Ep. 1 Tongue Position: The Secret to High Notes

Рет қаралды 174,146

Жыл бұрын

"In this first episode of Ryan's Trumpet, I share an exciting discovery that made the upper register feel so much easier for me.
"Bringing together insights from several of my mentors (David Hickman, Newell Dayley, and a coaching session with Adam Rapa at this year's International Trumpet Guild conference), I demonstrate a concrete practice to help unlock the secrets of tongue position and free up the upper register."
Ryan's Trumpet is a recurring series that shares ideas and practices that have been extremely helpful to Ryan as a trumpeter, musician, composer, improviser, and teacher.
Have some questions about this episode? About the trumpet? Music? Performance? Jazz? Composing? Comment below!
If your question captures Ryan's imagination, you just might get a free lesson and have an episode dedicated to you!
Ryan Nielsen is the trumpeter in the Kobie Watkins Grouptet.Their first album, "Movement," received international acclaim and was selected by Howard Reich (former member, Pulitzer Jury) as one of the 10 best albums of 2018.
Ryan has recorded and performed with Ra Kalam Bob Moses and the Summit Brass. In 2021, he was an adjudicator for the preliminary rounds of the Carmine Caruso Jazz Trumpet Competition, "The world's most prestigious competition for jazz trumpet." He has performed as lead and solo trumpet with Delfeayo Marsalis's Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and received the Doc Severinsen Award for Outstanding Classical and Jazz Trumpet.
Ryan co-authored "The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation" with John McNeil (Trumpet, Hush Point; frmr. trumpet, Horace Silver; Professor Emeritus, New England Conservatory). It is due to be released later this year by Oxford University Press.
He is currently Associate Professor of Trumpet at Utah Valley University.
Visit Ryan online at www.ryanstrumpet.com

Пікірлер: 301

@chuckbeers2540 Жыл бұрын

This is the most brilliant and needed fix for easier playing that I have heard in the last 40 years of my playing. Thank you!!!

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear that it's helping your playing! Thanks for the kind note 🙂

@espr7564 4 ай бұрын

Fix ????? Forget it.

@AirflowMusicNYC Жыл бұрын

That's interesting. I haven't heard it described in quite that way before. I know what I'm doing this afternoon!

@_maxcaulfield_4672 Жыл бұрын

The way to think about half-whistling is really identical to your teaching. You taught us earlier about falsetto which was a life-changer for me. I used to wear dental braces.(Having them in my mouth for 8yrs!) I was really struggling trying to play the trumpet. The brace destroyed the flat surface created by our front teeth and made vibration extremely hard to create and maintain. But the idea of trying to get falsetto shifted my focus to the airflow itself.

@sarayoung6834 8 ай бұрын

I have been struggling to play high notes for months. This was the best advice I've gotten so far. I'm now able to play The Last Post, a goal I've had since a child! Thank you so much!

@ryanstrumpet 8 ай бұрын

So glad it's helping! Thank you, @sarayyoung6834!

@rohanwallis1659 Жыл бұрын

awesome - been playing professionally for 27 years and this is the best advice I've ever found cheers Ryan

@Clunie999 Жыл бұрын

I have struggled for years to understand tounge position and how if affects range. Tried this today and the concepts finally clicked. Thank you. My range just went up about 3-4 notes.

@scottvoyles Жыл бұрын

This is solid gold. Thanks so much for sharing this!

@LA-cy1zj 5 ай бұрын

wow, need to sit with this for a bit but already I think you may have changed my whole game! thank you for making the time to create this video and share this insight

@operarocks 24 күн бұрын

There are corollaries to singing here that to my knowledge have yet been 'mapped.' I wish singers understood the degree to which the diameter allowed in the vocal tract plays in how the vibrators react. It also underscores how it is possible that trumpet player's top end can be greatly disrupted when a trumpet player loses weight (the tongue, losing fat, actually changes girth), just as singers often do. The very small change in the air pathway has huge effects. Very good video. I will play for my singing students. (I used to be a trombonist and often teach with a mouthpiece nearby to give a clear mental picture what the unseen vocal folds are doing)

@toomanypockets7316 Жыл бұрын

i love it. So insightful and helpful!! thank you ryan.

