Thanks, I appreciate you checking out the content! I’m glad it was helpful to you.

😊

The body will match our expectation so it’s good to be able to give the brain a destination. Hear what the pitch is and execute!

It's the way to a much happier trombone journey for me.

Awesome, I’m glad the tips in the videos have been useful for you. Keep up the good work!

I couldn’t comprehend it either until I let it happen. Even now, I don’t think of it as a note I play, it’s a note I let happen.

Thanks!

That’s awesome, I’m glad to be of assistance!

I just might have to do that!🤔

Yup! You surely do!

I will, I can see it now!

I’m glad you found the information in this video useful. Keep building your range one half step at a time. Happy practicing!

I'm glad the video was helpful!

I'm glad the information is useful! Thanks for checking out the content.

I hope the tips are helpful to your playing.

@@TheChopsShop It did I can play my three octave Bb scale with ease.

Glad to hear that!

Awesome, I'm glad the information help you out.

I’m glad this video is helpful to you. Sorry to hear you had to change your embouchure but I know what a blessing in disguise that can be!

Take it one 1/2 step at a time. Let the airstream lead and allow the lips to follow.

@@TheChopsShop Thanks for the tip. I like how style talking about how to play trombone better.

Awesome, I’m glad the information was useful to you. Doing less usually yields better results when playing high notes.

Find a few melodies you enjoying playing and play them in keys that work on the range you're working on. This tends to bring our focus to the music more so then hitting the notes.

That's great! I'm glad the information helped your playing. Stay confident in your execution mentally, your body will follow.

Awesome, keep it going! One half step at a time.

I hope these tips are helpful to you . The journey is long with some exciting stops along the way!

Thank You!

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

My pleasure, I’m glad you found the information useful!

My pleasure!🙏🏾

As always, my pleasure!

I’m here to provide the good vibes and hopefully some information that will help your playing.

I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

Thank you!

Thank you for watching! I’m glad the information was useful to you.

Thanks for those kind words. I'm doing my part to share the knowledge now with my students. I'm still learning a lot!

I'm glad the information was useful.

My pleasure!

Awesome, I’m glad you found the information useful!

I’m glad the video helped you! Thanks for watching.

Thanks so much for the love. I'm glad the concept is helpful to your playing.

I’m glad the information continues to add value to you.

Thanks, I appreciate you checking out the content! I’m glad the method was useful for you.

I appreciate you checking out the content. I’m glad the video was helpful!

My Pleasure!

I hope it is useful for you. 🙏🏾

I’m glad the information was useful to you. Thanks for watching!

I hope these tips help to improve your playing!

Great, I'm glad the tips were helpful!

I'm happy this video was helpful to you. Happy practicing!

I’m glad you passed your test, keep up the good work!

I hope these tips are helpful to your playing.

It's difficult to do the simple things but that's why we practice. Our mindset is often focused on conquering the difficult tasks instead of mastering the simple ones. I hope all is well!

@@TheChopsShop Back to basics for life. Thanks man, it's going well. I hope you're doing well as well. Was checking out some YT clips of you with the Count Basie Orchestra. Killin and blues. Keeping an eye out for your stuff!

Yes, I would love to hear about your progress. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the journey. Happy practicing!

Halfway point reminder 😎

ayo its been 8 months

?

@@TheChopsShop sorry for not answering but yes i've gotten a lot better i went from one of the last chairs in my band to top 2 in the band thank you so much this helped a lot

Sweet, glad you found the information useful.

Awesome, we need more trombonist out here. Animated and living!😂

@@TheChopsShop :D

That's great, I'm glad the information was useful to you. Let the horn do the some of the work. Resonance is the key!

Everything is still in tact lol. Thanks for watching!

I’m glad the video helped! I’ve never thought about how my teeth effect my playing. In my case it’s not something that’s ever come into play.

First off thank you for these videos. I also noticed that you have a gap in your teeth, and that your embouchure centers over that area. I have had major dental work this last year and wonder about the role of dental structure in playing: i.e. overbite, overjet etc. I'm having trouble . Any ideas?

That’s great. Stay consistent and watch your musicianship take off!

Hopefully the information will be enough of a prize for viewing the video first! Let me know if the exercise is helpful.

The Chops Shop absolutely In fact it made me think about the airflow and where they are resonating, on all the notes 😊

Sweet, happy practicing!

Bristol, you say! We'll have to jam sometime

I'm glad the tips are helpful to your playing. Happy practicing!

This concept rings true for any brass instrument. I’m glad it was helpful for you.

I hope the solo goes well.

Your welcome, I’m glad you found the information useful!

@@TheChopsShop and u still care abou us

Absolutely, I care about everyone who takes the time to watch these videos.

Give your embouchure some time to adjust after you get your braces off. I hope that the information helps you achieve higher notes than before.

