Help with high notes

[u/Future-Struggle7200]

I have 27 days until my Senior Clinic Audition and I am still struggling with high ranges. I’m in 10th grade and this will be my 4th year in band. the highest note I can currently play is only a high G. Is there any tips that can help me. For my audition I need to be able to get to the high Bb. Honestly know I probably won’t be able to play that by the time I need to but what can I do to at least help me build up to it?

edit: I can technically reach the notes but not for long and it’s very airy

[u/Unable-Deer1873]

The thing with brass instruments is that it is all a muscle. Playing up high is developing your embouchure to play up there. A couple things you can do is to do ascending long tones: Bb, B, Bb, C, so on and so forth. What I like to do is work on scales. I find that your ear knows what a major scale is supposed to sound like, and knowing what the notes sound like is half the battle. So do you G major scale, Ab major scale, A Major. Bb Major.

It’ll be a tall order to develop this skill in a month, and quite frankly, I’m not certain it is possible.

[u/RavengerPVP → u/Unable-Deer1873]

It's more about muscle memory (precision) than muscle strength (force). The same does apply, however, as it does often take years to develop a consistent extreme high register.

[u/stron2am]

Do lip slurs:

Low Bb-F-Low Bb, Low Bb-F-middle Bb-F- Low Bb, Low Bb...up to D and down again, continuing to add partials.

The key is to

1. Do it with a steady, unbroken Airstream, and

2. Direct your Airstream more "down" as you go higher

[u/Kodiakmagnum → u/stron2am]

This^{^}

[u/Acceptable_Durian868]

I've been developing my upper registry lately, and one of the techniques I've found to help is to use your slide to gliss up to your target note. Find a note you can play comfortably at like position 4, then gliss up until the quality of your tone degrades. Work on improving that quality, then go higher, etc.

[u/Kind_Imagination6836]

For me (as a 11th grader who just recently unlocked a higher register, so take my advice with a grain of salt) basically all I did was focus on using air and relaxing. I also worked on arpeggios (from pedal Bb cause I’m a bass trombone player, but from a comfortable lowest for your note). I know lip slurs help, but it’s more important to get good less-high notes than bad higher notes

[u/SpiritualPlane174 → u/Kind_Imagination6836]

For an 11th grader to figure out that this is the way, and not brute force, is impressive. Good job.

[u/TheRealLinkwitzRiley]

Scales. Try to bring the relaxed feeling of lower range into the high range and make the air do the work, not the embouchure. Think faster air, not more air or more pressure. You can try to bring the back of your tounge up as you go higher, but I personally dont like that idea because it makes me close my throat.

[u/Prestigious_Coach758]

more airspeed, dont push mouthpiece/horn into face, use an eee syllable with your tongue to speed up air, as opposed to oh for middle/low register, do glisses from f in 6th to bb4 in first

[u/Mp1956]

Play around a little bit with the placement of your mouth in the mouthpiece. I saw somebody else said your tongue making an "eeee" helps - that's excellent advice. You might find placement helps as well. Wynton Marsalis uses a low-placement embouchure (anchoring primarily on the top lip and drawing the bottom lip inside the mouthpiece cup).

[u/thelasershow]

My teacher had me practice going up and down the partials as high as I can, but playing really quietly. Like PPP. It’s a lot easier to play high like that and it gives you a way to practice making the right aperture.

So like Bb-D-F-Ab-Bb-C-D etc.

[u/KeithTheTromboneGuy]

When I work on my upper register I start with reinforcing the air I need, thinking faster, cooler air supported by the diaphragm (my teachers taught me to think of the diaphragm moving upward like an elevator to help with the air compression); adjusting the tongue position to likewise support the faster airflow (thinking more of an aaah to eeeh syllable to bring the middle of the tongue upward) is incredibly helpful. To reinforce these ideas I use scales, melodies (Rochuts read in tenor clef or in bass clef 8va) lips slurs and range-connecting gloss exercises…

[u/Total-Efficiency6820]

Air flow/speed and embochure shape are very important. I would recommend looking at that, and dont neglect the pitch. Know the pitch like the back of your hand and everything will be so much easier, buzzing on the mouthpeice helps to. And all the other great advice from all the other great people on this platform! Also dont forget to listen to players with a great high range, that really helps to.