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High Notes aren't sounding rich

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  gary 
#1 ·
Having some difficulty with the high notes. Low notes are rich and the sound has dimension and breadth. Playing an 'A' with the octave key or higher notes are sounding thin. Kind of dead or thin. Just no richness to the tonal quality. This problem seems to surface and disappear on different days or weeks. Not quite sure what's going on and could use a little help.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
You might to mention what type of horn (alto, tenor, etc) and what mouthpiece opening and reed strength you are using. Your problems might just be due to using a reed that is too soft. Also check and make sure your neck octave key is opening fully, and that it is clean (not plugged or gummed up). Also, there is a tendency to bite down on high notes, so make sure you are not pinching the reed shut. Not much more to add until you supply more details.
 
#3 ·
Hi Mijderf,

Thanks for the response! Riding an Alto with a mouthpiece that's got a .76" (old country would make that a 1.93mm opening) along with a reed strength of 2.5 and sometimes a 3. Nothing special or spectacular. I'll take a look at the octave key. Assuming that it's clean do you think it's just being pinched shut and the embouchure needs work? How does one fix it? Assuming no gear issue, what guidance can you give?

Thanks again!!
 
#4 ·
Well that is the same tip size (.076") and reed strength that I play on alto, so I don't see that to be a problem. I mentioned the neck octave key because that is the octave pip that takes over at A2 and above. So a problem where G2 is fine, but A2 is thin could indicate neck octave issues. On the high notes, make sure you keep your throat open so that you can supply the air needed without trying to squeeze it out.
Do you have another horn (or a friend with a horn) that you can try to play and check whether it is the equipment or you?
 
#7 ·
I mentioned the neck octave key because that is the octave pip that takes over at A2 and above. So a problem where G2 is fine, but A2 is thin could indicate neck octave issues. On the high notes, make sure you keep your throat open so that you can supply the air needed without trying to squeeze it out.
Do you have another horn (or a friend with a horn) that you can try to play and check whether it is the equipment or you?
Octave key is working fine, no leaks. I don't believe i have an equipment issue. I think it's pilot error. Throat's open. I've swapped out reeds too.
 
#5 ·
You could be compensating for reeds that are too old or soft; I just went through a bout of about 5 reeds that were all varying qualities of "too soft" and it was not fun. Is the staccato response on these "thin sounding" reeds too slow? If you press and release the octave key, does the note return to the bottom octave instantly? Those are general signs of over-softness.
 
#10 ·
Yes, room acoustics are a huge factor to what you hear when playing. Have you played many gigs? This is ten times as true when playing gigs in different settings; various venues, indoors, outdoors, different sound systems/monitoring, and so on. Also on a gig, what the audience hears will differ from what you're hearing. It can all be very frustrating but it's something you have to get used to.
 
#12 ·
If it's not equipment, I've found the first couple of pages of Rascher's "Top Tones" very helpful. Read the text carefully.
 
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