After 25 years of NOT playing, I am playing daily to see how much ability I can recover. Sixteen months ago I started this, and just this week I discovered something delightful. The more time I put into my low register, the easier it is to hit notes in my upper register. Does everyone already know this?
I know my experience is likely not unique, but it is different than the original poster, I have the only way to get upper range is to work at getting there...and after some time it starts to come. When I first picked the horn back up after my long hiatus, I was lucky to be able to play anything above the staff, but with consistent work I'm getting double B flats now on good days with the occasional C or D above that but it seems completely disconnected from any work done in the lower register. Maybe you could speak to that Doug. I am sure my range is nothing exceptional and it would be helpful to expand it even further but I seem to have hit a wall in that regard.
I'm hoping that the Brad Edwards lip slur studies book will help me not only increase my range in both directions, but help make both the lower and upper registers more accurate and secure, as well as build my endurance. Lip slurs are something that I haven't done all that much of in a while. I always found them a bit boring, but I find Brad Edwards' studies to make them more fun. Whatever gets me to do them is a good thing.
Maybe I should mention the obvious, only practise on low range does not help the high range. But practis low and high, (and of course middle range) can for some give a good high range. And low. That said, for some it does not work that way.
Doug Elliott wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 9:45 am
Slurs are definitely a good approach to connect things, but as with everything, it's HOW you do them, not WHETHER you do them that counts.
As for specifics, I need to see what you're already doing to suggest corrections that will help in both directions.
Let's set up another lesson soon then. I'll PM you.
In order to increase high range you have to practice high range correctly. Same with low range. For years I had a great low range because I practiced in that range all the time. But, there was a hard ceiling to my top end. With the help of Doug Elliott, I"m finally breaking through that ceiling! Turns out I was doing so many things wrong. Once I started doing things right, or at least more right, not only did I break through that ceiling but the range I already had got way easier.
So I guess what I'm ultimately saying is that how you do it is most important. If you do it incorrectly (like me) you can do a thousand reps but i'll never get better. If you do it right, there's no guarantee it will get better right away (it might) but at least you'll know you're on the right track.
harrisonreed wrote: Wed Jun 21, 2023 6:18 pm
Yep. Dunno about everyone knowing it, but building a big base to your pyramid means you can build it up really high
After 25 years of NOT playing, I am playing daily to see how much ability I can recover. Sixteen months ago I started this, and just this week I discovered something delightful. The more time I put into my low register, the easier it is to hit notes in my upper register. Does everyone already know this? 