@n0tale438 2 ай бұрын

I have sort of figured this out myself after seeing those x-rays of that one horn player. It was SUPER useful to hear someone talk clearly about this. Cheers! KZfaq resources like this has taught me about as much as my teachers did, if not more.

@123pandayt4 Жыл бұрын

The vocal points are so essential!

@Mel-mm4ux Жыл бұрын

The best video by a mile, that explains higher notes. Thanks for sharing!!!

@frankwcrespo Жыл бұрын

Nice job describing how sounds happen on the trumpet -such a difficult concept for players to understand.

@Belfreyite Жыл бұрын

As an accordion player, other instruments fascinate me, especially Brass. I love all the brass family and this guy really knows what he is doing.

@matmoraes Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. Much more range and less effort. This class changed my way of thinking about the high register. Amazing

@ivokoo Жыл бұрын

thank you so much ryan. you had helped me a lot. you introduced the idea of "passage" and in a way is pretty similar to what happens to singers (and we can also experiment it) when they go up in the register. there are a couple times where you have to do a small modification to keep going up with fluidity and no tension. well, its reasonable that the same thing happens when playing trumpet. great discovery!!

@RedPillAwake Жыл бұрын

I am 53 and just started playing the trumpet three months ago. This is the most amazing insight into the instrument that I now love. I’m going to try it out today!

@theimp5901 Жыл бұрын

Well presented. I will try to think of this next time I play. A lot of what you have is nicely broken down for people when never read the written notes of many famous method books. Sounds like you had access to the right teachers and have what you really need. A desire to excel and the guts to stay locked in the room and then get out and play whenever you can ! Good job .

@jeancote1498 Жыл бұрын

Well Ryan, I just happened to catch your video before my practise session, and it really unlocked something for me. Obviously I knew about the importance of tongue position but somehow it never translated into my playing. After hearing your explanations and watching you demonstrate, something clicked. Thank you, and I look forward to your next videos.

@makingmusicfun Жыл бұрын

Dynamite video! I wish I would have learned this 30 years ago too. Thanks for sharing.

@georgeevans8947 6 ай бұрын

I believe that I've instinctively been doing that....Now I plan to be more intentional! Thank you

@lwendt1 Жыл бұрын

What is so nice is that you maintain a beautiful open tone as you reach higher.

@lawrencebrown1133 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the valuable information!!!

@russelltrujillo2772 Жыл бұрын

I liked how you gave a profile and pointed to different areas for attention and focus. Most teachers continue to face my/student view. Now to practice.

@yvelinemontiglio6184 Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot ! Very, very useful ! I was loosing my time figuring out the tongue position without success. That and your last video on apperture : a gold mine for my problems with improving range. Thank you

@musicmarco81 Жыл бұрын

Wow thank you so much for that info !!! 😊

@vardito10 Жыл бұрын

Well let's see if it works! About to give this a go!

@bassboneful Жыл бұрын

Very nice approach! Sweet sound! ❤

@gustavomoretto6449 7 ай бұрын

Wow! I'm impressed by your generosity by you sharing this tip with the rest of us. I'm a composer/piano player ex professional trumpet player. I think I can be quite expressive with the trumpet's voice but the range limit can put a brake on my ideas. It worked as soon as I tried it. Thank you.

@innocentnwaigwe5916 Жыл бұрын

I love this tutorial mate, I wish I can learn it or understand how u do those shifts I'd be grateful.

@123pandayt4 Жыл бұрын

Oh my god. I couldn't play well quality high notes before. However, after watching this video, I could play a smooth high C for 12 bars!Wow!Thank you very much!

@camiloochoa1239 Жыл бұрын

really good video brother, thanks for sharing

@flightmansam Жыл бұрын

Hi Ryan. Fantastic eye-opener. We think so often of air velocity and volume contributing to air pressure but rarely do with think of the stuff going on "behind-the-lips". This idea of a focal point really interests me!

