Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 10:41:31 EST
From: RWSzabo@aol.com
Subject: Re: Effortless lip trills and upper register...

In a message dated 98-02-13 21:47:52 EST, you write:

<< Hi Folks...
 Tonight I'm watching a video of my favorite lead player Scott Englebright,
and  would like to know how he can do a lip trill and or shake at the speed of
light and not move anything and look like it's as natural as looking at the
morning paper!!  Then he'll hit double C's and it looks identical to my
effort on a pedal C!  Jim Manley and Roger Ingram are two others that share that
rare talent and mystery.  They all look bored and in the meantime are just
screamin' !
I've got to take time to thank Jim Manley again because when I bought this
first computer of mine 2 months ago, he helped me arrive at a point through
E- Mail to where I'm now getting double C's, but I call them infant squeaks
because there's not much volume and substance behind them yet....that's for
my next session with Jim which is far overdue!  It's worth a trip to St. Louis
though!  Less air...More Compression!!  Wow Jim you were right!
Did any of you make Jim's Concert tonight?  I would have if I didn't have to
be here for a big gig tomorrow night here in Maine.  If any of you went would
you share the night with the rest of us?  I'm sure it was huge!!  If you
haven't heard Jim, treat yourself....it's like hearing Jon Faddis.  Jim seems
to have no roof over his upper register, and guess what else?  He is the
sweetest most caring and sharing trumpet player I know.  He's a buddy to many
people...a breath of fresh air!!
So anyone want to take a stab at how these "effortless" players do it?  Don't
just say air, I want more than that if you think you know.  An inquiring mind
in Maine wants to know how players like myself with years of incorrect
playing undoes and achieves the new.  Please let me know your suggestions.  Many
thanks....
Brian Nadeau. >>

The lip trills are really a no brainer.  Say "Ta EE"  and on the "EE" push a little more air.  Lip sharp and the notes pop out.  The faster you move your tongue, the faster the trill. Charles Colin Advanced Lip Flexibilities is a great book for developing lip trills and fast slurring.

As far as the upper register goes, each guy has a different way of explaining it, however, the basic concept is the same.

What I do is say "eee" as I ascend pushing more air.  The feeling I get is like blowing through a cardboard tube.  Free flowing air interupted by the tongue.  The raising or lowering of the tongue compresses the airstream. Therefore you actually need less air to play in the upper register.

"Grab" at the mouthpiece with your chops bringing in the corners. The natural tendency is for the corners to spread. By "grabbing" at the mpc, you compensate for the natural spreading. Direct the airstream at the top of the mouthpiece cup (as if blowing the air at your nose). You want to keep the aperture as small as possible in the low register as well as the upper.  By relaxing and tightening the muscles around it. The most common mis-conception is to tighten everything. Then you get a thin, airy sound.

I'm just telling you what works for me.  Each person is different and you have to find what works for you.

As far as the lip trills...I have added an article by Jimmy Maxwell to my web site which explains his concepts of lip trilling.
http://members.aol.com/rwszabo
Click on "Lip Trills".

Rich Szabo
rwszabo@aol.com