Air Speed Trumpet High Notes Explained

[@andriskrumins6052]

I don't understand how I am supposed to raise the back of my tongue, but rolling my lips in today, taking your advice to "not play on the pink" from your other video, I blew my first G above the staff! I was able to play it clearly, and repeatedly. Thank you for these videos! I love your quote, "Today's squeaks are tomorrow's notes," especially since I also squeaked a Bb above the staff.

[@jltrumpet81]

That is awesome! Keep it up.

[@Zuperdawg]

I stumbled across your channel right as you started consistently uploading these short mini lessons and I hope you know that there are viewers like me that are genuinely thankful for you taking time out of your day to help us.

[@jltrumpet81]

Thank you!!!

[@austinvestal5094]

Thanks man, my double F is getting way more consistent now!

[@jltrumpet81]

That’s awesome! Keep it up. You should post a clip showing what you can do.

[@MrAriskoug]

Thank you very much sir, best high notes explained, helped me rising my playing!

[@jltrumpet81]

Glad I could help!

[@jackfrost127]

At the “sizzle” air, how much back pressure are you feeling? When I try this, it feels like I have to super engage my diaphragm just to force the air though my mouth cavity.

[@jltrumpet81]

It could depend on your equipment setup. I like a more open feeling horn and backbore. It allows me to use more air without so much back pressure.

[@darryljones9208]

@@jltrumpet81 Jack is not referring to the acoustic impedance of the instrument, he is specifically referring to the tremendous amount of resistance that a "hiss" posture adds to the system. And yes, that unnecessary reduction in the flow path requires MUCH more air pressure from the player by exhalation effort. That is to overcome the pressure loss and flow-limits of the "hiss". (Bear in mind that a "hiss" into free air is not necessarily a "hiss" into the aperture and instrument acoustic resistance. Jack is attempting to "hiss" while playing adding a HUGE amount of unnecessary resistance in the flow path. Which reduces the air pressure available to the lip aperture. It destroys efficiency.) BTW jack frost, the diaphragm is a muscle of inhalation.

[@miguelhernandez4693]

Thank you from Venezuela

[@davidbanner7972]

That was Brilliant everything about it Thank You Champ I got it very well done Awsom

[@darryljones9208]

It is a brilliantly confused pile of complete nonsense. We do often move the tongue forward to ascend but it has nothing to do with air "speed". This explanation is purely erroneous by someone who has no clue about the science of air mechanics. Nothing personal. But he is confused.

[@gregellis6353]

Thank you

[@wigwednesdayyyeiudrgsj]

Thankyou so much! finally gonna get that high G :DD

[@jltrumpet81]

That's great! Post a video when you get it.

[@hernanroses]

Gracias!!!

[@landorodenberg4160]

I recommend this video to all fellow bass players

[@jltrumpet81]

Thanks man!

[@CameronJay]

Good work sir, really enjing your perspective.

[@jltrumpet81]

Thank you!

[@darryljones9208]

The loudness of tone is related to power x efficiency. Not air "quantity". Air power input by the player is pressure x flow. Sound output is then pressure x flow x efficiency. Trying to arbitrarily "manufacture" air velocity by narrowing the flow path reduces efficiency. A water hose comparison is erroneous for a number of reason. However, the highest pressure is available at the nozzle is when the flow velocity through the long hose is lowest. Flow velocity causes loss of energy and loss of efficiency. See? And a drastically arched tongue contributes losses and inefficiency as well. Understand?

[@darryljones9208]

At 7:17 you are confusing pressure and flow. "Quantity" is air volume. If you increase the exhalation effort then this increases the air pressure. The flow then depends on the total resistance of the system. The air volume used is then flow x time. (What you call "quantity") The tongue does not add pressure to the air. Neither does it increase "velocity" of the air through the aperture. The velocity is irrelevant to pitch as it can easily be shown that velocity varies with dynamics on a constant pitch. You are doing 2 things during that demonstration to ascend the mouthpiece buzz. 1. Increasing embouchure effort ( lip tension) and 2. Increasing the air pressure by exhalation effort. At least you admit that you are doing 1. But then you are claiming that you are NOT blowing with more effort. Then attempting to claim the tongue increased the pressure. Sorry dude but that is impossible. Trumpet player imaginary mechanics.

[@da11king]

Wow! So you are saying the tongue can't change velocity !? I am confused by the whole tongue concept! I never learned to raise or lower it. I just play while using lips compression and abdomen to go high and loud

[@darryljones9208]

@@da11king correct, the tongue does not increase the flow velocity through the aperture, only increasing blowing effort does that.

[@minecrafttryhard9069]

I'm confused on how to raise my tongue and how to blow faster air without having to use more air. I tried doing it but it doesn't get faster

[@darryljones9208]

You are correct. Raising the tongue does NOT increase the "speed" through the aperture of the air flow. Not that it matters, because it doesn't. Not in regard to pitch that is. The only way to increase the flow velocity is to increase the exhalation action. Which we vary with dynamics.

