The "playing softly" aspect is truly invaluable. Less than a week and I'm already reaching two semitones above my previous range. Couldn't be more grateful, feel like I'm actually making progress now!
Have you gotten it yet? I just saw this video, and after I was failing at it initially I thought there might be some comments down here about how other people found success with this, and really it just took me around 30 tries to be able to grasp how to reach the high b flat, after that everything else came naturally and now all I have to work on is just hitting partials correctly.
Dude! I struggled to play high C's tonight. We had a jazz band Concert at Mars Hill University and I did exactly what you said most trumpet players do. I Would use too much air and blow my lips out and put on pressure to bring them back in. I will be practicing this since I'm going to be the lead trumpet soon. I'm only a Sophomore in college but I'm convinced I can only get better from here! I hope to hear from you!
I’m 8 years late what c do you mean the one above the staff or the double high because the on above the staff isn’t that difficult for a college student
Kinda late here but I've tried everything to improve range but nothing really works. I'm wondering if it's just my mouth structure bc I have very very big front teeth and an extreme overbite. Is there anything I can or should do?
I'd just like to point out to everyone who watches this video, that the setting, or position of the mouthpiece on the lips, doesn't change. Yes, the muscles of the face will change around and inside the mouthpiece and this should be kept to a minimum to maximize efficiency but the contact point of where the lips meet the mouthpiece stays the same. There has been some confusion about my having said that the setting doesn't change when obviously something is changing, but it is not the setting. The contact of the mouthpiece to the lips stays in the same place, just as the reed of a sax mouthpiece stays in the same place. I hope this is clear. I am not contradicting myself...the setting of the mouthpiece on the lips is different from the movement of the outside/inside the mouthpiece. I think the majority of you watching understood this, but for those of you who did not, I hope this is more clear now. Higher notes require faster air...louder notes require more air. If you follow this philosophy, trumpet playing will become easier. Best of luck!
I have a bit of a problem that after I shave my lip gets cold and the texture of the mouth piece doesn't feel right. When this happens I can't play any high notes because the mouthpiece doesn't feel right. Another thing that causes me to have trouble is my overbite xD. Do you know anything I could do to help me get to those higher notes. Ive tried what you said in the video, however I'm still having trouble due to my embouchure being so pointed down low. If I bring it up I am unable to play.
I had to find the right mouth piece to stop having to move the mouthpiece around. When I found a Marcinkiewicz 1.7E that stopped. I guess that mouthpiece matched my embouchure. The cup diameter is huge but I can play an E over double C. I can't wait to try this exercise to increase that range.
This is a great explanation and demonstration. In just over 10 minutes, Charlie Porter provides both the theory and the practice of how to improve your range. When it comes to playing high notes, far too many teachers recycle and rehash the same old "conventional" wisdom of blowing harder, not using too much pressure, keeping the air stream going, and so forth, without fully explaining what the tendencies are as you start playing higher. Charlie is a serious pro who knows what he's talking about and can back it up in his playing. Well done!
Charlie Porter I really mean every word I said Charlie. I know an orchestral player in one of the Big 5 American orchestras and I asked him a few questions about range and he just gave me all kinds of attitude and accused me of trying to get a "free" lesson from him. I was utterly shocked. No wonder people think that trumpet players are arrogant jerks. Here's a guy making over $100,000 a year who hides behind his orchestral credentials but isn't nearly the player or teacher you are.
Charlie, your numerous videos are so helpful and articulate. Thanks for what you do. I’m a 70-year-old man who just started playing again after a 50 years respite. Thanks for being my teacher.
These were the crucial chunks of information I was never taught in lessons, just told to “do drills.” As if doing drills will increase my range in and of themselves.
I thought I had hit a wall about how high I can play, but after this video, not even a week after implementing his technique, my tone and range is far better than before, and I have been playing for like 7 years. This video is seriously so good!
