To the Trumpet players out there...

[GMKlenklen]

Has anyone ever tried these...?
http://www.asymmetric-mouthpiece.com/john_lynch.htm
seems interesting to me... possibly worth a try if i can get my hands on one!

[Bemis]

My motto has always been that anything worth doing is worth doing right. Why not just practice and get better range from your own hard work? Not that I've anything against new idea or techniques, but it isn't that hard to increase range.

Edit: If they made a trombone one I would get it though...

[shawger]

A forewarning, I play horn

You must position the mouthpiece approximately "1/3 ON THE TOP LIP AND 2/3 ON THE BOTTOM LIP"

From what I've heard (and I've read the Arban's book), a trumpet embouchure should generally be 1/2 upper lip and 1/2 bottom lip. Horn is generally 2/3 top lip and 1/3 bottom lip.

Unless there is something dramatically wrong with your embouchure, it is generally not a good idea to change it. Changing your embouchure is a very long and difficult process, and unless the change is warrented, not much good will come out of it.

I am wary of people using equipment to even out the inadequacies is their brass playing. Before you start experimenting with mouthpieces and trumpets, try to find out exactly what is wrong with your high range. My guess is that you are increasing tension too much and not using enough air, thus cutting down on your endurance and high range. Brass instruments run on air. Inadequate air means that something will not work properly.

[GMKlenklen]

well, this guy is all about altisimo trumpet playing (like c''') withought sacrifising tone quality. Wich means that for the average note (somewhere below high c) there must be a low enough frequency of your upper lip to produce the sound, warrenting a larger vibrateing mass. My trumpet teacher always had me moveing my lips "up and down, allong a track" when climbing in range. This seems to coincide with what Mr. Lynch is saying in his trumpet theory.

Personally, my problems stem from being relatively self-taught and never haveing broken the "habbit" of trying to litterally squeze higher notes out. That and I don't practace much because of school and other commitments (i'm not a real musician!). I plan on increaceing my strength (wich i find to be quite lacking) on a normal mouthpeice before I start trying other stuff because I figure why try the crazy stuff if I can't play on the stuff that everyone else seems to get to work!

Now for the lip placement, according to the physics that Lynch states, his 2/3 on bottom 1/3 on top would work just fine. But if your going to try some other method for vibrateing your lips that fast, then go right ahead! I'm no expert, but as long as you sound good it's alright with me!