Single Core Notes

A great way to play better and easier is to play in the center of each note, a single core! Playing above or below the center keeps you from using all the overtones possible for your sound, you don't resonate the entire overtone series and loose quality. It's fight the pipe time when you play out of center, so much easier on the chops to go from the center of one note right to the center of the next. Listening loud to what's coming from the bell, really knowing what this sounds like is key...and it's so much easier to play with power, not force.
You can hear an awful lot if you just listen...!

Relax-Project-Listen

I write this on my students warm ups, Clarke Studies, Schlossberg, whatever! The idea is simple...RELAX on the inhale...PROJECT the sound out and away from you, high notes are not higher just farther out....LISTEN carefully to the result...that last being THE most important aspect of practicing..so..RELAX-PROJECT-LISTEN....see how you like it!

Roar Softly!

In a lesson with Uan Rasey he had me play some Clarke Studies in the high register and I was doing my usual gun-it-out-power- up sound when he stopped me and said, "Roar Softly!"...wow, changed how I approached high register practice!! Work the high register by owning each note softly first, with great tone, then add power later!!
Thanks Uan!