You are likely holding your breath or squeezing your throat. Keep your throat open as if yawning, and ensure your exhalation is completely free.
Online forums like Trumpet Herald are filled with decades of debate and discussion comparing Irons to other giants like Brandt, Clarke, Bai Lin, and Colin. One user notes that "Irons is a wonderful collection of flexibility (lip slur) exercises with some multiple tonguing stuff at the end. The flexibility studies are progressive, and each section contains notes on approach and performance".
You stop pressing the mouthpiece against your lips to hit high notes. irons flexibility trumpet pdf
He spent the next three hours in Practice Room 4B, a windowless cell that smelled of valve oil and old carpet. He worked through the first few "Groups," focusing on what Earl Irons called "flexibility." It wasn't about strength or squeezing; it was about the subtle dance of the tongue and the steady stream of air.
The beauty of this structure is its logical progression. The difficulty increments slowly but surely, allowing players to master the fundamental concept of moving the air across note changes before tackling patterns that move through multiple partials. You are likely holding your breath or squeezing your throat
If you would like, I can suggest other, similar, trumpet studies to complement the Irons method, or provide specific, daily, 15-minute, warm-up routines. Irons 27 Groups of Exercises PDF - Scribd
Avoid closing your throat to force high notes up. Keep your neck relaxed and open. One user notes that "Irons is a wonderful
Relying on mouthpiece pressure to change notes destroys endurance and bruises lip tissue. Flexibility training forces you to use air rather than physical force. Anatomy of the Advanced Lip Flexibility Routine
Do not use excessive pressure. If the slur doesn't speak, check your air speed, not your grip.
: Students are advised not to move beyond the first few pages until they can play the exercises in a single breath at a very slow tempo.
Start slow. Ensure that each note speaks clearly and is in tune.