Ask a trumpet player if he would rather play the lead part of Thad Jones´ ballad To You twice in a row, or have a sex change surgery! This tune is a great example on demanding static playing – lots of long, soft notes and few breaks to relax the lips.
When practicing a brass instrument, I make the distinction between static and dynamic exercises. Static exercices are based on long notes and slow legato lines with the lips constantly vibrating. This slowly build up lactic acid in the muscles controlling the lips, and make them stiff and numb. Dynamic exercices at the other hand, are built up around shorter notes, variation, staccato phrases and more space between the notes.
So why is this important to keep in mind? Well, static exercices are really good for building up strength and endurance. This is what helps your lips run a trombone marathon without falling off. The dynamic exercises make your chops more flexible, explosive and allows you to easily move from low to high range. Focusing too much on only one of the categories is not good, and you should make sure that your practice routines consists of both kinds.
Examples of static exercises:
- Long notes
- Slow legato etudes
- Repetitive exercises in the same range
- Buzzing (in most cases)
Examples of dynamic exercises:
- Flexibility
- Scales
- Staccato playing
- Doodle-tounging
Need inspiration for some dynamic/static exercises? Take a look here, and make sure that you get a good mix!
Static exercises:
KICK STARTING LIPS AND AIR FLOW
TROMBONE HIGH RANGE GLISSANDO
TROMBONE CRESCENDO WITH FULL CONTROL
TRIAD INVERSIONS TROMBONE WORK OUT
MOUTHPIECE WARMUP
Dynamic exercises:
TROMBONE FLEXIBILITY WITH PEDAL TONES
MAJ7 AND MAJ7#5 PATTERNS IN JAZZ IMPROVISATION
TROMBONE DOODLE TONGUING
LIP TRILLS FOR BRASS INSTRUMENTS
FLEXIBILITY – WORKING ON SPEED
THE ALTERED SCALE IN ALL KEYS
I which you a pleasant day in the practice room!