This was so useful! I've been playing trumpet for 6/7 years and I've always pushed out loads of air when trying to do the high notes..but with your method it's so much easier to reach the notes and make them sound better too. I don't know how I never found this out, Thank you!
Paying close attention to his embouchure training and this lesson I'm playing G above double high C (on a Cornet with a Curry 5C no less). It only took me a few days once I corrected things. Before that I would only get the highest notes randomly or I would get up to the correct range but couldn't nail the correct note because my aperture kept breaking up. I think the shape of your embouchure and aperture become super critical the higher you go. Give yourself time and patience and keep reinforcing correct embouchure until it becomes second nature. Thank you Charlie Porter.
Another tip. I switched to tuba in jr. high from trumpet. After playing tuba for a while I found when I picked up the trumpet I could hit notes way higher than I ever could playing trumpet alone. I think the embouchure for the large mouthpiece strengthened the right muscles to help on the smaller.
Holy crap this really works! I have been learnin La Vie En Rose, the Louis Armstrong version. The second solo ends on a high D which I haven't been able to reach despite trying for weeks. I followed these instructions and just blew a high D. Thanks so much for posting this Charlie.
I'm a 9th grader doing marching band throughout the COVID-19 outbreak and the junior who usually plays the top divided part on our 1st trumpet pieces will not be participating this year so I have to increase my range to a D above the scale in a few weeks time. So thanks for this exercise!
Thanks for your videos. It really helped me. I know hitting high notes isn't everything there is to playing, but it opens up the number of songs I like to play along with. I followed your tips and just last week I couldn't hit anything higher than a D without turning red. Now I am gradually improving my range and can hit a high A without hurting myself.
You're an amazing teacher. I never understand anything unless something is explained WHY. Would be great to see how your lips move in a transparent mouthpiece. I'd like to know more of this. I'm trying this and it worked way beter, only I pull my whole jaw back and it's straining :P
CameronPlaysTrumpet haha I wish. The highest note I have to hit for my marching show this year is a G right above the staff and I’m having trouble hitting it without wearing my lips down. I usually played 2nd trumpet but I’m the lead this year which means I’m 1st so I’m not used to playing the high notes 🤷🏻♀️
Incredibly useful advice! I started with an upper limit of d above the staff, with two ledger lines. This got me up to f immediately, without putting any significant effort in. I can only imagine what this will do in the long run, as I continue to practice more. Thanks, Charlie, for putting your precious knowledge out there for us all to use and apply! Looking into the physics of tone production, it all becomes perfectly logical. The frequency of a vibrating object (the lips) is given by ½·sqrt(F/m/l), where F is the force that stretches the vibrating length l with the mass m. The length is given by the mouthpiece's cup diameter. The "intuitive" way people go about playing higher is to increase lip tension sideways, i.e. increase force F. Unfortunately because of the square root, if I go up one octave (double the frequency), I have to quadruple lip tension. If I go up two octaves (four times the frequency), I have to apply 16x the lip tension. It's clear that this will not end well, since we can only tense the lips so much without overexerting or hurting ourselves. Fortunately there's another term in the equation which is mass. If we bring the lips in to make the aperture smaller, as Charlie describes in the video, the outer portions of the lip won't vibrate at all any more, but only the small area around the aperture. This leads to drastically reduced vibrating mass and thereby higher notes without resorting to force.
Thanks for posting, Charlie. It's very generous of you to share your experience. I've been playing for over 40 years, and your videos have helped me tremendously!
I’m 68 years old and taking trumpet back up . My 7 c is now uncomfortable. I got a Bach 10 3/4 CW. Lot more comfortable. Hope this tip helps older players
Charlie ... I used to play a lot. Played at a high level but squandered it all away. Didn't touch my horn for years. I have been teaching my son to play for the past 2 years, trying to focus on great habits that encourage endurance, coordination, ease of play and, above all else, sound quality. To say the least, as he grows, it is inspiring me to start practising again. That all said, I have been trying to remember the little things that I learned from trumpet greats (Aaron Doyle, Brad Turner) that I had the privilege to study with. I ended up stumbling across your video here which touches on a point I have been trying to articulate to my son, but have struggled with being clear about it. Your explanation is almost identical to how Aaron helped me expand my range. When I was watching, those many years ago started flooding back. I have used the same explanation of "effortless play" to my son. Anyway... just wanted to say hello and thank you for your video here. I look forward to watching through some more and doing so with my son.
