For my hs school play, in my part, it goes up to the high f above the staff. My range at the moment is a high d-e flat below that. I need to increase my range to the f by the first week of March. How do I increase my range up from a d-f above the staff in about a month easily? I have rehersals twice a week, and we play the song maybe like once during the two rehersals, so the teacher is expecting me to learn how to.
Here is the easiest quickest way to increase your range a couple of notes.
It requires only a couple of minutes in the morning and a couple of minutes in the evening.
Here is what you do.
Day 1 in the morning start on C below the treble clef and play a chromatic scale up an octave to C and back down to your starting C. Move up a ahlf step to C# and again play a chromatic scale up an octave and back down. Then move to D, Eb, E, etc. When you get to a scale where you can not complete the octave stop. You are done with the exercise. On day 1 in the evening do the same exercise, start on C below the treble clef and play chromatic scale an octave up and down moving up in half step increments.
On day 2 you do the same exercise. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
1. The scales should be played at about quarter note = 72.
2. Do not do warm downs or low playing after your evening session.
3. Try to play the notes flat as you go higher. Most people miss the higher notes when they go high because they are trying to play too high.
4. You should be up to your F by the end of the week. Try to go farther so that F is not your highest note.
I don't like the pencil trick. In my opinion the pencil trick does strengthen the orbicularis oris muscle.But in my opinion there is more to the embouchre than the orbicularis oris muscle. The exercise will include development of the ductus partideus, Raphe pterygmandibularis, buccinator, pterygoideus internus muscles.
I find people who only strengthen the lip muscles tend to have harsh almost pinched sounding tones. Deleopment of the other jaw muscles allows for a better more fuller tone. And later as you get more advances it enable you to play multi-phonics easier and you can control tuning and pitch quicker and easier with your pterygoideus externus muscles allow your lips to stay relax and allowing you to play for longer periods of time.
I have tried the pencil trick a couple of times and I just have never been happ with the results. Doing my scales allows your muscles to work in conjunction with each other in balance almost automatically so you don't have to think about it. And then you still have development occuring after you go to bed for the night. the pencil trick does help work with more lower jaw protusion (but when you try and imitate that in the medium high to higher range it results in pinching).
