the high range is easy

know that there are some things that are major thorns in our sides as horn players.

Everyone has something.

One of mine has always been the high register. I have always been a natural low player. But why should one range be harder than the other? Isn't every note just a series of positions that our muscles, lips, and embouchure have to be in so that the exact correct frequency of pitch sounds?

YES!!

So, again I ask..why should one range be harder than the other?

It's not.

We perceive it to be because we haven't found the right arrangement for our face and perhaps because of that, our muscles haven't fully developed enough to support it. In turn, we compensate with bad habits such as

*too much pressure

*playing with a dry lip stuck to the rim

*tension in a myriad of bad places

...all to get the high notes out.

It's just like trying to lift something heavy without using our legs, but instead pushing through with just our back. That never works out and we hurt ourselves.

But did you know you have a secret weapon? Actually, you have two secret weapons. And when they work together, brilliant things happen!

What are they?

Your tongue and your air.

I am not trying to be cheeky (no pun intended)- it's really simply the tongue and air.

How?

The more the tongue is arched, the faster the airstream goes. The faster the airstream, the easier it is to acquire a faster frequency of buzz. The faster the frequency of buzz, the higher the potential of notes. Without getting too technical, I like to associate this idea with the Bernoulli Principle and airfoils. Think - how airplanes go up. The curve of the top of the wing creates lift (apply this to your tongue - the arch is creating lift!).

But, how do you practice this?

Think:

- whistling

- the high register feeling like hissing

- the vowel "eeeee"

- spitting the tiniest seed of your life as far as you can

Give some 5-note scales (working your way higher and higher with these concepts) a try through free buzzing, then on the mouthpiece, and finally, on the horn. Play them super soft, even air attacks if you can. You might just have a really easy high range!

P.S. Two of my favorite books for working on the high range are this, and this.

Questions, or want to let me know how it goes? I would love to hear about it. thehornprofessor@gmail.com