Playing in the higher register...

TexTuba · Post by **TexTuba** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:01 pm

The PT-50 is a large mouthpiece. I like it but if you're trying to play in your upper register that may be a small problem. Good luck and welcome!!

Ralph

Lew · Post by **Lew** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:00 pm

Practice, practice, practice. Air, with proper support and minimize mouthpiece pressure.

A 4 rotary valve Yamaha BBb tuba is most likely a model YBB-641.

artuba · Post by **artuba** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:09 pm

Yeah, if it is a 641, I play one too. I'm a senior in high school by the way. But yeah, air is about the only thing I can say on the subject. It helped me when I was having problems with that kinda stuff.

Kevin Hendrick · Post by **Kevin Hendrick** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 8:45 am

Search for posts by Roger Lewis on high range -- he's given us some good information and advice.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 1:19 pm

Yes, air, air, and more air, but in a controlled way from your diaphram/stomach muscles so that the airstream stays steady and constant. Also, keep your embouchure steady and firm the muscles. Don't pull or pinch, and don't increase mouthpiece pressure. This will only bruise your lip muscles and cause you to have to take more time to recouperate. Keep your jaw and neck relaxed, which is not easy when you are tensing your stomach and lip muscles by contrast.

Chart out your fingerings before hand, including alternate fingerings if necessary for fast/ornamented/large interval ease.

Play the whole passage an octave lower, if necessary, so you know what the notes are doing if you don't have good internal sight singing skills, access to a piano, a recording, etc.

As you practice, focus on what greater degree of embouchure firmness is required to get the particular notes, and play the whole passage more slowly, even if one note at a time, in order to get the feel of the passage -- same way as if you are practicing any other difficult passage. You may not get there the first time, or even the second, or the twentieth. As you go up from open 4th line F (BBb tuba) you have to use valves until you get to the top Bb, so you need even more steady air and consistently firm embouchure to maintain tessatura through the valve changes. But you will eventually get there if you maintain consistent proper practice.

Keep practicing your lip slurs and interval slurs slowly and work especially on precision, gradually working from lowest to highest.

timayer · Post by **timayer** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 11:44 pm

I find that if I take the mouthpiece out and just play on the leadpipe, my high range skyrockets....

porkchopsisgood · Post by **porkchopsisgood** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 12:34 am

Scales.

They are your best friend.

Use scales to develop the smooth and subtle embouchure transitions necessary to play in extreme registers (low and high). Play them slow, and develop the muscle memory you'll need in order to play in those ranges.

It takes air....and plenty of it....but it also takes the proper endurance to handle playing in extreme tessituras.

Just know it doesn't take extra pressure from you to play high. It just takes an extra amount of embouchure control you haven't developed as of yet.

You'll get it. Good luck!

pulseczar · Post by **pulseczar** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:42 am

I'm having a very difficult time with the higher register also. Right now my range is a pedal Ab up to high F. After that, I will start cracking.

I started buzzing on my mouthpiece and noticed that will start to get two or more buzzes buzzing simulatenously so I'm pretty sure that the problem is within my embochure. Does anybody have any suggestions on fixing that?

TUBAMUSICIAN87 · Post by **TUBAMUSICIAN87** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 12:01 pm

I agree with doing scales as high as you can go with no pressure on the mouthpeice and also play as low as you can go on the scale. I have found that blurrting out some peddal Cs before playing the cadenza of the Vaughn Williams Tuba Concerto will help me play the high Ab above the staff on my 1291 CC. And like everyone else has been saying AIR but that doesnt just mean put more air in to the horn but also air speed, speed up the air and to help you buzz your lips faster. What may help you with this is do lip slur excersizes doing partials going up by speeding up the air then apply that to your playing. Another thing that has helped alot is not to play into the middle of the mouthpiece but direct the air into the bottom of the cup. And again NO PRESSURE AND NO PINCHING it will only make your problems worse in the future and welcome to tubenet