TromboneChat

I'm a junior in High School, and I've been playing trombone since 6th grade. I have really bad tone, and pretty bad range, and I just want to get better. The only lead I have so far is that I instinctively move my mouthpiece up on "higher notes", which causes a nasal sound. Ive tried opening my mouth up, but I still sound bad. Any adivce will be greatly appreciated, thank you guys so much!

A lesson with a teacher who can watch what you are doing and correct things will be the best way to improve.

Short of that, there are exercises to help range and tone. The Remington "warmup" exercises (they aren't really warmups) can really help. One is just long tones. You play the long tone and listen, trying different things and seeing what makes the tone better. Another one is called "security in the upper register" and will help you build range upward.

Moving the mouthpiece is sometimes a compensation for some other problem. There are many players who use these shifts, but they have put hours of good practice in and found what works -- in this case a small shift of the mouthpiece to help certain frequencies.

The size of the oral cavity can make notes easier. A large oral cavity tends to help lower notes but often makes upper notes difficult to hit. A smaller oral cavity (caused by arching the tongue) can help higher notes -- provided you have the embouchure strength to hit them in the first place.

Again, a session or two with a teacher can be a godsend.

tboneplayer101 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:21 pm I have really bad tone,

Tongue with "tah" if you aren't already. Not "tu" or "too" or "tuh".

"tah"

"Tah" tends to make a good airway for most normal trombone notes. For higher notes it's more of a "tee". "Tee" makes the arched tongue that Bruce mentioned. "Tah" lowers it, like when the doctor has you say "ah" so he can see past your tongue.

Get a teacher, have lessons and practice correctly, there are no short cuts

Without anyone seeing and hearing you, you will only get generic advice