How do I play High on my trumpet???

Question

I have been playing for four years and am the best 8th grade trumpet player at my school. i am being asked to play a solo that is around the high C. Not the low or mddle ones. the one that is above the staff. how can i play fast at that high of a pitch and also have a good tone quality.

P.S. here are the notes i have to play that are all obove the staff.

C,A,C,A,C,Eb,D,C,C,A,C,A,C,Eb,D,C

Answer 1

I agree upper range on trumpet is about air speed and compression.  In regards to the embroucure be careful not to mash the upper and lower lips together to tight.  The best way to tell if your doing this is by listening to your tone.  If it gets to thin sounding you need to pull your corners in toward the center ever so slightly.  Pulling the corners in helps to open the aperture up and fill out the tone quality.  Balancing the amount of upper and lower lip tension with the corners pressing in takes time and practice.  Don't pull your corners back, like smiling.  It thins your lip resulting into thinner sound and endurance problems.

The other thing you need to do is use your tongue to dictate the speed of your air.  While your in the upper register if you have your tongue arched in an E position it will naturally speed up your air.  If you are tonguing up their think tee instead of ta.  

Practice playing progressively higher scales.  As you go up gradually adjust your corners inward and lift your tongue.  tighten your diaphragm in an upward crunch and you should be able to play high C in no time.

I've been teaching trumpet for over 25 years.  I've found that the typical advanced trumpet players range in 8th grade is around a C.  So, this should be achievable for you.

Good luck.

Answer 2

First of all, congratulations on being given a solo! I don't think that your band director would give you something that he/she didn't think that you could handle.

OK... what you don't mention is what you feel your current playable range is. The key here is not to panic because the notes are high. They are a part of the music. Learn the solo down an octave, and really know the melody. This way you hear the melody in your head before you play it in the written range.

Having the ability to play in the upper register is a result of having developed a solid foundation with all of the lower and middle register notes. From there, we begin to extend our range into the upper register. An excellent way to begin to develop our range is to play an F Major scale, "very softly", as high as you can go and back down. As you extend into the upper register, keep your teeth open, and bring your lips together. This must be accompanied by having the ability to compress the airstream, and it is a given that we need to play will a well-supported airstream. In other words, we know how to breathe properly. Compressing the airstream when we whistle high notes is exactly the same as what it should feel like on the trumpet.

Try to avoid using mouthpiece pressure, as much as possible. We need the lips to vibrate, so we have to allow that to happen. Remember, it's faster air, not more air that will get the job done. We will have really developed our range when we are able to play in the upper register at all dynamic levels.

Naturally, all of this does not happen overnight. It takes time and patience. I would suggest that you speak with your band director about this solo. Let him/her know that you are working to be able to play the solo in the written range, but ask if you can play it down an octave until you feel you are ready to play it comfortably.

There is a very good article written about trumpet embouchure on the website of a highly respected professional trumpet player... Carl Saunders. It is well worth reading!

www.carlsaunders.com

Work smart, and work patiently. You'll get there!

Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

I don't play trumpet, but during warm ups for my marching band, I have to sit through trumpet warm ups as well.

I think that you drop your jaw to play the lower pitches? Do the opposite, and tighten your ombasure, or the corners of your mouth. I play clarinet, and to get really high notes you have to put a lot of air through the horn. I assume it's the same for trumpet. Make sure you're not buzzing, though!