MagicBobert Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 (edited) It sounds backwards, but playing lower will help increase your range upward. Having a great tone in your pedals will really prep you for increasing your range. Also, with range extension, everyday practice is absolutely key. When you don't play for a while, the first thing that goes is your range. Finally, as you play higher it is absolutely imperative that you remove as much tension from your neck and shoulders as possible. The natural reaction as you player higher is to tense up and "squeak out" the high notes, but in fact this is completely counter-productive. When you play scales, slow down and concentrate on removing more and more tension from your body as you ascend. For example, each note try to push your shoulders further down and open up your neck bigger. I think you'll find that your high notes are easier to hit and sound a lot better as well. Edited February 12, 2007 by MagicBobert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelloHorn13 Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Also, with range extension, everyday practice is absolutely key. When you don't play for a while, the first thing that goes is your range. That's most important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CloudHype Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 It sounds backwards, but playing lower will help increase your range upward. Having a great tone in your pedals will really prep you for increasing your range. I'll disagree with that and actually seen more young players harmed by this suggestion. I want to rip apart every horn instructor I had in drum corps for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicBobert Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 I'll disagree with that and actually seen more young players harmed by this suggestion. I want to rip apart every horn instructor I had in drum corps for this. Care to explain why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contra love Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Care to explain why? I'm curious as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Sop Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 I'm curious as well Me three since that is exactly what Roger Spaulding teaches in his book. Mind you I did not use this approach, but I understand it is very effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwannamarchcorps Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 wait so plaiyng lower helps played hiyer??? y is that?? pls help i need it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtubadude Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 wait so plaiyng lower helps played hiyer??? y is that??pls help i need it lol Would you try to lift 200 lbs without any type of warmup? This is similar to how it helps, because pedal tones help control your aumbiture (sp?) by loosening your lips (since they are considered muscles) therefore helping it in the process to tightening them. Does that make any sense to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersop Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 (edited) Would you try to lift 200 lbs without any type of warmup? This is similar to how it helps, because pedal tones help control your aumbiture (sp?) by loosening your lips (since they are considered muscles) therefore helping it in the process to tightening them. Does that make any sense to you? This is backward .... playing high is 200lbs of air and 10lbs of buzz with 90 lbs of compression.. whereas playing low is 200lbs of air and 200 lbs of buzz. Playing low for extended periods without the proper philosophy behind it can cause more damage to your chops than anything. The tendency for most players is to use more of the inner part of the lip and often play the lower register out of control. The end result of this is tissue inflammation and a breakdown of the muscle tissue. There is a time and place for everything ... with that, buzzing out to warm down is beneficial, but never in a warming up situation. It's all about air speed control and aperture compression. Playing higher is a simple matter of physics. Faster air creates a higher pitch (not MORE air). This can be achieved several different ways, but the most commonly accepted ways are compression of embouchure, compression of oral cavity (raising the rear end of the tongue for higher velocity of air speed), or a combination of both. The muscles around the mouthpiece should always stay the same, however, the muscles that control the surface area that buzzes on your lips will change. It's best to keep the same embouchure at all times!!! Even in the lower register. Rather than relaxing and letting more lip into the mouthpiece in the lower range, try and keep everything the same while relaxing the part of your lip that is INSIDE the mouthpiece. You'll be surprised how easily Pedal tones are created using this method. Rule #1 in becoming a consistent player is using a consistent embouchure at all times. The other problem I have with the 200lbs bench press analogy is this: Playing high isn't hard .... it's a natural harmonic of the horn provided you're using the proper speed of air (not volume of air) and shortening or compression of the buzzing surface area. It's all in the mind how hard it is. If you're doing things properly, you'll work half as hard to play in the upper register and twice as hard to play in the lower register. If you're playing 8+ hours a day, 1 hour of lower register work isn't going to hurt you at all. For those of us who can only play 1-2 hours a day because that's all life affords us, spending half of your time working the lower register (especially improperly) will do more harm than good and leave you feeling numb and SPENT in short order. **I'm available for hire this summer if anyone needs me :P** Edited February 14, 2007 by supersop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtubadude Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 This is backward .... playing high is 200lbs of air and 10lbs of buzz with 90 lbs of compression.. whereas playing low is 200lbs of air and 200 lbs of buzz. Playing low for extended periods without the proper philosophy behind it can cause more damage to your chops than anything. The tendency for most players is to use more of the inner part of the lip and often play the lower register out of control. The end result of this is tissue inflammation and a breakdown of the muscle tissue. There is a time and place for everything ... with that, buzzing out to warm down is beneficial, but never in a warming up situation. It's all about air speed control and aperture compression. Eh, I just meant it as an analogy. I'm a tuba player, so I'm used to lower ranges anyways, but as for playing high on tuba, it helps. I know to much of a "good thing" can be bad, use everthing in moderation. For me, the lower I kept going, the higher my range could go. The other problem I have with the 200lbs bench press analogy is this: Playing high isn't hard .... it's a natural harmonic of the horn provided you're using the proper speed of air (not volume of air) and shortening or compression of the buzzing surface area. It's all in the mind how hard it is. If you're doing things properly, you'll work half as hard to play in the upper register and twice as hard to play in the lower register. If you're playing 8+ hours a day, 1 hour of lower register work isn't going to hurt you at all. For those of us who can only play 1-2 hours a day because that's all life affords us, spending half of your time working the lower register (especially improperly) will do more harm than good and leave you feeling numb and SPENT in short order.**I'm available for hire this summer if anyone needs me :P** I know I know, it was just the best I could describe it! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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