Thank you I'm 13 and have been playing trumpet for 3 years and I have been having trouble with those high notes which I have to play in the orchestra this year in Indianapolis so thank you that has helped me reach those notes that most people can not
Best high note drill I’ve used so far...I’ve been player louder and tighter....holding the same embouchure as the lower setting has changed all things the way I think about getting to the high notes...hopefully this will add to my overall endurance. Charlie has no teaching rivals, he’s the very best.
invaluable... as you can read from comments. I am a returning player, just noodled a bit through covid. I want to return and join the local ensemble after a 15 or so serious break... I have no stamina, no range, but this has extended my range above what i could do when i was playing regularly 15 years ago. Thank you for this tip.
After having taken a 30 year hyatis from playing the trumpet, I finally picked it back up last year. Even though I was making progress, the high notes always eluded me. But the exercise you demonstrated has truly shown me that I can reach those notes without straining my emboucher. I'm looking forward now to working on the high register. Thank you again for posting this video.
hi charlie, i need to thank you again. i've been practicing for about a month now and it has definitely improved my range. much easier to hit those high notes without killing myself. cheers for this :)
This video was such a help! I now its about two or three years after you posted the vid, but thank you so much for posting it! Here I was sitting down in my practice session angered about a note I couldnt hit. Then I looked at this vid and it was so much easier! Thank you so much! -Brandon
I’m very late on this bus literally as soon as I did that B flat exercise along with you I somehow his the high b flat without even trying. I love you.
I was able to (somewhat) consistently hit a high c in eighth grade and then got my braces off. I still haven’t gotten back to my full range without braces, but this was a huge help!
Nice lesson, Charlie! You have a wonderful sound! I'm using your videos for my own playing, and to help my teenage son as well. He's primarily a piano player, but plays trumpet in the high school band. He has an excellent piano teacher, but I can't afford a formal teacher for trumpet as well, and hearing someone besides "Dad" say these things helps a lot! Thanks again for all the videos, please keep them coming.
Amazing man! I've been playing trumpet for 10 years and had so much problems with the higher range! Then my teacher told me the same as you and now I am one of his students who can play really really high! So this method is magic! Well done! P.S. I am from Germany
I have been playing trumpet for a very long time. The struggle with the upper register has been a life challenge. During high school I was able to use the force method because I had a awesome diaphragm and control of my breathing. As I have gotten older and 17 stomach surgeries later, .... I lost the ability to push the air like I use to. My range in 10th grade hitting the double E' and double F's was easy to me. I marched drum corps and have taught trumpet throughout my life with beginner and high school trumpet players. Also the theory if its not broken don't fix it. BOY WAS I WRONG! Combining to learn what you are teaching is very difficult to someone who has played opposite of you. However, your method is 100% better... Jon Faddis and Maynard Ferguson is who I inspired play like. I have always been amazed at the ease it took for them to consistently play perfectly in that range. 1 to 2 octaves above that. I have had conversations with both. Mr. Faddis use to call me "buckethead" I have never put the two fundamentals together. Thank you for making this video. I have a lot to work on... Now that I understand. ((((((MR. FADDIS, SIR the empty bucket is now 1/2 Full with tools to work with. )))))))
Enjoyed reading your reply. I feel somewhat the same with a 24 year career in music, now retired with lots of physical challenges too. Just now returning to play after not touching a horn in about 12 years. ‘‘Twas a low brass player and now changing to flugelhorn.