@RinnahViolinist 3 ай бұрын

Wow this is so Helpful

@MrCrescendo Жыл бұрын

This is incredible content. Amazing concept. Thank you so much!

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

You're welcome, Erik :-) Thank you for hanging out with it --

@sebthi7890 Жыл бұрын

That was the missing link, thank you very much. When I returned playing trumpet, I looked around on KZfaq, found many helpful tips, to train my lips etc. I recognized that I learn whistling as a side effect. Me as a singer asked the principle trumpeter of the orchestra if he can whistle: yes he can, he told me that he can whistle every trumpet concert. So I have a task, bringing my throat in congruence, resonance to the tone pitch.

@kevin_soda Жыл бұрын

Fascinating.

@guidoemanuel7595 Ай бұрын

Excelente enseñanza maestro!!! Muchas gracias saludos desde Argentina ❤

@MissouriFertility Жыл бұрын

This is brilliant. I’ve been coming to this conclusion, too, just recently. It’s not the “speed” of the air that tongue arching does at all. That never made sense. It is the size and resonance of the mouth chamber! That’s why some trumpeters have a distinctive sound (think Wayne). Their oral cavities have unique shapes! I look forward to more from you. Thanks!!

@richard.lucasfm Жыл бұрын

Brilliant content!! I can't wait to try and practice this, putting it into practice. Something I would point, no related to the content itself, but would be cool on the next videos: As you made very well on separating the sections inside the video, you can make that separations and markings on the timestamps in the video, so it turns easier to watch each session and find them to rewatch (what I'll do pretty much now on!!). Cheers!

@davidharrison3074 3 ай бұрын

Hello Ryan, I have been playing since I was 12 and now 62. I have heard so much about this in the last 5 years or so how important the tongue placement is like whistling and the higher the whistle, focus on where the tongue is. Ive never had personal training except in school and learned to play more by ear then read music. My point is that I still struggle with this concept for some reason and like you said okd habits are hard to let go. The high C is very comfortable and only if i could nail this concept i know it would help so much. I will not stop trying and focus on everything. I just recently had major back surgery so I'm not allowed playing my horn or even my military bugle for taps services. So I also figured this would be a good time to learn and focus on this type of exercise and the placement of the tongue and even use a mouthpiece to just listen to the air of a lower note to the higher note which that I understand. Thank you again Sir for taking the time and I look forward to following your site to listen to your playing. I love watching the videos with the lotus trumpets and Adam Rapa as well. Thank you again for everything. 👍🏻🎺

@williamstadelmeyer3563 Жыл бұрын

I wish I had seen this 49 years ago when I first started playing. This is brilliant. Might be the best video for trumpet playing ever created. Too bad most of us had to discover this the hard way over years of effort. Thanks for sharing.

@williamstadelmeyer3563 Жыл бұрын

The only bad thing is that I'm at work with my trumpet in the room and my boss is next door and I'm going to have to wait for him to leave so I can experiment with this concept lol.

@rohanwallis1659 Жыл бұрын

@@williamstadelmeyer3563 lol

@tommcclurg7698 10 ай бұрын

Very Helpful!

@GwenMcGill 3 ай бұрын

OMG - thank you so much 🎺🇬🇧

@spartacusjonesmusic Жыл бұрын

Cool. Good stuff. Thanks!

@roberthuffman-lc3zv Жыл бұрын

it was really fun working with you -robby

@C.Scholl 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the tips, I recently bought a trumpet and a Cornett and I am trying to learn how to play them by myself. Up to now I sound terrible but luckily I got myself a silent brass system so I am the only one hearing this tortures 😉 maybe (hopefully) I will improve my sound with your tips. 👍

@jamesburnett7085 Жыл бұрын

THANKS! I wish I had known this 65 years ago! Too late to help me now, but that's not your fault. Masterclass stuff.

