Hey, are there any high range players here? I`m starting to practice playing all my jazz sheets up the octave, any other sugestions on how to improve my high range?

*high range as in from Bass Clef up onto the first half of trebble*

Yeah. Scales, arpegios, and long tones.

Also, very important, do a LOT of pedal work. Trust me, it helps a lot.

That`s the short answer.....

Lip slurs really help make sure you do them consistently every day. Don`t kill yourself trying to play high. Very few trombone players go for the high range. Our biggest disadvantage is that our high register doesn`t carry like a trumpets`. Use a shallower mouthpiece(but not to shallow I use a 14D for scream work ONLY)and make sure you play loudly but with tone.
Enjoy it Its tons of fun taking on the trumpets!

the most important thing when playing high is to play in tune. when you start to play in tune the horn will lock thus making it easier to play. there really is no easy answer this is something we all work at and its going to take a while before your "comfortable" in the upper register.

And another one.

When you are playing up high, make sure you are not clenching. Make sure you are still loose, and not really forcing it. Keep the air supply full, the air canal open, and the air flowing. The more you have to work at it, the less endurance you will have.

Good tip: listen to your French Horn players and DO NOT jam the mouthpiece into your face. The less you press, the longer you will be able to play.

Being a High-Range player, some personal advice I can add along is: play at the top of the mouthpiece (only if needed), and just find a week (one where you have NO playing obligations) and plan it out this way.



Sunday: Get your hands on a tuba. Play VERY deep petals on the open fingering. DO NOT play any other instrument or attempt to play anything higher than pedals on the tuba. Do this for 1-2 hours

Monday: Thank your friend for the use of his tuba! Now, play pedals on your trombone (any bore is fine at this point). Don`t play any higher than a Bb near the bottom of Bass clef. Feel free to gliss between pedals. Do this for 1-2 hours (try to do this twice in the day).

Tuesday: On your small-bore (if you don`t have a small bore, just don`t bother trying to play high notes, it just won`t sound right [unless your playing symphony music]) switch between pedals and low notes (pedal Bb and low Bb). Don`t go any higher than the Bb on the top of Bass clef. After about an hour, cool down with 10 minutes of pedals.

Wednesday: Repeat Tuesday.

Thursday: Play a low F (and pedal F if you can) and then take that up an octave. Then, play the High F. Switch between these 2(3) for about five minutes, then once you think you can try it, shoot up for the double high F. If you can`t hit it, don`t worry, most can`t. Go down to the lower octaves and then after abour 2 minutes of low F`s, go for the double high again. Repeat a max of 10 times over the course of an hour. Cool down with pedals.

Friday: Now to have some fun, after warming up with lower notes (few pedals) sustain a high F for about 30 seconds on one breath, then the lower, and repeat with each F as low as you can play up and down. Then, about 2 minutes in, hit the double High F on your way up. You have about a 75% chance of hitting the note now. Don`t worry if you can`t, just try every few minutes. After about 30 minutes to an hour, cool down with pedals.

Saturday: Simple warm-up with easy slurs. Now, in first position, go up the harmonics of the horn (partials). Make sure to slur them. Go as high as you can. do this for a max of 20 minutes, then cool down with pedals.


This week of embouchure alignment should completely expand both your upper and lower range. Remember to always warm up/cool off with pedals. Also, DO NOT play trumpet, alto trombone, soprano trombone, piccolo trombone, any other high brass, or any version of a baritone during this week of training. Stick to the tenor trombone and the tuba.

I do this week-long re-set of my lips once a year, but more if I play my Soprano longer.

Give it a try, just make sure you have the week to play only this, and no other gigs/rehearsals.


Enjoy!

Is this set for trombone only? I have no trouble hitting high notes on trombone but they sound pretty bad on french horn.

actually, I play a Jazz trombone, not tennor, but I`m sure that all these hints will help thanks alot,

btw, I play Jazz, so a little scretching here or a growl there is all too good for my style

but thanks alot for all your feedback, apreciate it

A "jazz" trombone is a tenor trombone. It`s just a small bore. "Tenor", as opposed to alto, soprano, or bass. So yeah, that method would work. Not sure if it would work for everyone, it seems like it would be really good for someone that already has a high range, that just needs more clarity and power.

Really, the best way to increase your range is through scales, arpegios, lip slurs, long tones, and LOTS of pedal work. It takes a while to get a good, strong, clear, realistically usable upper register (high Bb one octave up from tuning Bb and above). And a LoooooooooooNG warm up. Warming up is by far the most important thing you can do all day. Mine is about 15 to 35 mintues long, depending on how long, loud, and high I am going to play. Some other peoples are even longer. And most of it is long low tones and pedals.

Remember, when working on the upper register, don`t think about belting them out any way you can. "Realistically usable" means able to play clear and steady all the way up around pp. That`s the hard part. Master that, and you have your upper register.

Your upper register work, once you have it, should be more focused on quality of sound and matching the tone and sound quality to that of your lower register, so it doesn`t sound like you are struggling to get up there. It can be a long, painful raod, but it is worth it.