Thanks Charlie. And like the guy said, don't feed the trolls. All of your insights are helpful and useful and many are repeated elsewhere. I as a lot of us have studied with greats. Your Daahoud recording is the truth btw. There's a personal connection with that title, Clifford and my family back in the '50's
I'm a trombone player and I'm finding your videos very thoughtful and helpful. There is a school of thought in the trombone world that says to play higher you need to keep the aperture open and increase airflow (blow harder). It's really messed me up. When I had good range, my approach was more aperture based, and not over blowing. Now my high range sounds like garbage and starting on high notes is a big struggle. My playing feels very tense these days. You're right about doing a decrescendo as you ascend. Many trombone players are taught to crescendo as they ascend. Lots of music calls for that, but it's not the best way to learn how to play high notes.
I've applied these principals (particularly playing high notes softer and not resetting) to my trombone practicing and I have gotten a LOT more comfortable above a high F. I've always been able to hit Cs and Ds but I never really considered them part of my vocabulary unless I was going to belt them out in a loud solo. I'm really getting there though. This is a great video and I wish I had gotten this advice decades ago.
well done, my teacher says to me from a long time "play on the air" ("jouer sur l'air" in french)I don't know if you have the same expression but thanks to your video because i definitly undestand what he means.
Hello Charlie. Two years ago I came across your pedal tone video. I forgot which one. after about a year of not playing. I came across this the other day. Great video. This has helped me a whole bunch.
This video was enlightening for me. I started playing trumpet at 8, stopped in college due to a lack of range despite a lot of practice and private lessons, etc. I could never reliably hit anything above a G above the staff with any power. The concepts in this video--that the harmonic series narrows towards the top and that effort is not substantially more for each progressive note, along with the exercise in which you play octaves (i.e. middle C, low C, high C, etc.) seems to be really effective for me. Obviously I'm not sounding like Charlie right away, but I have been able to reliably hit A above the staff, Bb and B above the staff and I am hitting high C, and have even squeaked out notes above that up to E above high C. And the power is coming now, I am starting to be able to play the new notes (for me) louder. Playing the octave exercise where I am attempting to hit the higher notes right after playing the middle notes seems to be helping me keep from tensing up too much and trying too hard and focus more on the coordination of my lips as opposed to tensing up my throat, pressing the mouthpiece against my face, etc. I spent years on flexibility studies, clark chromatic studies, Schlossberg slurs, etc. all of which I'm sure are good, but this video for me, along with some others Charlie has posted, have really helped me. I don't have a lot of time to practice or play--I have a career, a wife and daughter, but I have been screwing around for the past couple weeks and have made more progress in those 2 weeks than in the 14-15 years I practiced daily, took lessons, etc. Thank you Charlie for posting your videos--you taught me to play, finally!
Your original situation is almost exactly like mine, I just started college and put my trumpet down after almost 10 years of playing because I wasn't about to consistently hit above a high A (also I'm an engineering student). But this sounds like it works and the ideology is there so thanks for enlightening and sharing your experience now!
KobyJK I’m returning to play too, after about 12 years of not touching a horn. I’m a euphonium major/trombone minor. With low brass, range and endurance was not much of a challenge for me. But, now that I’ve changed to flugelhorn; it is! I look forward to practicing with this new information in mind. Granted, that I already have been making slow but steady progress with some of this information beforehand. Some, but not all. Thanks, Charlie, for this wonderful video!
i have seen about 100 videos and struggled to play in the upper register as my former teacher believed in the SMILE technique. I struggled to play Eb above C and i finally made it to the double high A. At this rate I should make it to double high C in about a week. It was always a dream to play MFerg Hey jude ending for trumpet and i finally made it.. Thank You...
I had horrible teachers in HS. Im old now but started playing again this fall. Never fell out of love with the horn but damn I can’t play for crap anymore. Thanks for the great info.
This helped immensely. I've been playing for 9 years; 2 of those years in a university's top jazz ensemble. This is the best explanation of range I've heard
thank you so much you are so awesome I just hit the most highest and notes that I would never have thought that I will hit before you just literally change the way I think about trumpet
This is really nice.. I switched from clarinet to brass and I haven't had a problem except with some of my higher range on the trumpet.. I have no problem with it on my French horn though.. but this helped me with my technique a lot.. I also believe art of my problem is my mouth piece.. thanks!