@blakecabral2661 Жыл бұрын

This is possibly the greatest video of all time. I’m not even a trumpet player, I play horn and it works. It just works. I’ve been struggling with range for so long and didn’t realize it was this easy to fix. I can’t believe I just needed to rethink the focal point. You are a godsend

@astronomy_rizzled 11 ай бұрын

SAME I HOPE IT WORKS!!

@jppirr1031 Жыл бұрын

Just found your channel very interesting thanks 🎺

@moetrumpet 8 ай бұрын

I echo all the good comments - amazing! Mind blowing! It works. Unlocks the puzzle. I love the half whistle. Thank you so much!

@ryanstrumpet 8 ай бұрын

So glad it feels helpful! Best of luck to you in your trumpet adventures!

@RobertSaxy Жыл бұрын

That was a great concept greatly explained, gonna give this a try

@mikeraleigh4928 Жыл бұрын

Great video, Ryan! That's very new information for me, too. I can't wait to try it out. Your new Lotus sounds really good 🙂

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

I'm loving it :-)

@kirsteneconomy6400 4 ай бұрын

that isn't a suped-up Olds studio?? huh@@ryanstrumpet

@KleberebelK18 9 ай бұрын

Now, that's why I pay the internet. Thank you for posting this great advice!

@mf6045 5 ай бұрын

Awesome!

@shiggins9 5 ай бұрын

Hey man, great playing with you on Kobie Watkins' gig. I just upgraded my C trumpet to a Schilke CX-5. I can't wait to try this soon.

@ryanstrumpet 5 ай бұрын

Thanks, Sean! Lemme know how it works out!

@benjamindavis4130 Жыл бұрын

Very good video 👍🏼

@kjriess Жыл бұрын

This video is awesome! Thanks for the awesome new paradigm of range on the trumpet. Unfortunately watching the video makes me feel like I have cataracts or something....

@davidbuckley4904 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Ryan! I'll share this with my kids at Merit. Glad you popped up on my feed :)

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Hey David! Thanks for that! Episodes 2 and 3 may be the biggest help to them. Got to find center before range. So good to hear from you!

@drdlalbrecht 6 ай бұрын

Hey Ryan! This video popped into my recommended feed today, absolutely brilliant! This is exactly what I do, and it was taught by Jay Saunders at UNT. Great job explaining it and making it super clear. I’m definitely going to share this with all of my students. Bravo!

@ryanstrumpet 6 ай бұрын

Man, that makes me so happy to hear that, especially coming from you. So great to hang at ITG!!! Teach me more about Jay Saunders' approach to this . . . did he use the pitch of the half-whistles as well? Or focus more on the sensation of the "focal point" between the tongue and the top of the mouth?

@drdlalbrecht 6 ай бұрын

It was so fun hanging at ITG! He would focus on sensation. Everything was about the feeling of it all. A bunch of us would figure out that it felt like a whistle like you describe. He would talk about how our tongues are able to handle tons of micro movements that can be harnessed to make playing in the upper register easier. I remember when it clicked for me, it was incredible. We all would also talk about the balance of air usage and aperture pucker to achieve a “lower” tongue position to gain headroom in range. Hope you are well!

@solodro 8 ай бұрын

Wow! Your explanation helps me a lot... I am looking for the easier way to play trumpet and only thinking about the air in the three different places in my mouth help me a lot. Easier to go high with less air and a sound really open. TY so much to share your knowledge.

@ryanstrumpet 8 ай бұрын

Thanks, @solodro! So glad it feels helpful to you!

@thisusedtobemyname7579 Жыл бұрын

Hey Ryan, really interesting video!! I saw Adams tipps on range, the focal points make a lot of sense to me. I noticed that i use them exactly that way when i whistle, with a distinct register break when switching the focal point. I never could emulate that feeling on the trumpet though, seeing you do it just that way motivates me to try it again. Maybe i was blowing too much air, thinking i need to make the lips vibrate using breath support. Thanks a lot!

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

My favorite description of air is something I heard Joe Allessi say . . . . that he thought about the airstream as being "conversational." I think that's it. . . . for reals. . . . that's all we need. If it's enough air to make the vocal folds vibrate in speech, it's enough for the lips to vibrate in trumpet-song 🙂

@hernanroses Жыл бұрын

Gracias!!!

