Shanna, some thoughts for you. One, you apparently switched from tpt to horn. It could be that you haven't finished changing from one instrument to the other yet; in other words, you are not yet comfortable with horn. Second, your horn mouthpiece might be inadequate. You well may not have found a good rim and cup with an appropriate backbore for you. Third, you may have a nice trumpet and a not-so-nice horn that doesn't fit you or your mouthpiece. There are real differences in the way horns respond to what you put into it. And fourth, that you are still playing both instruments may well be keeping you from settling the techniques that are peculiar to horn and not really applicable to trumpet technique.
I suggest you give up tpt, at least for a while, and devote that time to the horn to see if results improve. If you are not studying with a good horn teacher, get started with one who can guide you well. Try some other horns and mouthpieces. I advocate narrow rims and conical cups for horns. That is 'way different from the way a tpt mpce feels. A Giardinelli S-14 is inexpensive and a very good all-around mpce for many horn players. I've had very good luck with them with a number of students. Lastly, spend a lot of time on Kopprasch studies; long tone studies, extensive scales, arpeggios, and work on the extreme low range of the horn toward pedal C and that vicinity. Results might surprise you. Mind you, all this is based on what you said and not on any observation of your playing. These are sort of blind shots in the dark as I've not seen you or heard you; but they are things I would do with and for my students who complained as you did. CORdially, Paul Mansur > So for the past three weeks or so I've been playing > trumpet in the pit band for the musical Hair. It's > been an, er, interesting experience, to say the least. > > My question is thus... every now and then when I'm > playing the trumpet, I can find a "sweet spot" of > sorts where the upper range just speaks so easily, and > it seems almost effortless. I can tell when I'm a > little off because I don't get the free and easy > feeling in the high range or the bright, clear trumpet > sound - the sound feels forced in a way and I feel a > sense of resistance. But then I readjust the > embouchure a little, check my support, and bam - all > of the sudden, those high notes are a lot easier and > sounding a lot better. > > After thinking for a little while today, though, I > realized that I can't remember ever having this > feeling on the horn. (Perhaps I have and it is just > my memory that is poor.) Now I've noticed that, in > general, I feel a greater sense of "resistance" (of > sorts) when playing the horn than when playing just > about anything else, and part of that may just be due > to the nature of the instrument, but I suspect that > most of it has to do with me. I know there have been > endless discussions on how to condition an upper > range, and that's not really what I'm asking. I know > my upper range is not as developed as it could be, and > I know precisely why. > > I guess I'm wondering if it's merely a matter of my > lack of conditioning in this case, though. Do those > high notes ever speak as easily on the horn as they do > on the trumpet? Or is there more to the difference > here than just my poor technique? > > Shanna Hollich > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > AOL IM: rhinos for jesus > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! > http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ > _______________________________________________ > post: horn@music.memphis.edu > unsubscribe or set options at > http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/p_mansur1%40comcast.net _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