Man just like that 4th time picking up the trumpet i was reching near the top of the stave without much effort. I play trombone decided to learn tthe trumpet and this helped out a lot. Thanks, seriously.
Thank you, I just started about 2 months ago. I ran sound for Phil Driscoll in the late 80's and early 90's. I saw him in concert a few months back and got the bug. This was helpful. I'm also a pilot and remember the high pitch practicing coming from Phil (who is also a pilot 18000 hrs. +)from the back of the King air 200. Keep up the good lessons and sharing. God bless you Charlie.
Very great video. I've been playing for about 18 years and can play my high note OK. But I realized how much energy and force I waste in PITCHING my high notes. I am used to my style of playing but trying to use my facial muscles as this video says and now I can pitch way higher than I use to with just a little bit of AIR and ENERGY. God BLESS YOU
Thank you Mr. Porter, This video even being a simple step for many player, I"m a beginner and have been having extreme difficulties achieving any notes pass A c flat.
I have been applying some of you methods on range, compression etc, they have helped me improve a lot. Thanks Charlie from a UK cornet player!! Alan, West MIDs UK.
Hi Charlie! Great from you to share this incredibly helpful toughts. I study in a great Conservatory (probably the best in Italy) and the basic principles are almost the same. Keep up the good work!
Yeahhhhh! I was doing it right! I always practiced at whisper volumes (plus a Le Blanc mute) because of the neighbors and was worried I was doing it wrong. But you reassured me. Thank you!
Omg man thank you so much. This is insanely valuable. Am just beginning with the trumpet and I was already struggling with the first high C. With this I went 2 notes higher with open values and with much less effort. So THANK YOU. Liked and subs.
Something that ive learned over the years is that most trumpeters play really tense and pinched, if you just relax and blow free straight down the middle of the mead pipe it really helps
dude, thank you for this so much, I was having a bit of trouble hitting above e over high C, I'm am now a half step off of double c after watching this and following your tips, thanks dude
Thank you so much! This video is a godsend. I used to only be able to play a C above the staff, but using your tips, that expanded to a double G. Thank you!
Thanks Charlie… straight line, three compressions and this one are really helpful. I go back to them every few weeks and always pick up on something i overlooked. Cheers from Oz
Charlie you are genius. I start to feel what you mean. It really works if I blow it easy going on high register. I reached high D to high F quit easily without trying to give it an extremely high pressure which makes me feel dizzy and lift my blood pressure dangerously high. I'm sure it will getting higher day after day and I'm studying playing the trumpet only for one month.
Excellent. Playing 40 years always great to learn something new from the brotherhood. Grew up with Maurice Andre and met my hero in Philly. Worth mentioning tongue position and support?
I'm a beginner and my highest note is a c treble clef 3rd space. Will keep trying, have had trumpet for 2 weeks now. I already play Trombone, but interested in trumpet. Hope I can work little harder though I'm careful not to learn wrong habits. Thanks for videos.
Great video. You explain it so well. I have only been playing a few months and I managed to work up to the E in the top of the staff and sometimes the G above the staff. Above the 2nd C I can only sound the note - not play up there. But a few days ago, my range dropped to a major seventh (Low F# to the first G). I couldn't figure out why. Then I thought I would check out your video. It worked really well. I was able to play those notes with much less effort - But I lost some accuracy. Also, I live in an apartment so I use the Yamaha Silent Brass. Stupid me! I realized I had the volume turned down and I was compensating by blowing harder. Turned it up and used this technique and my higher notes are sounding much better. Thank you so much Charlie Porter, you have really helped my playing.
Fantastic dude! I accidentally played higher than I intended while more relaxed. Thanks for pointing out how not to obstruct our own progress by trying too hard.
