Greg – isn’t ‘AUH’ shape, at least in its fundamental form is a kind of Maggio type? Doing ‘AUH’ extends the lips forward a little, however it’s probably not an extreme pucker associated with the original Maggio setting – ‘the monkey lips’.
I just read an interview with you taken off ‘The Brass Herald, July 2014, Issue 54.’ and in the text you say…[Read more]

John – no worries, all is well.
If I never figure out how to play trumpet well it doesn’t matter much. There are other problems in our lives and there are other more accessible musical instruments to use for one’s musical expression.
After all as King Solomon’s ring was displaying: “Everything passes. This too shall pass.”…

Sorry for my talking too much. Maybe I’m just letting off steam.

Playing in the apartment house is a big part of the problem. I’m more often than not aware of my neighbors when preparing to play the next note.

I’m actually lucky – my neighbors will at most give me a funny look.
In this country it’s not uncommon to turn on a loud speaker system…[Read more]

Thank you Greg for taking time to address that concern of mine as well.
I must admit it’s quite difficult to take a step back while developing new mental approach to trumpet playing.
Here most of us live in the apartment houses and while playing scales with some mistakes withing limited range can be a temporary shelter, playing long tones and…[Read more]

John – I did a lot of structured experimentation as you call it and nothing helped so far.

I played loud, I played soft. I played with a pucker, I played with a smile. I pushed from below, I played fast air, I played slow air, I raised my tongue, I lowered my tongue, I played with ‘taa’, ‘tuu’, ‘tee’, ‘too’, etc.
I pressed the MP hard into my…[Read more]

Steve – what’s your point of knowing “what exactly to do” ?
– I know what to do exactly but like yourself I’ve been limited to the top of the staff for 10 years.
– Yes! – I can’t play above G on top of the staff, that’s my “cut-off” range.
– I’ve been doing singing Cs for couple weeks now and guess what? – I now get nice full sound up to middle C…[Read more]

I understand the concept, get the feel of it just right but I can’t play above the staff nevertheless. I don’t know what’s the reason for my failure but it seems to me it’s not the way I play but rather some features of my physical setup that don’t allow me to play higher notes. The middle of my aperture just stops vibrating at higher…[Read more]

>> I’m realizing more and more how relaxed I can play.

Good for you John! 😉
I actually realize more and more how I can’t improve with any possible method and probably destined to crawl for ever below the top of the staff. 🙂

There are mistakes that I can’t edit any longer due to this forum engine set-up:
– “…work right and as a result got some meNtal stress.”
– “…or otherwise it caN be easily dealt with.”
(b’s and n’s are next to each other on the keyboard, sorry). Possibly something else…

A little more of random thoughts.
– When I start the “Largo session” I “set up” my Low C with closed eyes, taking Big BCH-breath and starting to release the air into the mouthpiece with more or less loose ‘Uuuuh’-shape.
In the beginning the Low C might not even speak correctly. After maybe 5 to 10 breaths like that I find the correct ‘Uhhh’- shape…[Read more]

I’m doing Largo exercises. I’ve finished my first week of doing nothing but them.
What I find and what I feel:
– I can play Singing C’s just fine but overtones (4ths and a 5th on C) often are very faint. Sometimes they don’t speak. Sometimes they open up for some reason. Sometimes I feel a slight kick from the belly to active them and then I tell…[Read more]

Today I realized why I can’t do the Largo Status exercises as intended – with the ‘Beautiful’ sound:
– Obviously I can’t find the pitch center of notes other than maybe for the Low C.
– I can’t find optimal airflow. “Passive Release” just seems to be easy. It is NOT. If uncontrolled and not coordinated with the embouchure (SHAPE?) it doesn’t add…[Read more]

Small correction to the above (edit time expired):
Instead of: “I was able to reach notes above the middle C with just the same feel I played them in the middle C vicinity.”
it should be: “I was able to reach notes above the middle C with just the same feel I played them in the Low C vicinity.”

After a good break I found ONE more interesting thing today – and that is a BIG surprise. I have to be very careful now!
So, what I found: I decided to run all the Major scales in the ‘ CLOSED EYES + BCH + “SAGGY EMBOUCHURE” ‘ mode but only up to in the staff E, that’s actually normally is already quite stressful for me.

Now, my own a little…[Read more]

Back to studies after a weekend break.

What I find wrong with myself when doing Largo Status RESULT oriented exercises.
– After doing Largo Singing C’s for an hour (with breaks of course!) I feel some tired feeling around my mouth (nothing new for me here).
– After a break when continuing with Largo Status (long tones, slurred steps, chromatics)…[Read more]

John – there is lots of sense in what you say. I even came up with some idea after giving harmonic slurs more thought.
If nothing else they could probably serve as a measure of one’s capabilities to navigate the instrument range effortlessly or otherwise.
I now for instance understand that my limited range is not just that but it’s an indication…[Read more]

John – I’ve already seen your posts (also in response to my ‘Big Quesion…’ thread) where you confessed that you had similar problems to what I have now, that is inability to play above the staff.
You see! – Here you say you could actually get those notes speaking.
What worries me is that I never had any success at finding them above the staff. I…[Read more]

Nevertheless, I think it doesn’t hurt to know what to do exactly to promote good slurring technique and not solely rely on the method that should indirectly improve the slurs. I mean it’s in a way put up side down. Aren’t we doing slurs to improve our playing abilities?

I understand from Greg’s Largo stage material that slurs should only be…[Read more]