@CaptainJazz262 Жыл бұрын

Love it

@worldpeace1152 Жыл бұрын

Great!!!!!

@maxenielsen 3 ай бұрын

Really interesting! With a clarinet or sax, you can position your tongue in such a way that the resonance in your mouth fully overcomes the instrument’s resonance. By this means you can do a glissando.

@QalinaCom Жыл бұрын

not many trumpet players' faces don't change the color when they play that high. Will definitely try!

@giancarlocampanelli2463 Жыл бұрын

You’ve changed (in better) my sound! thanks!

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

So glad it felt helpful!

@brothercuber3288 8 ай бұрын

Before viewing this video I could hit a C# if I was lucky. Seconds after viewing the video I hit High E! This is extrememly good advice!

@ilecier Жыл бұрын

Great video with really valuable content! Shifting the focal point also means a change in tongue position, doesn't it? The tongue arches to a maximum in the highest notes and lies pretty much flat in the low notes.

@prayercodes Жыл бұрын

helpful. thanks

@begumacar Жыл бұрын

I want to learn this method..Terribly exited🎺🎺🐝🐝🐝How can I learn from you??

@LolloCheck Жыл бұрын

Very nice🎉

@user-ed4jb3in8p Жыл бұрын

Спасибо!!!👍

@oldbrassman2157 Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Ryan. Will definitely work on this. I picked up my horn again, about 5 years ago, after 60+ Years. Not doing too badly. I'm starting to increase my practice time and things are sounding a bit better. I've been able to hit high D (with some effort!), and have occasionally hit an Eb and high E. But I don't own them yet. And I'm expending way too much physical energy! Hopefully your method of controlling the airflow in the chamber behind the lips will help.

@rnordquest Жыл бұрын

I’m with you. I’m 67 and picked up my horn a year ago when my son asked me to play for his funeral. Ryan has just proven that my resonance chamber is so non standard that this doesn’t work for me. I expend way too much energy so can only practice for maybe 25 min but can get a solid C D and E.

@enzolescure5833 9 ай бұрын

thank you

@sarco64 Жыл бұрын

It sounds like this concept should work equally well for other brass instruments. I'll have to try it on my trombone.

@scorbs2699 Жыл бұрын

Great

@Tube-bank 2 ай бұрын

Ryan, very helpful. Could you just expand a bit more please on what you mean by “as we go out to the centre of the instrument”, Basic Principle #1. Thanks, Peter

@trombonetimmy1064 Жыл бұрын

I remember last year I struggled to consistently hit anything above an F, and then a masterclass person said to think about changing the shape of your mouth when going higher, and it literally doubled my upper range, and I can regularly play super F now. This also happened around the same time as I started expanding my lower range to the F 2 octaves below concert F.

@TJ-ed8xg Жыл бұрын

YESSS !

@ericherve5210 Жыл бұрын

Wow It's very interesting, thanks a lot to share this concept. I never heard this before. I'm a comeback player and at this moment I'm in big trouble to get back an acceptable range. I'm very interested in getting more information to work on the 3 focus points. Should it be possible for you to help ? Thx

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Hi Eric -- I'm not really in a position to take on more students right now, but maybe check in with me over the summer again!

@twistedtrails8128 11 ай бұрын

When you form your lips to produce the above "G" Just touch your tongue, very slightly, to your bottom lip, the tip, which throws the tip of lower lip up towards the tip of upper lip, using much power. The tone is produced to the inside of upper mouthplece at an angle of 45 degrees, instead of blowing straight Into the throat of the mouthpiece...

@puesvayatela 12 күн бұрын

Eso es otra cosa

@user-fo8vr3xh3x 3 ай бұрын

Ryan!!! I went to ASU with you! Hope you remember me. I had to learn trombone a few years ago to pay the bills and I’m now getting back into trumpet. Been struggling with high notes while relearning trumpet. Just hit a double G within 30 min of watching this video!!!

