Help on (very quickly) improving my high range.

[Charlie Goodman]

Watching Alan Baer play reminded me what it takes to have a "customized emouchure." He made so many faces and shifts and twists and turns in his face you'd think the guy was on acid or something. But no! The music came out so mellow and smooth and full of warmth and melody. All of that Alan was doing in his head. The stuff on his face just happens, because he isn't thinking about it. He's just going for it!

Yeah... that's one of the things I noticed. I saw him play one of the Bach cello suites, mostly pretty low, and he was frowning and making all kinds of faces. Sounded incredible though, so I won't knock it.

[MaryAnn]

Well, one thing that has not yet been mentioned... (but I vote 200% for reading Roger Lewis's post on range, that somebody put the url in for early on.)

Can you play that note on a euphonium mouthpiece or a trumpet mouthpiece? If you can, it's a support issue, sort of. I don't use my horn embouchure that I would use for middle C, to play middle C on tuba. Not at all. But I could, if I needed to get that note and there was no other way to do it. Just don't fool yourself into thinking you're doing something right when you have to shift the mouthpiece an inch on your face to get a note, ok? To use my horn embouchure, I have to pin my lower lip down just like it is with a horn mpc rim. I can free-buzz that E you're talking about, but that's about as high as I can go, free-buzzing. Past that I need some mouthpiece rim support.

MA, hoping that made at least a little sense

[ThomasDodd]

Well, there isn't much of a story, I was handed a piece we have to play on july 1st, which has a couple passages with some really high notes (for me, a 1.5yr old player, anyway).
Highest note in there is the Enatural above the staff, and my highest (safe) note is the G just above the bass clef's F.

and later

But I really don't want to let this beat me, seems no one else in the group ever has trouble with range, rythms, anything, (freaking MIDI players they seem). Then again, I'm sure I've been playing my instrument for less time than anyone in there, but still..

Is tuba your first brass instruments?
For having only played 1 year and a half, I think you upper range is above average.

For that matter, I had played trombone for 4 years, then switched to tuba for 3 years, and my highest comfortable note was F in the staff. Never had any reason to work on range in High school.

You off to a good start. Don't rush it. Discuss the sitatuion with the conductor. Make sure he know's how long you've been playing and that it well outside you range.. Since he's the composer/aranger he can(should?) best decide what changes to make. You cannot just drop random notes down. It's got to fit the context around it. You don't want to make a bad impression reaching for the sky and falling. You also don't want to hurt yourself by going to far too fast. You might make it, but take you time, do it right, and have a good backup plan.

If you could comfortably run 3 miles today, would you feel safe running in a 10 mile race next week? I wouldn't. Maybe 5, but not 10.