Re: Exercises to work high range


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Leland on December 29, 2003 at 05:28:40:

In Reply to: Exercises to work high range posted by Tracy Hooten on December 27, 2003 at 03:40:44:

ANOTHER slur exercise that I like --

Do this after you're pretty well warmed up, not loud, not too soft.

Hold down all the valves, play the bottom note, and stop. Start again on the bottom, slur to the 5th, slur back down, and stop. Start on the bottom again, slur to the 5th, then the octave, then down to the 5th, then to the bottom, and stop.

Then, with each repetition, make the top note the next highest partial, until you go up three whole octaves (or whatever you can do).

THEN, change your fingering to the one higher (for example, from 1-2-3-4 to 1-3-4), and do it all AGAIN.

This takes a while, and will likely strengthen your fingers as much as anything else. But, finding each possible pitch on the horn will most likely make it easier to make the sound go from your head to the bell.

Also, when I play this, I try to make the top note part of the scale -- that is, it's either the octave, 5th, or 3rd, along with the flat 7th just below the second octave. However, those are only the TOP notes. Every other partial, no matter how many you can fit in between the higher notes, must be played as well. Those are the ones that your lips try to play when you frack, and if you know the difference between the "right" and "wrong" partials, you'll have an easier time playing without fracking.

Those upper partials get really close, too. Above two octaves, you can play major scales up to the 3rd or 4th without changing your fingering, and even more notes will fit in the space between that high 5th and the top of the 3rd octave.


Follow Ups: