Fake High C

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Fake High C

Howdy everyone. I learned this trick from Dr. Gavin at SFA, but IT'S JUST FOR FUN. Not for performance! On an H179 if you play a 3rd space C and then press (only) the 1st valve down about half way (you must test this), the note will pop up to a High C. It's kinda fun I guess, and I just remembered it today. There's no need to increase air support or change of embochoure (<--how do you spell that?!). Anyways, have fun. Ciao!

Megan

I don't recommend this. For starters, it only works if your valves are leaky, and it exacerbates the problem....However, you are right, it is kinda fun!! :-) I would rather recommend breathing in Helium and "talking". It's not as damaging to the horn....;-)

Barbara L. Benson

Just wanted to let you know that it is a depressed first valve that creates the fake high-C (at least on a Conn 8D).

John Schreckengost

It works well on brand new 179s, and it can be done on a Conn 28D with valves overhauled by Lawson. Don't believe it would exacerbate the problem.

Stephen J. Krogh

Leaky valves are not a prerequisite (since you are going to turn them half way until they leak as much as they pass) nor is any particularly horn wrap (theoretically, practically some will do it better than others).

It is instead simply predicted by physics - high C is the lowest pitch at which the 1st valve slide is exactly one wavelength long. At 3d space C it's 1/2 wavelength long, so the sound going through the slide and the sound skipping it (due to the half-turned rotor) are exactly out of phase and cancel each other out. Whenever you play a 3rd space C you walso play the high C weakly, so if you remove the 3rd space C what's left is a weaker high C (and some other notes higher and weaker still).

Chris

Hi Barb,

When you do the little valve thing on a Conn 8D you get both 8ve and a double high c. Also if you use a little quick vibrato you get what we used to term.... the Lucas Foss effect.... i.e. a broken bed spring.

When he was music director here in the BPO we used to do so much contemporary music that we all learned to do wonderful things on the horn.

Oh, it might interest you to know that I cannot do that on my Alex.

Milton Kicklighter

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