starts at A3 and hits A6 towards the end (Gustav Holst's Jupiter (the Eb section normally played by strings)). I currently confidently hit a C6 and sometimes get the D. Is it possible to use your techniques to increase my range to the A? Am I better off practicing the top range on a piccolo trumpet? Thanks again.
Hi Richard sorry for delay in getting back. The techniques will help to A6 but that's a difficult note on the trumpet because it doesn't truly exist. I would always continue to develop range on the Bb trumpet which can only help your picc playing. Always maintain the 3 golden rules when extending range but experiment too. I'll do a video on helping you to experiment soon. TP
When I take my trumpet off of my mouth piece the mouth piece stops buzzing, what am I doing wrong??
NOTHING! That's ideally what should happen. When you put the trumpet back on to the mouthpiece it should start again.
TProf, I'm wondering, in your long endeavor for improved efficiency, if changes in equipment were part of that. Also, are there techniques you can recommend for developing compression within the oral cavity?
Hi James. Changes in equipment played a big part in my progress. But those changes were made AFTER making physical changes. For instance, If physically you start playing with a higher level of resistance, you can then lower it somewhere else. My mouthpiece is a Monette Prana B4S S2.. It has a huge throat. Most would think that helps in the low register (which it does) but it helps more in the upper! Another very important point here: It took about a month before it really started to work for me. Most would have given up after a few days but I knew in theory it should work so I gave it the time. My teaching is the same. It is based on fact, knowledge and experience.
Compression in the oral cavity all comes under the umbrella of air pressure which is controlled by the sigh. Maybe what you mean is simply developing the use of the oral cavity and yes there are plenty of ways to do that. When we talk about the oral cavity and using the back of the tongue everything seems so simplistic. It isn't. There are so many ways you can set and use the oral cavity and it plays such an important role in developing your engine. I'm literally about to make my next video on developing the three essential tips and I briefly touch on this aspect then. Thanks for writing. TP
Paul how do you set your embouchure?is it relax or tight?and what's with your tongue when you go higher,does only tongue go higher or the aperture is closing?you make great videos.thanks
Hi Mihael. The "embouchure" has many interpretations! There is muscular activity in my face when I play (particularly in the depressor Labii Inferioris) but the face is a basket-weave of muscle and being too specific is of no use to anyone else because we are all so different in physical make-up (jaw, teeth, lips etc). Top-lip-relaxed is relevant to the majority. Depressor Labii Inferioris is or should be one of the most active muscles while playing for most, but it should be reactive not directly controlled by the player. Embouchure should be relaxed as much as possible. My tongue moves in many ways. It changes shape and moves higher and lower all the time but it is reacting to forces from elsewhere. I don't consciously control it. Everything is about balance and finding that balance is about experimentation. Productive experimentation is about knowledge and the knowledge you need will mostly come from physics and not trumpet players. My channel is very much about helping you to learn how to experiment so you can find the right way for you. Hope that helps for now. Thanks for your time. TP
Thanks for an interesting video!
I’m a little confused by a couple of things though and hope you’ll help clear things up for me.
How do you increase air pressure? I assume you don’t simply mean “blow harder” as you would want to continue sighing out the air even as air pressure is increased.
How can one resist the air pressure if not at the lips? You mention that there are other options but don’t specify which ones.
Thanks again
@@rolfthoftesrensen7536 Many thanks for the comment and questions. I'm going to make the next video about the sigh breath and air pressure as I think it needs some clarification and further explanation. Of course the sigh can be interpreted many ways but for me it's really about delivering/pushing the air from the chest and not "blowing" the air from the lips . The natural act of sighing delivers a high flow rate of air. But in general to play the trumpet I want a low flow rate of air most of the time. Whatever your level of resistance, you can still "try" to sigh the air. Focus more on the act of sighing, or think of it as a long sigh with added resistance.
As for resistance, I didn't specify because this video is about preparing to play high. Resistance techniques are used to actually play high. If I offered these first, many would not bother with the prep' work which is just as important for success. Hope that helps for now. TP
Do you give individual video classes?
Hi Saul, yes I do. Email me prof@thetrumpetprof.com
Se me hace muy interesante lo q pienso q esta diciendo, pero no entiendo mucho el ingles, podria traducir el video para la gente hispana, por favor?
Hello, i find extremely difficult to hit any note above d in the fourth line of the staff. I play for about 2 months, total begginer. Is it normal? I try really hard but only air comes out. I use a practice mute everytime. Is it a problem? Thank you
If you've only played for 2 months you're doing ok (I realize that was a few months ago) with a D. However, find the correct technique and high notes can be instant. You have to experiment but experiment the right way. This video should guide you and also my follow up video on how to develop the three essential tips. The sensation of air pressure is so important. I will be producing more videos from now and hope they will help you discover new ways to play.
Great lesson
What exactly do you mean by resistance and where should it start?
I want to know too. Isn't adding resistance the opposite of relaxed lip?
Obviously, successful trumpeters through hard work or maybe shear talent or both find a way to efficient playing and then start to conceptualize their experience. Here Paul presents his bunch of (useful) concepts. However for a less successful trumpeter these concepts are reverse engineered and may have different degree of usefulness. Some maybe get more out of 'air flow' while others could have more success with 'air pressure' and for others nothing will work and they need to find another concept to get over problems in their playing. Let me present my general universal set of concept for trumpet playing : you need 1. Air flow and breath support; 2. Strong facial muscles to maintain embouchure for a wide range of pitches. What you do with those 2 is very much conceptual and every successful trumpet player will have his own set of concepts.
Thanks for your message. I think your comments are generally valid and I would totally agree when referring to almost all teachers or players sharing their knowledge.
However I totally disagree with them in relation to my own teaching.
My concepts and techniques have not been reversed engineered. If you watch my very first ever video on this channel "The Trumpet Prof" I explain exactly where my teaching has come from and how I got to where I am with them. These techniques are not about my own personal way of playing the trumpet, having been develop with hundreds of students of all ages and abilities.
I work and build from scientific principles. I design and engineer the physical components of a player before I hear them play. It is far more about design than discovery.
I've had total success with air pressure over air flow. Breath support I agree with. Strong facial muscles will produce limited results and give limited potential in my experience.
The interesting thing is that in my early twenties I would have agreed with all of your universal concepts. As I always say; at the end of the day the student will decide anyway!
TP
Paul - I definitely see where you are coming from and I'm not going to argue with you because it's pointless. I also see that it's possible to look at all your concepts from another angle without ruining them. Yes, high air pressure is needed for playing trumpet, the higher the pitch the higher the pressure is required to produce that pitch.Without strong embouchure muscles no one will be able to create high air pressure behind lips and once high air pressure is created for high notes it will translate into fast air flow - the higher the pitch the faster the airflow. All these concepts are interrelated and individual teachers would emphasize one or another and I assume the best of teacher will emphasize one or another concept with particular students to achieve best results since some people will better respond to certain concepts.
In this respect the success of teaching is not the concepts themselves but the ability of a teacher to use his concepts to provide noticeable progress in the student's development.
As such the teacher's talent is much more important than the set of concepts he derives or modelled. The sole measure of the teacher's success is his students and their progress and achievements.