@user-fo8vr3xh3x 3 ай бұрын

This is David Melancon btw

@ryanstrumpet 3 ай бұрын

Man, of course I remember you! I was always so inspired by your piccolo playing and the ease of your approach to the horn. Honestly, I still tell my students about you from time to time. I'm sooooo glad this felt helpful you in some way. Our community of trumpeters is definitely the better for having you back in it!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this . . . :-) @@user-fo8vr3xh3x

@drkellymccoy2020 Жыл бұрын

Hi Ryan, thanks for such a great series. I’m one of the “old timers” and have recently been working on trying to play in a much more relaxed style than I had in the past. My old style was pretty typical, more air, squeeze the lips, lots of air compression, bugling neck, red face etc. Your video really opened up a new way of thinking for me. I find by thinking more about the whistle locations I concentrate more on air flow and tongue position than on the chops which allows some great things to happen (once I get out of my own way). I just wanted to clarify a couple of things that you touched on in a previous comment. Once we reach the maximum tongue position in the molar area and move the focus to the premolars does the tongue still stay “locked in” in the molar area? Also as we move the focus to the front end by the teeth do the molar and premolar tongue positions still stay in their high position? I’m just trying to avoid any new bad habits, I have a lot of them to get rid of as it is😏. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge, all the best Kelly.

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Kelly. The first thing that comes to mind in response to your question is: I love the questions you are asking; keep trusting the questions, and let 2 things be your guide as you experiment: 1) resonance of the sound and 2) ease of approach. If your sound gets more resonant and your approach gets easier, you're almost certainly moving in a healthy direction. I also feel it's important to emphasize that we all have slightly different physiology, so we all basically need to find our own road up the proverbial mountain. That said, practicing the second "focal point" or "half-whistle" away from the horn, the portion of tongue by the premolars is most helpful when the "focal point" (the point between the top of the tongue and the top of the mouth that makes the sound of the air) is as open as possible (highest flow rate without pushing at all), without losing the half-whistle. Meanwhile, the portion of the tongue by the molars will, for many, continue to move freely to create different "pitches" (by which I mean setting up the mouth chamber to resonate within a certain set of overtones/frequencies, which we can test with the half-whistle). These ideas can be helpful in getting you to a place where you discover what works for you; which may well be somewhat different from what works for me! Let the sound and ease be your "trumpet guru." Get creative, curious, and question everything :-) One of the other viewers came up with a BRILLIANT way to say it: the higher we go, the further forward we "place the note" inside our mouth chamber. That's a healthy principle for nearly everyone. Best wishes!

@andyschannelforucdavis1305 Жыл бұрын

Chef John from Food Wishes theme song, besides.

@wouterensink6210 Жыл бұрын

I discovered your channel about a week ago and I'm finding tremendous success with your methods. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge. I do have a question (sorry if you've already answered this somewhere): how does the focal point / tongue position relate to articulation, specifically in the upper to extreme register? What kind of exercises would you recommend in order to improve in this area?

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Thanks, @wouterensink6210 -- I may do a video on this soon . . .. but in case it takes me some time: For me, tonguing for the first focal point ("K" whistle) resembles my speech . . . where I naturally speak the consonant "T" or "D." The second focal point (we might imagine an imaginary line drawn on the hard palette between my left and right premolars), I still tend to tongue where are would naturally speak "T" or "D," with one crucial difference: the sides of my tongue anchor (gently) to the premolars, and create a kind of fulcrum that stays in place while I articulate. The third focal point (near the incisors) seems to shift; there, my articulation is no longer with the tip of my tongue (as when I speak a "T"), but is an opening and closing of the focal point itself .. . . like I'm saying "tssss" with the same part of the tongue that is creating the point of resistance/focal point/half-whistle. That third one is almost like an anchor tongue . . . . Hope that's a bit helpful . . . it get so challenging for me to clearly describe things . . . Bottom line, experiment! Try different contact points, vowels, shapes, etc. and find what feels easiest for you!

