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im trying to hit the high F above the staff on my BBb tuba and i have to blow the air up in my mouth and really fast sort of through my teeth, my question, any tios for the high range?

uh... push the air?...
But, in all seriousness, the teeth thing might not be bad, just a bit uncomfortable; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjDz2SvBfZo" target="_blank

dmeacham5 wrote:im trying to hit the high F above the staff on my BBb tuba and i have to blow the air up in my mouth and really fast sort of through my teeth, my question, any tios for the high range?

Yup:

viewtopic.php?p=29184#p29184

Enjoy!

bloke wrote:This stuff reminds me a LOT of trying to explain to someone how to whistle.

It worked for Bogart & Bacall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7yUO3q8QfE

Here are few exercises that I teach and use that will help, its all about continuous air and concentrating the vibration in the very center as you go higher. Sorry about the audio so just turn your speakers up. The night before I was hitting triple high d's so when I did the video I thought that I would just go for a triple high c, almost made it.

One note about the end where I speak about moving the valve very slowly and keeping the vibration and sound going between the notes, this should be done with all valve combinations not just the open to 4th valve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFgh2oCp ... EB&index=1" target="_blank" target="_blank

Good luck,

Tom

As usual, keep the corners of the embouchure firm. Do not use mouthpiece pressure. Slightly arch the back of the tongue to increase the velocity of air without necessarily increasing the volume of air. Sometimes a slightly shallower bowl and/or slightly larger throat, and/or slightly smaller cup diameter and/or thinner rim to the mouthpiece to help keep the velocity and air compression up will help. Unlike the "cash register" of the tuba, where "big air," i.e. moderate and controlled velocity and a larger oral cavity helps with tone, more velocity and some "push" to the airflow can help focus the higher register.

Don't just try to "go for it." Work on it over time with scales, slurs and all the usual fundamental techniques with focus on a firm embouchure and increasing the velocity without necessarily increasing the volume of air (you want pitch, not necessarily louder dynamic).

It's a fine arts application of Bernoulli's principle to get the embouchure to vibrate at the higher pitch.