Yes this advice can be applied to the lower brass instruments as well! I would do a low note video but there’s so many great low note players out there. I leave the real knowledge to be spread by someone who makes their living in that register. In horn sections, there usually is not the bass horn but I think a lot of times that’s for financial reasons. They either go big and get 12 horns or they go small and get 3-4 horns. In the latter scenario if there’s already a bass player in the band, I’m not going to get a bass horn. There’s nothing like having that bottom in a horn section though!

@@TheChopsShop There is a common perception of the bass trombone that it can only play low notes and struggles in the high range. Bass trombone greats like Aidan Ritchie, Reginald “Reggie” Chapman, Ben Van Djik, Charlie Vernon and have no problem making their instruments sing and play up there 👆🏾. I have seen many other videos on high notes on tuba and baritone like instruments. Lol

The perfect example is Slide Hampton. He basically played a bass trombone setup and well, we know what his range was like!

@@TheChopsShop And let’s not forget the best bass trombonist, George Roberts. He mainly played on a single valve bass before using a double valve bass.

Very true!

You don’t want to roll your lip inwards because that leaves less surface to vibrate when you play in the upper register. Your aperture should get smaller but be careful to not stretch your lips horizontally to create a smaller opening. The more you take away the less you have to give. The upper register is something we allow to happen and by staying out of our own way, we increase our chances of success.

I play a Shires. It’s a custom model, the bore size goes from .495 -.508.

The Chops Shop Thanks!!!

That more than likely is being caused by your lips beings to close together. When we play in the upper register we need to get our lips out of the way so the air can travel. Experiment with your aperture being more open. Simply by creating more space for the air can solve your issue.

Using a practice mute all the time is not great for your sound but we do what we have to do. It’s better to practice open because most times, that’s how we perform. A great skill to have is learning how to play soft without a mute. That can be very beneficial for your sound!

Thank you for those kind words! 🙏🏾

This concept apply's to all brass players!

When you hit a ceiling in your range it generally means the air is unable to pass through the lips in order to resonate the leadpipe. My suggestion would be to NOT try to buzz the note on the mouthpiece. You are dictating to your embouchure what you think needs to happen. Experiment with having your aperture wider then you think it needs to be. It will allow your lips more space to come together when you play in the upper register. When you hit the note observe what happened, not what you did to make the note sound.

Whenever you get a new mouthpiece it takes a little while to get used to. I would say play your old mouthpiece until after your audition. You don't want the mental stress of learning new equipment right before an audition. Being confident in your playing will help you make district, not your mouthpiece.

The notes above high D are really close together for your embouchure. If you can prevent your lips from closing off the airstream, you’ll be able to achieve higher notes.

I will agree with you in part. Yes, you must be consistent with working on your high range. What exercises you do and how you approach them will absolutely have an effect on your execution. You can practice something incorrectly everyday, that’s not going to benefit you in the long run.

Learning how to relax can be challenging. Start by figuring out what your highest COMFORTABLE note is. This is important because you want to build on the mindset of not thinking about playing "high notes." Increase your range one 1/2 step at a time, only moving on when your lips are relaxed in your upper register. Relaxation is achieved when we don't try and allow things to flow. Go at your own pace and keep working up a 1/2 step at a time.

You can do it, you just can’t do it yet. Take it one half step at a time. 👍🏾

@@TheChopsShop thank you. Just because you said that I'll try harder than ever. Wish me luck!

Good luck, you can do it. Don’t try too hard, that can work against you. Figure out what is required for the note you’re going for and build from there.

You said the key word, balance. Your primary focus should be you audition material. You don’t want to add anymore more stress to your life by learning something new right now. Once you’re past that point, working on high range 10min a day can do the trick. Do a little bit everyday while trying to increase your range a 1/2 step at a time.

Take it one half step at a time.

Most professional trombonist have a range up to F5. Most music is written up to D-Eb5.

Play melodies in the upper register. Allow the higher notes to be more about singing the melody as opposed to just hitting the note.

The size and shape of your lips should not matter. The way your lips function is what's important. If you feel like you have reached your ceiling range wise, try starting with your lips further apart. The air needs space to get trough to the leadpipe. You don't want your lips to get in the way of that process.

@@TheChopsShop thank you I appreciate the response. I just recorded Bolero trombone solo for an audition and your tips really helped a lot bro✊

Awesome, I’m glad you turned the knowledge into performance. That’s really what it’s all about!

Pressure is the enemy. It’s really about creating a balance between mouthpiece placement and your lips moving forward.

Using your ear really comes into play in that register. The lip position is so close that it's beneficial to not think about it. Keep your airflow consistent. Sometimes we hit the high note and then back off the airstream because we're "there." In order to stay there/centered keep the same air. intensity. Practice your scales up to the highest notes you're comfortable with. Hold the top note for a second or two, then relax. I think this is more beneficial than playing long tones.

