Trombone warmup: Get your chops back in business

Duration: 10-12 min.

I made this one to myself to get back on track fast after a holiday break. Getting back in shape is always a bit tiresome. But it doesn’t have to be hard or difficult, as long as you keep focus on the basics such as:

Relaxed airflow. Don’t squeeze the air out, we’re talking airFLOW, right?
Keep the back of your tongue low. Say the word low out loud and feel how the back of your tongue goes down. Keep it down there.
Make it easy for the air to exit your body. If it feels and sounds easy, it is right.
Full, rich, soft, and beautiful sound. Make your horn sing!

This checklist is helpful for all aspects of your trombone playing. But it makes especially good sense to keep it in mind while warming up. This lets you establish good habits for the day (and hopefully for life).

All the best,

Anders Larson,
founder of digitaltrombone.com