@wouterensink6210 Жыл бұрын

@@ryanstrumpet wow thanks for the fast response Ryan. This does clarify it quite a bit. I guess the difficulty lies mostly in not opening the the cavity too much on the release part of the articulation. Anyways, I'll be looking forward to the video ;)

@kneejerkreactor9100 8 ай бұрын

How exactly do you move the focal point? Has to do with the tongue level?

@mikefrank8511 Жыл бұрын

Straight out of the Reinhardt Pivot System manual. It works.

@jasongreek2342 Жыл бұрын

Interesting. There's a reason I've stuck to low brass for over 20 years. My range on trumpet is absolute garbage. The only upper brass instrument I've ever been successful in playing has been horn, the back pressure is a help. I'll be getting the trumpet out tomorrow to try this.

@gavlegoat4631 Жыл бұрын

This is helpful if I continue working on it. I'm in eighth grade and can play a D above the staff (Treble clef on trumpet) and can strain for a F but I feel like if I continue working on your method it might help but I don't want to make any bad habits out of it.

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

As long as you don't blow harder to go higher, you won't form any bad habits. . . . most likely, episodes 2 and 3 will be the biggest help to you expanding your range . . . once we find center, we move around the horn by going out into center . . . find the 5, go out into the 5 (see episode 2). Good luck to you! Keep me posted!

@jag1099 Жыл бұрын

Wow! Great concepts. My son is a freshman in high school playing trumpet. He’s been playing for 3 plus years. Would your video be something to share with a relatively new student, or would you recommend this video as more for “advanced” players? Thanks for sharing!

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

So long as he isn't straining or pushing or "blowing harder" to try and move into the upper register, the concepts may well be helpful to him, though it would be rare for a student his age to be accessing the altissimo register (the 3rd focal point) in healthy ways. Patience is the name of the game with upper register development. Let the sound guide him. If it sounds and feels easy, that's the right direction :-) The content in episodes 2 and 3 really are the foundation for the focal points to work. And, depending on how your son has been taught + the amount of listening he's done to great trumpeters, gaining fluency with "playing the 5" (see ep 2 and 3) takes some consistent cultivating! (It's still what I focus on the most in my practice, and I've been playing for 33 years!) Episode 4 (forthcoming!) will address the nature of the airstream, and is foundational as well. That said, I introduced my son to these concepts (he's just starting) . . . but not the third focal point. It just takes time to develop an embouchure that can receive a setup ready to resonate at those higher pitches :-) All my best to you and your son!

@jag1099 Жыл бұрын

@@ryanstrumpet fantastic. Thank you for your time and for producing this sort of content!

@Newbie158 Жыл бұрын

??any chance you could post the "Helpful Exercises". Love your explenations.

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

I'm working on creating a resource for that . . . . but it's a ways away (got some other projects in the frontrunner right now . . .. )

@Newbie158 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your speedy reply. We love how you explain your concepts!

@georgemay8170 5 ай бұрын

I agree.

@LA-cy1zj 5 ай бұрын

do you do online lessons? I feel like just 1 hour to ask questions on this video would do it for me

@shamslife9182 Жыл бұрын

Hi dear Ryan , I’ve been watching your videos a lot 😊 Again thanks !! Allow me to ask a Question : when you demonstrate the transition from the first focal point to the second and third , are you actually using the exact sounds / and the exact air speed like demonstrated in the video ?! ( 6:16 minutes ) The air speed seems so “little “ ?! What exactly is the tongue doing ? ( maybe a another video with a visualiser or something?☺️😊😊) Thank you again ! Your fan 😀

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Hi @shamslife9182 -- As best I can, yes, those are the sounds/air speed (when I'm playing well). When I fall into less efficient habits, I tend to work much harder :-) Sometimes, it helps my students when I have them imagine rolling a Boba pearl along the top of their mouth . . . the further back the imaginary Boba pearl, the lower the pitch. Thank you for these questions! Please keep asking :-)

@shamslife9182 Жыл бұрын

Again kind sir . Feeling flattered you answer me ! I have many questions ☺️ For the time being , to leave you your well deserved peace , i allow myself to ask only this : When I do this exercise my throat seems to be not „opened „, blocking , or constricted , whatever we will call it . What do you recommend to „open „ the throat ? Thanks a lot ! And let us know your patrions site ..

