Bach chorales are a popular way to warm up a section or ensemble. Bach Chorales Deconstructed presents a set of chorales in solo, duet, trio, and quartet formats for convenient use in a variety of settings. This resource is equally applicable in the lesson studio, the orchestral sectional, and the quartet rehearsal.
In addition, I've transposed 384 of Bach's harmonizations into trombone range and compiled them into A Trombonist's Hymnal, comprised of two volumes offered free of charge.
The average American spends about a half hour each way commuting to work. Musicians, whether members of the freeway philharmonic or simply sitting in traffic waiting to get to the theater downtown, often spend even longer in transit. For many, that time is largely wasted. Obviously one cannot practice while driving, and even score study is not possible. I often recommend keeping a mouthpiece in the car, but that only raises the question of what to practice without the availability of a piano to check pitch or sheet music for structure.
I have created this routine as a solution to the problem of how to increase productivity while driving. The routine consists of a set of thirty exercises to be performed on mouthpiece alone. All the stimuli are aural, so no sheet music is necessary. Simply burn the playlist to a CD or put it on your MP3 player, and buzz along. At the beginning of the first 27 exercises, an example of the pattern is given, and then the accompaniment continues while you buzz the pattern. The last three exercises consist of two Rochut/Bordogni etudes and Guilmant's Morceau Symphonique, included to relieve the monotony of endless drills.
Mouthpiece Routine (45.3 MB)
Intonation Studies for Three Trombones consists of 70 pages of intonation exercises for an orchestral trombone section. This book distinguishes itself from similar resources by helping trombonists learn to work in the environment they most often encounter: performing with each other. Rather than providing a CD for private practice or describing abstract principles, it addresses the issues that orchestral musicians deal with on a daily basis. From the common chord voicings at the beginning to the annotated orchestral excerpts at the end, every exercise is directly applicable to standard orchestral repertoire.
Related to this publication, I have written a short discussion regarding proper tuning of the minor seventh interval.
I think Debussy's lyrical and heartfelt music is a natural match for the trombone's vocal qualities. However, I think it's a critical error to use this repertoire as a vehicle to show off excessive range or technique; the simplicity and beauty of the melodic line must override all other concerns. Here, I have transcribed two of his songs for trombone and piano.
Tommy Dorsey was one of the great practitioners of the trombone solo repertoire. Sadly, too few of us can book a full big band for a solo recital, and must make do with smaller instrumentation. Here, I've arranged his signature "Trombonology" for trombone and piano.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland and Let It Snow in jazz-inspired arrangements for trombone duet add sparkle to holiday gigs that can otherwise too easily become repetitive and boring.
Bernard: Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Styne: Let It Snow
I have also reconstructed Leroy Anderon's iconic Sleigh Ride for brass quartet.
The last two movements ("Baba Yaga" and "The Great Gate of Kiev") of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition are a great showpiece for for double trombone quartet plus an optional (but highly recommended) percussionist.
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
My 0th brass quintet is a three movement work that showcases a quintet's musicianship in a late Classical style.
Tired of Rubank duets? These eight highly sightreadable duets provide a welcome addition to the established repertoire.
