Playing higher exponentially

[PiccoloTrombonist1]

I’ve been working on my range recently (lip slurs, lip bends, falsetones, and just playing high) and finally was able to hit a Bb4. After playing it for a few times to get used to how it sounded, I tried playing the next partial (C5 I believe) and somehow was able to play it. This leads me to my question: as you play higher, is it easier to hit the note above what your playing? Ex. is the jump from Bb2 to Bb3 harder than the jump between Bb4 and Bb5?

Not sure if I described it clearly so sorry if this post doesn’t really make sense

[WilliamLang]

In my experience it's been somewhat the opposite. Playing near the end of my range, the last few years I've only gained about a major second on the high side, and I've noticed that while working up there, each new half-step of progress took a little longer than the last one.

But just relax, have fun, work on a good sound in the those registers, and let the adaptation happen over time. There's no rush to play super high, and you're middle (and middle-high/middle-low) registers will carry the day musically most of the time.

[harrisonreed]

I agree with William. Range is relatively easy to build up to F5, and then it becomes exponentially more difficult to play above it. Bb5 is the absolute limit for me on tenor, I have to bridge up to it, and it speaks for about a second, whereas F5 is a note that I can play solidly as an entrance most of the time, and is guaranteed if I bridge up to it from C5 or thereabouts.

There are people who can play way higher, but that's my personal limit for meaningful returns on time invested. I don't see a need to work exponentially harder for notes that, honestly, aren't really nice to listen to coming out of a trombone. If you need a solid Bb5 (or higher) as a composer in your piece, write it for a trumpet.

[tbdana]

This.

I agree with William. Range is relatively easy to build up to F5, and then it becomes exponentially more difficult to play above it. Bb5 is the absolute limit for me on tenor, I have to bridge up to it, and it speaks for about a second, whereas F5 is a note that I can play solidly as an entrance most of the time, and is guaranteed if I bridge up to it from C5 or thereabouts.

There are people who can play way higher, but that's my personal limit for meaningful returns on time invested. I don't see a need to work exponentially harder for notes that, honestly, aren't really nice to listen to coming out of a trombone. If you need a solid Bb5 (or higher) as a composer in your piece, write it for a trumpet.

And this.

In my experience it's been somewhat the opposite. Playing near the end of my range, the last few years I've only gained about a major second on the high side, and I've noticed that while working up there, each new half-step of progress took a little longer than the last one.

But just relax, have fun, work on a good sound in the those registers, and let the adaptation happen over time. There's no rush to play super high, and you're middle (and middle-high/middle-low) registers will carry the day musically most of the time.

You'll be working on that octave between Bb4 and Bb5, and each note gets progressively more difficult to master. It takes a lot of time and patience to get that full octave, and the notes at the top of it aren't very useful.

However, it's good to have because it expands your "middle" register. Like, if your top note is Bb4, that's hard to get. But if your top note is Bb5, then Bb4 is a breeze. Practice at the edge of your limits, but perform in your center. Stretching the limits stretches your center, making more range reliably available to you. But it's hard as frick to get those very high notes. Worth it, though.