The “contact” I’m speaking of really has to do with the distance the air needs to travel. When we play in the upper register, it’s helpful to visualize the airstream moving towards the bell. The faster the air travels, the smaller our aperture becomes. It’s a balance between aperture size and air speed. This is what I envision as the “contact point.” Try thinking about the “ooh” lip formation in the upper register. It helps to keep your lips relaxed and slightly apart when playing in the upper register.

Thank you! I've been watching some of your videos and they are very helpful! I got my degree in music Ed, but spent the last ten years having babies and doing the young mom thing. I'm finally playing again in a local orchestra, and miss having the direction of a teacher as I practice. I will have to keep watching and learning!

@@juliekesler5258 I'm glad to be a part of your journey in learning. Congrats on being able to get back to playing with your local orchestra.

🙏🏾✊🏾

Go for it, I hope it helps!

She is pretty! I’m just happy her personality matches her looks. 😉

@@TheChopsShop Is that a king?

It’s a Shires custom model.

@@TheChopsShop ok nice. Is it .500 bore or bigger?

@@davidwashington9113 it’s actually a triple bore. The slide is .495 and it’s .508 at the bell. I’ll make a video about my gear soon.

The ring of honor.

I've never played with braces so I can't speak first hand on what that feels like. This will help you play with less pressure which is ultimately what we are going for.

I’ve never had braces so I have no experience with the issues they cause. Sorry I don’t have a definite answer for you.

I’m sure there are drones that can be used for the upper register. Of course there is the old school way, 1)play the note on the piano/keyboard 2) sing the note in your head 3) play the note on the instrument. I think being able to feel the overtones by singing can be very helpful as well.

It sounds like the manipulation of the position of your mouthpiece is what’s changing your aperture. Focus on the shape/size of the airstream while allowing your embouchure to manipulate the shape of the aperture. At times, I’ll practice releasing air into the shank of the mouthpiece. Instead of blowing air into the cup, flip the mouthpiece over and release the air into the shank. This will force you to be accurate with the direction of the air without moving the mouthpiece.

Practice playing high notes softly. The louder we play, the more we tend to step on the gas. That usually cause us to use more pressure than required. Find the setup where you can play the notes softly, intensify the airstream from there. Volume comes from the intensity of the airstream, not the quantity of the air. I hope that helps.

Thanks for checking out the video! I play on a custom Greg Black mouthpiece. The size is somewhere around a Bach 11C.

What do you mean by “my trombone ends up shaking? Is the horn rattling or is your arm shaking?

@@TheChopsShop The horn rattles sir

It sounds like you may have an issue with your horn. There should not be anything rattling when you play. Ideally you should feel the metal vibrating in your hand. Take it to your local repairman if possible.

@@TheChopsShop thank you

This question is definitely better left to a medical professional. Your facial anatomy matters in the sense that your embouchure will function slightly different then everyone else’s because we all are different. The muscles in the face still have to function properly so yes a medical surgery could effect that!

@@TheChopsShop What about if you started playing at a very young age? You know? Like it is with gymnastics? Ya HAVE to start at a very young age about 4 years old cuz your bones and muscles are a whole lot softer and flexible for you to do those backflips and summersaults and stuff? Does that logic apply to the muscles in ya face? I started playing the trombone when I was 17. Does mixing ya embouchure with woodwind a brass ruin you ability for the two and the other? I used to play the clarinet but up until ever since I was 23 in Summer 2014, I only ever stuck to the trombone. Yeah! I got a euphonium and a bass trombone with different sized mouthpieces and they’re all interchangeable, thank god! XD

@@TheChopsShop Oh yeah! Obviously, talking about cleft pallet, assuming you were born in a rich country, you’d need that surgery almost straight after being born, gotta be able to eat and drink properly and the results are compromising at best! I used to know somebody who’s missing one of his two front teeth and he can still play the Bb tuba very well and my ex lecturer smokes, he can still play all those woodwind instruments very well too.

Music development is different then gymnastics because in music we develop over a lifetime. Gymnastics usual stops by the age of 30-35. Our embouchure can take on many different nuances and still function properly. Some musicians that develop early, burn out as young adults so the formula is quite different in music when it comes to early development.

The less we think about what we are doing, the easier it is. I’ve had to get back to that childlike mental state when I play.

Many things are possible!

I struggle sometimes with E too. I think the overtones lay a little funny in second position in that register. The Eb and E partial are very close in 2nd position. It's easy for our lips to confuse the two.

Keep working on it, consistency is key.

Give yourself some credit. That was my highest note in my freshman year. My highest note now is Bb with 4 ledger lines, and I am in junior year! Keep up the good work!