Having good flexibility on your brass instrument is fundamental. In basically all music you will play, you will find use for the flexibility skills you worked on in the practise room. Not always the most fancy and exciting work, but someone has to do it – and I´m afraid that someone is you. And me. And all the other brass players out there.
The exercise
Working on control and precision is important, but you should work on speed as well. This exercise really help you speed up your flexibility chops. The pattern I have chosen as example is by no mean my own, but at the other hand it is well known and I doubt that someone will come after me and claim ownership to it! Of course, you can use any pattern you want, but this one is well suited to play in a high tempo.
It´s important to start with a very slow tempo, making sure that you can play the pattern with great precision. Set your metronome at about 60bpm and try the pattern. Then continue by increasing the tempo by 10bpm and play the pattern again. When you get to tempo where you loose control of the exercise, for example at 130bpm, go back to 120bpm and try it again. Then finnish of by trying it at 130bpm again.
The goal with this exercise is to get to the speed where you no longer play every note, but just find a flow, kind of playing a lip trill with a melody. This sensation kicks in around 180bpm.
Tips
Try starting the exercise on 7th position for variation, working your way up to 1st position.
Enjoy!
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You will find this exercise and many others in the book Flexibility for Trombone – 38 pages in print friendly pdf format.
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2 Comments
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hej Anders! fed website. Jeg har lige bestilt 10 trombone etuder. Har du også en en CD el. Mp3 fil med div. rytmgruppe m.v. tilhørende noderne? Du nævner det på sitet? Spændende site for trombonister.
Bedste hilsner
Morten -
Sounds good will give a try
