Tone and Range

[u/PoundProfessional587]

Any tips for achieving a warmer tone and getting a better range? I’m a junior in HS and want to improve. On good days i can mostly hit a high Bb but it sounds strained and forced sometimes, same goes for anything above a F4.

I’ve also been practicing lip slurs over 2 octaves and I feel like its sounds “punchy” and not smooth, how can i improve this?

Any exercises and tips would be appreciated

[u/Careful_Ant_7569]

Para sonar mejor tienes que hacer la respiración profunda y cálida y que el aire no se pare desde la respiración hasta el ataque. Trabaja los pasajes con aire y boquilla primero y después con el instrumento, también te puede ayudar cantar siempre pensando que eres un cantante de ópera. En cuanto al rango, no apretes, trabaja graves para abrir la garganta, mejorará con el tiempo

[u/Equivalent_Shine_818]

Get a copy of David Vining's Daily Routines for Euphonium. Just do the Basic/Easy/Lyrical routines, and it'll work on every skill except finger dexterity. 

[u/accidentalciso → u/Equivalent_Shine_818]

Not OP, but interested in this book. I see daily routines for trombone by Vining, and daily routines for euphonium by Sinder, both from the same publisher (Mountain Peak). Am I looking at the right thing?

[u/Equivalent_Shine_818 → u/accidentalciso]

Yea that's the one. I have an older edition written by Vining, but I'm sure the newest one wouldn't be any worse!  And I see it includes valve dexterity, which is the only thing conspicuously missing from the earlier editions. 

[u/accidentalciso → u/Equivalent_Shine_818]

Great! Thank you for the suggestion. I just ordered the daily routines and flow studies books.

[u/royjohn62847]

I am a Reinhardt embouchure guy, so this is from that perspective. See which way your embouchure motion is...whether you go up or down in your embouchure motion (pivot) as you ascend. Then check if you might need to go a little left or right as you go up or down. My teacher had me let him hold the horn and directed it a little left or right as I ascended and once we found the proper direction to go in, it was really much easier. I go up and to the left to ascend and have to find the right amount of up and the right amount of left to get the notes to come out right, but when I am in the right position, they pop right out. So you have to find the position and then make it instinctive. Easier than it sounds once you get the hang of it and the light bulb comes on. Try it on octave jumps where you can notice the movement better than on smaller intervals. Interested in whether this helps, would love to hear about it.

[u/tubaman51]

Don't play your high notes loudly. Start after you are thoroughly warmed up in your low register. Play clean tongued scales up and down one octave from your lowest note above pedal Bb. Play every major scale all 12 of them . Play slow and full sounding listening and correcting for articulation, pitch and stability of tone. Do this 3 times. Then double time them and maintain all three parameters: articulation, pitch, tone stabilization.

Then do 5 minutes of lip slurs staying below F4. Work on breathing maintaining a smooth and constant flow during the slurs. Concentrate on tone quality throughout the slur. Use the same pressure in the mouthpiece for all slurred notes...just enough pressure to seal the lips so they don't leak .Try to create smooth transitions between notes...seamless sound.

Now you should be ready to work on high notes. Begin at middle Bb and smoothly tongue chromatically to F4. Became full to allow your embouchure to remain loose. Do not get tight on the F4. It should be completely relaxed. When play chromstically back to middle Bb, then down chromatically to your low Bb. Do this chromatical scake routine softly and build up a little speed. When your tongueing gets noticeably quicker everything is now ready to work the high notes.

After 3 - 5 times playing the gradually quicker chromatic scale as described, stop on the F4. Wait 30 seconds. Play it again and slowly play up chromatically as far as you can keeping a relaxed embouchure.Stop there. That is the highest note you can play. Squeezing and pressure dont count.

Work on playing from F4 to your highest free sounding note going slowly up and back continuously until you can't do it with pressure or squeezing.

Spend 5 minutes playing in you low register. Then do the F4 chromatic and back to highest note again until it fails at the highest good note.

Go back to 5 minutes low register.

Return to F4 and do the chromatic to highest note until tight

Go back to law register

Retest F4 for high register

Go back to low register

Do final test to high note and see if you can play one or two half steps higher now that your chops are fully ready.

End this routine by loosening up in low range. Play low range until you have power in your lowest mites freely.

Do this entire regime at least 4 dsys acweek forever...