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Playing in tune throughout the 2 and a half octaves on alto

2K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Doggy due 
#1 ·
Hey sotw members! I've been really struggling with getting my high notes to sound good lately. I may just have to put lots of time of long tones on them. I've been trying to add some vibrato and dynamics in volume, and when I do these things, the pitch gets off. I'm looking for some advice/discussion. The notes in particular are from octave A through F#, the first altissimo. If we want to bring in altissimo G and G#, then bonus points haha.
 
#3 ·
Cane or synthetic reeds? Tip opening of the mouthpiece? Plastic,ebonite, or medal mouthpiece?
Most common experience that i have had on that,was that my embouchoure was tightened too much.Try to do a nice warm-up,pause after 20-30 minutes of blowing and have a rest.Then try to blow high E,F,F# without tonguing and i think it's a matter of days to solve this issue.
 
#4 ·
My set up: vandoren 2 greens, sr technologies mp, buffet-crampon student/intermediate model.

I have all sorts of ages of the reed, I tend to go back and forth between old and new.

Really my pitch is generally sharp. I feel like I have to drop my jaw once I hit b, and then compensate by having to blow much harder to get the reed to vibrate.
 
#6 ·
My set up: vandoren 2 greens, sr technologies mp, buffet-crampon student/intermediate model.

I have all sorts of ages of the reed, I tend to go back and forth between old and new.

Really my pitch is generally sharp. I feel like I have to drop my jaw once I hit b, and then compensate by having to blow much harder to get the reed to vibrate.
I don't know the SR technologies mouthpieces --if they are quite open maybe your reeds are not too soft. On the other hand, if your mouthpiece has a tip opening around 0.70 (and a middle of the road facing) I'd say your reeds are too soft and it may be part of the problem.
Dropping your jaw and blowing harder (within reasonable limits) is IMHO what has to be done over the whole range of the instrument --after all it's a wind instrument.

How does the intonation behave (on the higher notes, and also the lower ones) when you gradually change the dynamics from pp to ff ?
 
#5 ·
What brand of horn?

Generally, I'd say you were biting to reach these notes, but some horns don't like certain mouthpieces.
 
#7 ·
Maddenma, it's a buffet-crampon alto.

Alain,
my mp opening is neither small nor large, no idea actually, so maybe I'll figure that out, but it's like of the tiniest mpc's. I've been told that is probably part of the problem, but when I got it, I tried out all the big names of mpc's they carried, and the sr tech is the one I preferred most. It was the least "breathy."
I don't practice much ff dynamics, so I'll get back to you on the intonation by dynamics exercise.

I would really like to get rid of the shrillness of the palm notes and make them much "warmer" or "more round" as well.
 
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