Recently I have had a difficult time getting my G above high C to speak. For several days I have warmed up as usual but when I reached the G, it was not there. After a few days, I realized that note was not on the cornet. Even though I am not required to play that high in my daily routine, I wanted to solve the problem; and I did.
G above high C, although it requires more effort than it did when I was younger, was my goal and it was not happening on the cornet. I could get it on my trumpets but the cornet for some reason was not my friend.
In the past two days, the problem was solved. A change in fingering for that note made all the difference. The open G was replaced by G first and third valves which brought back that elusive note.
Many times, the higher partials are easier on a longer tube which in this case made the note easier to come out. By increasing the length of the instrument (adding the tubing of the first valve slide and the extra tubing of the third valve slide) the longer instrument produced the desired note because of the added partials from the increased length.
Knowing this adjustment may be of help to you if you are faced with a similar situation. If your high note is difficult to play or impossible to play as in the case of my cornet, try an alternate fingering until you get the feel of the note and then return to conventional fingering.
