Expert: Michelle Kaminski Michelle Kaminski - 1/27/2001

Question
I'm currently a sophmore in a community college (Raritan Valley) where I play mostly piano, a lot of trumpet, and some guitar.  I'm in the college jazz band as a trumpet.  I've been playing trumpet for a little over 4 years and for the past year I've been on my own without lessons.  I was reading on the internet that mouthpieces do not have a function in determining range.  However, I recently bought a Bach 7D mouthpiece for my Holton Intermediate trumpet and I found that I could hit higher notes easier.  My current high note is the infamous high C, and that's on a good night when I've just started playing.  Ok, after all that, here's my question: can you give me any pointers, excercises, web sites, or anything to help me increase my range as well as endurance.  Does the mouthpiece matter?  Is it different per trumpet (I have three trumpets.  2 are intermediate and one is a student model).  Sorry this is so long but I asked another expert and they never got back to me.  Thanks for your time.  :-)

Answer
John,
Sorry that you never heard back from the previous expert! And I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. I've been plagued with morning sickness.
Your question about mouthpieces and range is very common. Hopefully, I can give you a simple and clear answer.
You range is goin to be influenced more by the strength of your embouchure than by the size of the mp. If you switch to a smaller/shallower cup, you will temporarily see an increase in range. However, if you made the switch permanently, you would eventually see a decrease, even below where your range is currently. A smaller mouthpiece will require less strength because there is less lip inside the mouthpiece. Thus the temporary increase in range. Unfortunately, for the very same reason (less embouchure/lip inside the cup), over time, your embouchure would become weaker, and you would lose that temporary edge.

Your best bet is to find one  mp that allows you to play everything well (low range, tone quality, high register, flexibility) and use that for your daily practice. If you need a little help occasionally with range, you can switch mp's on pieces that are in the upper register. Most players will switch to another mp for jazz playing. The smaller mp will give them a brighter sound and possibly better range.

Range will probably not vary greatly from trumpet to trumpet, unless one is really poorly made. This might make it more difficult to play high.

To increase your range, I'd suggest doing a lot of flexibility exercises. This is what I always rely on. They help strengthen the embouchure, and therfore improve many aspects of your playing: flexibility, endurance, tone quality, range, etc.... Another factor determinging range will be the length of your practice. If you continue to practice the same amount, at some point, you will reach a plateau. For example, if you are currently practicing an hour a day, you can't expect that a year from now your range will be significantly different if you are still playing an hour a day. You could make slight improvements by changing what or how you are practicing, but your overall strength would be the same. Range and endurance are related. I also would make sure that you do some playing in your upper register every day. Use common sense. Play as high as you can play comfortably each day - it will vary. And spend 5 to 10 minutes playing in this register. For you, it may be playing exercises that repeatedly approach the top of the staff: F, G, or A. If you are spending a significant time in this register, that will also improve your range - you don't always have to be playing the high C.

I hope this has been helpful.
Michelle