Going from good caller to great caller

[chow hound]

I have really tried to up my game over the last year and have bought some custom calls and have really focused on getting better at calling.  I have good control of volume and sound pretty good on all the basic calls, but just don't feel like I have the same striker control to allow me to make all the subtle tones that the "great" callers can make.  Any tips or instructional videos you experts have found helpful, or is it just practice, practice, practice.

One issue I feel like I have is that the further I go into a caller sequence, the more my hand tenses up.

[callmakerman]

Not sure what type of call your talking about but one of the best pot call DVD's is put out by Cody calls.  Bill Zering really can run a pot call and you will learn a thing or two from the video.

[FL-Boss]

If your end result is to kill more turkeys..  I would first focus on learning more and polishing your basic turkey hunting skills.  Calling is only a small part of it ,  generally your basic calls and tactics will work just fine 95% of the time.

Now if you just want to be a better caller for fun/hobby.. figure out what type of call you can run best ( box, pot, mouth) and go from there..

[Bowguy]

Great advice already. If you go further into a calling sequence n your hand tightens up, you're prob tightening up. The girl I'm seeing can attest I sit on the couch running calls sometimes and almost fall asleep. You need to be that calm.
Take parts of the calls, such as tree yelps, fly downs and practice just one of em. Than combine them.  If the cackle seems hard, start doing it real slow, in the correct note seperation just slow, once you get that slightly pick up speed.
Say you wanna do cluck n purr. Just do some clucks, than purrs , combine em, throw in a yelp or two. Do it calmly n than wait just like you're really calling.
Don't stress yourself. Ever hear real bad calling? It often ain't uncle Joe it's the hen on the hill. She ain't worried bout perfection.
Name of the game is realism and we all strive for it, lots of the guys on here do stuff better than the real thing,  more important is using the right calls or (not calling),at the right time while you're in the right place.

[West Augusta]

Going from a good to a great caller has more to do with knowing when to call and when not to call.  When to call loud and when to call soft.  The gobblers will teach you that.  Keep doing what you are doing and have fun.

[TRKYHTR]

If you are looking for instructional videos on friction calls look up Sadler McGraws videos on youtube. They are exceptional and can make any caller better.

Joe

[boatpaddle]

Practice calling, while listening to LIVE turkeys, such as found on Youtube...

     Try using different thumb pressure on your striker to change tones...

     Relax.....

[Thundermtn]

Rest your playing hand on the call and try not to run big long sequences. Turkeys don't have hardly any calls that go more the 5 seconds other than a lost yelp. Experiment with the shapes your strikers make and with different angles, make yourself play things you normally don't and listen for what adds realism or complexity.

Above all listen to real hens in the woods where you live. They have the tone and pitch you need to emulate. From there the gobblers will show you the rest. Spring season is short, and even if you do get a bird early stay out there and learn. Every day you can interact with a tom is another notch up the ladder of what, where, why, and when on how a bird will respond and the different ways they'll respond according to what point in the season it is.

[MS]

A few pointers that work well for me:

1.  Learn where to hold the call.  Gripping a call around its middle will deaden the sound some, as will gripping it tightly.  Sometimes you want a muted sound, but if you want to get loud and/or get a higher pitch, grip the call with your fingertips and try to grip it at the base.

2.  Learn how to condition a call and your strikers.  There're some good youtube videos on this.

3.  Learn about wood grain direction and its effects on call sound.  Kinda hard to explain in words, but a call is generally higher pitched if you're striking it where the grain is running parallel to your the front of your body.

4.  Obtain and try lots of different strikers with each call.  I seldom end up using the striker(s) that came with a call. 

5.  If you're sitting against a tree with your knees raised, placing the bottom rim of the call against your kneecap will raise the volume and sometimes help with rollover -- your kneecap acts as a resonator. 

6.  Learn what I call the "going away" call.  That's where you start louder and fade/drop the volume in the final notes.  This gives the impression of a live hen either walking away or turning as she's calling.