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Can you guys recommend the best books for advanced-beginners (I know, a fine example of an oxymoron) and intermediate students? Particular things that will help them move between mid and high register comfortably? That transitional range between say middle Bb up to F can be challenging for some kids. Any good progressive methods you can think of would be helpful. No ridiculous collections of mindless calisthenics please .

Thanks,
Mike

Rubank series worked great for me. It combines technique and musicianship in a very easy to follow progression, always building upon and reinforcing what you've already learned as you go along. You'll spend less than $30 for all 3 (Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced), including shipping.

Cimera

Not sure if it's still in print, but to me the Earnest Clarke Method is one of the best ever written for a young advancing player. It covers a 2-octave range throughout, but not much more, and progresses through all the keys, starting with a scale then followed by 5-6 pages of fun, progressive etudes for each one.
The only issue may be 7th position B's and E's, which he does not shy away from. I generally skip the sharp keys and go back to them after finishing the flat keys for that reason.

Vining Range songs
LaFosse method
Rochut book 2

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Mon May 24, 2021 8:48 pm Vining Range songs
LaFosse method
Rochut book 2

I think Rochut 2 is a little advanced for a beginner or intermediate player. Rochut 1 is more appropriate. Or even the Reginald Fink Legato Studies.

LaFosse has 4 volumes. The first is probably good. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th take you pretty far into the competency spectrum. Very similar to Arban's. As a beginner - intermediate I played a bunch of the early Arban exercises -- the ones right after the ones that are all open notes.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Mon May 24, 2021 9:12 pm I think Rochut 2 is a little advanced for a beginner or intermediate player. Rochut 1 is more appropriate. Or even the Reginald Fink Legato Studies.

LaFosse has 4 volumes. The first is probably good. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th take you pretty far into the competency spectrum. Very similar to Arban's. As a beginner - intermediate I played a bunch of the early Arban exercises -- the ones right after the ones that are all open notes.

I included Rochut 2 because OP specifically asked about range, and while Rochut 1 does have a bit of a progressive approach to range, it's more pronounced in 2 (plus, a lot of people I think tend to forget that there are more than 1 of these books). If I really wanted to punish OP for the oxymoron, I would have said Rochut 3 .

All of LaFosse together isn't as big as Arbans, so I thought it was safe to just say LaFosse. Plus, I think LaFosse is better than Arbans in a lot of ways. Or at least different, and sometimes in a world that changes as little as trombone, a little variety can keep your interest going.

But while etudes and exercises can be great at pushing technique and range, solos were actually what pushed me to improve the most. You work at something until it is perfect. Along the path of perfecting a specific piece of music, you wind up developing skills that can be applied to all music. Even something as ubiquitous as the David concerto develops a lot of skills. Range being one of them. Insert just about any grade 4+ solo.

Over 30+ years and about 600 students I had success moving students of all ages from beginning to advanced in 2-3 years with this combination:
Breeze Easy volumes I and II
Rubank Intermediate and Fink Studies in Legato
Rubank Advanced I and parts of II

Continuing at the college level (which some students often achieve at a younger age) and beyond, Rochut and selected parts of Arbans and similar books.

Of course, appropriate solos and duets for each ability level.

I would add Ferdinand Sieber's 36 Eight-Measure Vocalises, available here as a free download:

https://kupdf.net/download/sieber-36-ei ... 42153e_pdf

These pieces play like short Rochut/Bordogni etudes, and cover all keys except F#/C#/Cb.

There's also a Sieber book transcribed for trombone by Alan Raph:

https://www.hickeys.com/music/brass/tro ... etudes.php

I use a mixture of books with students of all levels. I have felt that there is not a single book that covers things completely. For example: The Rubank books are fine, but they tend to ignore legato playing and sensitive phrasing. The Rubank books also have a lot of scale-type exercises, which can become stale after a while. The Rochut books are fantastic for legato and phrasing......but, very much out of reach for the level of students that the original poster is concerned about.

I think the Fink Studies in Legato are more appropriate for the level of students being discussed here. I also recommend the First and Second Book of Practical Studies for Trombone by Gerald Bordner. The exercises expand in range very gradually and use a wide variety of expression. When the Practical Studies get rhythmically more complicated, the composer backs off with the high register.....it is a very intelligently written set of books and has a very comprehensive curriculum.......especially in terms of rhythmic vocabulary.

I believe all students should have some type of Lip Slur book in their collection and lip slurs should be part of almost every lesson. The book I use most often is Embouchure Builder by Lowell Little. If you have the students play the lip slurs in Embouchure Builder and repeat the exercises using "1st choice" positions, they really develop a deeper understanding of how the overtone series of a brass instrument works. When my students have mastered most of the Embouchure Builder book, I move them on to Charles Colin's Advanced Lip Flexibilities.......which is probably too advanced for the students that the original poster is concerned about.

Interesting. On Hickey's site they had some preview of books, and Finks #60 is a direct copy of rochut #11.

Fink's books are quite good. He taught for years at Ohio University, so he understood the process of using small building blocks to accumulate skills. It really shows in his books. I use his "Introducing the Tenor Clef" and "Introducing the Alto Clef" books with many of my students.

The Rochut etudes can be difficult to assign to intermediate students because many of the editions do not graduate in terms of range or difficulty. Sometimes I find myself leaping around in the book, trying to find etudes that are most appropriate for the playing level of the student.

I’ve started working with Brad Edwards book “the intermediate trombonist”. Really like how it’s organized and has nice musical exercises