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

@@shamslife9182 You've touched on one of the most common challenges I have faced as a player, and virtually all of my students face: constricting or choking the exhale in the throat. There are several possible causes . . . from the physical to the psychological . . . . On the physical side, the information in the "Breath" episodes should be very helpful. The issue often stems from simply over blowing . . . we confuse "support" with bracing ourselves or bearing down. Refocus the energy of the exhale at the "tip of the lip," and be sure you're not "sitting down" on the air (see the second breath episode). It may also be that the tongue is simply too high in the mouth (too close to the roof of the mouth) and is backing up the airstream. Bottom line, if thinking about tongue level this way doesn't help your sound get more resonant, and your approach feel easier, half-whistles may not be the best door into understanding tongue level for you. On the psychological side . . . I struggled with "clinching" for most of my career, until I had a profound experience connected to some trauma-related healing, and all of a sudden it went away. This left me wondering if "the clinch" might sometimes be connected to our ability (or inability) to settle into, trust, and confidently give expression to our inner voice. It's all so connected. . . . Anyhow . . . keep "the real trumpet guru" close by in your practice (resonant sound, ease of response), and be willing to test and challenge every bit of information you learn until you find your own proverbial path up the mountain. Best wishes!

@bryantaylor2946 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Ryan for this video. Now that it's been a year since you posted it - are you still feeling that this is the right approach for you and your students? Would you have any adjustments or changes to speak about now? Best of the season!

@ryanstrumpet 4 ай бұрын

Thanks, Bryan. Wow . . . love this question. This remains helpful to me, yes. When things feel inefficient, some half-whistle practice often brings things right back into alignment for me. It's been interesting with students . . . if they can recreate the 2nd "focal point" half-whistle, then, yes, it's very helpful. But creating that sound seems a challenge for several. For those who the 2nd half-whistle feels too unfamiliar to reproduce reliably, I teach them the basic principle of moving the point of resistance inside the mouth towards the teeth to ascend (assuming adequate embouchure development/tone center), and simply have them practice moving a "hiss" forward (without any particular pitch). But if they can get the half-whistles, then, yes, it helps them. Hope that answers your question (at least in part!). All my best! Ryan

@revraybrown Жыл бұрын

Hobby topic? Or where I put all my self worth? 😂😂 Great vid!

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Rev! Ha -- for reals. I need to re-film it with that line :-) Thanks man.

@residentgood8605 2 ай бұрын

I'm only about half way through the video. Maybe it's because Ive never played trumpet before and my mouthpiece arrived before the rest of my trumpet has, but I don't quite understand how the different focus points work with the mouthpiece. Or how the airflow affects the lips or... I'm not sure what I mean, as I don't have the vocabulary or the expertise. Do you suggest I not worry about this technique right now since I'm a new player? Or should I think about this more until it clicks? Thanks!

@ericanderson2369 Жыл бұрын

Have you ever heard of claude gordon? A student of Herbert L Clarke's and author of systematic approach to trumpet playing, claude explains the fundamentals of trumpet playing and they are similar to your explaination. Check em out. My major trumpet professor in college was Richard Hofmann of california state Northridge. He is phenomenal trumpet player and teacher.

@borisdavidov5 Жыл бұрын

I'm very surprised that for many its a new concept...there was a great study was made by Claude Gordon explaining that our lips are just a vibration medium and the tongue controls the velocity of the air coming out of the mouth. “The air does the work, the tongue channels the pitch”...

@ryanstrumpet Жыл бұрын

Which Claude Gordon book is that from, Boris? Thank you for this!

@borisdavidov5 Жыл бұрын

@@ryanstrumpet keep in mind this is just as an explanation on basic 7 elements. Because of CG I was able to play and couldn't even able to play when was a pro. I personally don't care about range anymore. I'm classical musician and now I'm enjoying the playing. Enjoy !