If you’re looking for a way to improve consistency and accuracy in your high range, these 5 exercises will help you reinforce the high notes you’ve already established and create permanent reliability for each note.

While these exercises are considered more advanced, they can be performed by students at any level and can be used to reinforce any note in your range.

Because these drills will push your chops to the limit, they provide an excellent way to challenge your strength and endurance and as your consistency and accuracy improve, you’ll notice that these drills will help you add new high notes to your range more easily as well.

A Review of Trombone High Note Fundamentals

Success in the high range requires three things above all else

• Confidence
• Consistency
• Accuracy

The exercises listed here will focus on reinforcing the high notes we have already developed at a basic level and improve our ability to rely on them in more extreme performance scenarios.

Our goal is to take our high notes from usable to reliable so we can perform confidently in any situation knowing that our high notes will always be something we can count on!

As always, playing every note with ease and a beautiful tone is essential to success.

In this article, you’ll learn

• Vertical Lip Slurs 
• Interval Drills 
• The Octave Jump Drill 
• The Duck Hunt Drill 
• The Long and Loud Drill 
• The Light as Possible Variation 

Vertical Lip Slurs

Emory Remington’s “Security in the High Register” is my favorite vertical lip slur exercise for expanding my high range range. 

It uses vertical leaps through the harmonic series to gently reach the target high note at the softest dynamic possible. This gets me thinking about how to play my high notes in a more gentle and relaxed way.

This exercise also utlizies a very unique element that I love–the silent hold on the top note–to emphasize relaxed control on my target note. This hold asks that I freeze my embouchure and stop, then restart my air, without creating a change in the resulting tone or control of the sound.

Everything about this exercise is centered around producing my high notes with ease, control, and a beautiful sound.

This exercise can be found in The Remington Warm-up Studies by Donald Hunsberger, available for purchase HERE. (Include amazon link)

Interval Drills

Expanding the Interval is my favorite interval drill because of its versatility as a warm-up, ear training tool, and high range exercise.

This exercise challenges my strength and control across increasingly larger intervals, both ascending and descending, by starting with a half step from my starting note and continuing outwards using the same note for home base. 

When I can navigate these large leaps with accuracy and ease, I know I can play anything that comes my way!

This drill can be performed with or without the tongue and each variation presents a unique set of challenges. It can also be started from a variety of places in the harmonic series. 

I typically start on 4th line F or tuning note Bb, but starting higher will carrying me further into the upper register and can be a great way to mix things up as my usable range expands.

The Octave Jump Drill

Also known as “Shooting the Octave,” this drill focuses on octave leaps to my target high note.

This is a great way to test my ability to jump octaves accurately while providing an opportunity to hear my target high note before playing it. 

This drill can be practiced with or without the tongue and each emphasizes different aspects of my technique. 

With the tongue, it is a great way to focus on making accurate leaps across octaves while keeping my articulation light and controlled. 

I never want to use my tongue too aggressively to force a high note to sound.

Without the tongue, it is an excellent octave lip slur exercise that emphasizes air speed and embouchure control. 

I am rarely required to make octave slurs but having the ability to do this improves my ability to slur across small and medium intervals too.

Either way this exercise is sure to challenge any player.

The “Duck Hunt” Drill

Also known as “Target Shooting,” this is my favorite drill for developing reliability and accuracy on each of the high notes in my usable range.

This drill is so simple.

I just count how many times I can play my target high note without missing, then next time, I try to beat that number. It has to be clean, no blemishes, but if I can get to 50 in a row, I know that note is as reliable as it will ever need to be.

I spent tons of time doing this drill in college and it built my range and my confidence simultaneously! 

I also add variety by doing the same thing in alternate positions  and removing the horn from my chops between each note to simulate an intitial attack for my target high note.

I find each variation presents its own challenges and when I can successfully navigate them I am fully prepared for anything.

The “Long and Loud” Drill

This drill pushes my chops to their limit by asking me to play my target high note as loud as possible and hold it for as long as possible. 

It’s brutal, but it pushes me well beyond anything I’ve ever been asked for in performance.

I strive for the best tone quality I can get when doing this drill, but I am trying to overblow the horn too because I want my chops to have to try to hold onto the most extreme air column possible. 

I try to find a balance in the extreme.

I’m careful to listen to my chops on this one so I don’t push myself too hard and split a lip. It’s possible to do when blowing this hard and loud so I do this drill sparingly and with great attention to physical fatigue. 

I want to build my chops up aggressively, not due harm in the process. 

Light as Possible Variations

Here is one final thought on practicing these exercises. 

When I have achieved success, I go back and strive to use less pressure and repeat my results. 

Pressure is common when playing high notes and too much causes all sorts of problems. 

This variation, applied to any high note drill, will help counteract this bad habit and highlight areas where pressure or tension may be evident in my range.

There is a limit to how light I can play before I lose the air seal I need to produce a beautiful tone, but I am consistently surprised at how much lighter I can play and get the same or better results.

Conclusion

With these exercises I’ve given you the second half of my approach to developing the upper register on trombone. 

I really like how these exercises offer new and exciting ways to improve my high range and create reliable and long-lasting results!

For the complete picture of the drills I use to develop and reinforce my high range, check out Part 1 HERE! 

As we wrap things up, understand that although these drills are challenging, they can always be adjusted to fit your current skills. 

Experiment with them to find what works for you. 

Build onto them with higher notes and new variations as each exercise becomes more familiar and see yourself soar into the upper register with confidence and ease!

Above all, have fun and do these daily for the greatest benefit.

You can do this, and with these drills, the challenge will be fun and exciting!