[@beneditodealmeida5080]

Não estou entendendo nada solte essa fala aí homem?

[@jltrumpet81]

Portuguese? Are you Brazilian? I have a lot of Brazilian friends but I don’t speak Portuguese. I’ve toured down there twice and absolutely loved it there.

[@KleberebelK18]

Basicamente é o que todos falam sobre pressionar a língua contra o céu da boca para comprimir o ar. Porque se vc usar apenas os lábios pra segurar a pressão fica bem mais difícil.

[@darryljones9208]

You are making a pronunced change in the lip aperture tension (which controls the pitch) and trying to attribute the pitch played to "air speed" over the tongue. A pronounced tongue restriction is a HUGE detriment to air flow through the system, air pressure available to the tone, and air velocity through the embouchure . So I do dissagree with your premise. If you hold your aperture posture constant there is nothing that the tongue can do to influence the pitch played. Also, increasing the loudness of a tone requires a pressure increase by increase of exhalation effort. The air FLOW also does increase. Air VOLUME, ( what you are calling " quantity") is flow x time.

[@jltrumpet81]

Yes, it is a balance of all elements combined. I didn't focus a lot in this video on the changes in aperture or embouchure because I was mainly discussing the use of the air. Those will be discussed in other videos. There will be a video at some point where I discuss them all combined. For me personally, the low range is where I have the biggest shift in embouchure and aperture. Well, aperture changes a lot when playing louder versus softer too. I try to minimize changes in embouchure and have the least amount of facial movements when playing between 2nd line G and High C. Anything beyond those notes, for me, will start seeing more physical changes in my face. I always like to stress to keep the movements as minimal as possible so that when you have a large interval you have a prayers chance of achieving it. Again, this will be discussed in another video at some point. And, again, all of the elements have to work together to achieve the end result we all desire to achieve.

[@darryljones9208]

@@jltrumpet81 yes, embouchure efforts increase exponentially with ascending range. The aperture flow resistance increases dramatically as well.. (Which is a detriment to efficiency but necessary). The tongue moves forward due to the way the mouth works. But that also is a detriment to air power. That is why high notes require much more pressure by exhalation effort to play. And no, the tongue does not compress the air or increase the air velocity.

[@olympicfan2]

​@@darryljones9208 The tongue narrows up the air channel and guides the airstream towards the lips, together with compression this fast air meets the lips and creates the high notes. If someone changes their tongue position or exhaling pressure, one can get confused because they all feel it´s happening with their lips (the most sensitive part of the game). Try to keep your tongue the same all the time and just use air compression and embochure muscles to play high, well.. i bet you can´t, unless you squeak it out.

[@darryljones9208]

@@olympicfan2 the state of the embouchure is what determines the pitch. By "compression " I assume you mean air pressure. And I never said the tongue should not move . It moves for most players but is an anatomical coordination with certain lip muscle actions. The mouth's native function is eating, not brass playing. Also, the air does not have to be "guided". It will always flow to the region of lower pressure. Any attempt to "guide" the flow with a drastically narrowing path will simply introduce additional resistance and air power losses. The tongue arch does not "compress" the air. Only increased exhalation action raises the air pressure. When actually playing a tone on the trumpet , the air flow is reasonably low, even more so for high soft tones. It isn't vigorously fast like when "hissing " into the ambient air. When one does that there is no aperture or instrument resistances present. To attempt to "sizzle" or "hiss" in that way while actually playing would seriously REDUCE the air power. The tongue can be reasonably high (required for high lip tension ) without that extreme.

[@MrBochawa]

​@@darryljones9208 I've recognized a disconnect between what I experience as a player and what has been considered common philosophy among brass pedagogues. I discovered the extreme registers of the instrument (both high and low) at a very early age and I recognized that nothing about what I was doing seemed to line up with the theories of tongue arch and blowing the air "faster". As a musician, I'm totally incompetent in physical jargon and mathematics, but from what I'm understanding, the only way to increase the velocity of the air is to increase the pressure differential between the high pressure environment and the low pressure environment, and that an aperture serves only to preserve high pressure to the point of its introduction to the low pressure environment? So, in essence, changing the size of an aperture doesn't change pressure, it only allows a preservation of the pressure that already exists within the high pressure system? I'm not sure I understand how all of this affects the sound, or what elements are correlated with changes in frequency, volume, etc. (and I certainly think that it is irresponsible to think about in the act of making music) but I think most trumpet and brass teachers (myself included) are absolutely terrible at teaching the foundations of brass playing, and are completely lost when it comes to helping students who are struggling. I would love to discuss or learn more about the physical principles of brass playing. Are there any resources you can recommend?