Trombone Start up

69 Pages·2016·16.47 MB·English

by  By Rūdolfs Kulbergs

Trombone
Start up
For beginners

By Rūdolfs Kulbergs
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2
How to use the exercises? ............................................................................................................................. 3
Breathing exercises ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Mouthpiece buzzing ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Long tones .................................................................................................................................................... 7
Scales .......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Arpeggios .................................................................................................................................................... 29
Natural slurs ................................................................................................................................................ 49
Harmonic Workout ..................................................................................................................................... 57
Scale-canon exercise ................................................................................................................................... 61
Songs........................................................................................................................................................... 64

1
Introduction

Dear student, teacher, enthusiast- I happily introduce you to my new book. Its a system
for beginner who just simply wants to learn how to play the trombone, therefore, I have collected
most simple exercises, to make it easy and develop healthy playing.
The exercises collected in this book are based on developement of simple principles- tone
quality, good pitch, and correct slide technique. They can be used both- as warm up routines,
and as daily practice material.

2
How to use the exercises?

The exercises collected in this book are the basics of western music- scales and
arpeggios, and the simple exercises like long tones and natural trombone slurs. These are the
basic things we should include in our daily practice, no matter- if you are a student or a
professional. Playing simple things with the best quality every single time is an essential for
succesful brass playing.

Tips on using this book:
• Practice in duets for student and teacher- student plays the exercise while teacher plays
the second part. (These parts can also be swapped between the players)
• Practice with CD backing tracks which are provided with this book.
• When practicing week- to- week or day-to-day make sure you choose the same scale, an
arpeggio from next section and a simple song from the songs section in the same key as
exercises. This will make you learn the scales properly in much faster time! Have fun!
• Always select the exercises in the range that is playable.
• The trombone slide position numbers are provided on top of the notes.

Example of daily practice routine:
1. Breathing exercise
2. Long tones
3. Scale (C major- the scales are changed weekly, or when one exercise learned
properly)
4. Arpeggio (the same key as in the scale practiced before)
5. Song (preferably in same key as the scales and arpeggios)

3
Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are the essential in brass players daily routine. Make sure you always
start your practice with these exercises.
Tips:
• Breath with open throat cavity
• Use constant flow (same airspeed till the end of exercise)
• Think of syllable „o” when breathing
• Have a good, tall and relaxed posture when breathing

Here are some simple exercises for breathing:
1. Breathing exercise:
Use metronome for this exercise- 1 beat equals 60bpm
Inhale over 4 beats Exhale over 4 beats
3 beats 4 beats
2 beats 4 beats
1 beat 4 beats

Variation of this exercise:
Inhale over 4 beats Exhale over 4 beats
4 beats 3 beats
4 beats 2 beats
4 beats 1 beat

4
2. Breathing exercise with trombone:
Exhale trough the horn, and take a full breath between each „note”.
No buzzing, only constant air movement (constant airspeed)!!!

5
Mouthpiece buzzing

Mouthpiece buzzing is also one of the essentials of simple and dilligent practice, it helps
to develop better sense of pitch and connect the image of sound with the actual facial muscles
used to produce the sound. Buzz the mouthpiece after breathing exercises and before playing
anything on trombone. Use piano or drone as a reference for pitch.
Tips:
• Whenever you practice this exercise, make sure to use lots of air and stay relaxed
• Form the lips in the shape of „o” inside the mouthpiece, but keep the corners fixed
• Buzz in tune and in the center of the pitch
• Produce great and vibrant sound

6
Long tones

Long tones is the most simple exercise on trombone, but its also demanding in several
aspects: you need to use a lot of air when playing them, be in tune and keep the same air speed
till the end of the note.
Long tones played on daily basis help to develop good breath control, stability of pitch on
trombone, attacks of the notes and they help to develop a good , timbred sound on trombone.
In this section are three exercises for long tones, they are accompanied by backing tracks, which
will help you to stabilize the pitch and timing as well as help you to develop clear attacks in
different registers.
Always start with first exercise as the starting point. Develop your range trough Long tones 2
and 3 exercises later on. Trombone slide position numbers are provided on top of each note.
Tips:
• Practice sound and pitch
• Good attacks and timing
• Use lots of air
• Play good sound, stop when it starts to sound bad or the notes are not reachable.

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