TromboneChat

Hey all, new member here, and I'm looking for some advice.

I picked up trombone as a secondary instrument about a year ago, and have made progress towards becoming proficient. However, I've been running into a bit of a road block - I'm struggling both with hitting high notes consistently (And I don't mean HIGH high, I mean D4), and with properly translating notes on the page to moving my hand to the correct place.

Obviously these things will come with time, but I was wondering if anyone has some tips or exercises that could help me work through this stuff, as to not just be beating my head against the practice wall. Thanks!

Do you have a trombone teacher? If not then get one.


you could also have a lesson with Doug Elliott (Skype) to make sure your chops are working properly/efficiently

I would suggest finding a teacher for face to face lessons, but that's not always possible. I live in a fairly large area and I haven't been able to find a 'bone teacher at all. So the next best thing is virtual.

In any event, there's no shame in taking lessons (whatever your age or skill) for a few months to get over your developmental hump.

For positions, there is a Remington exercise that works very well. Initially use a tuner to get yourself calibrated.
Play an F in 1st position (whole note at q=60 or so)
Play an E in 2nd position.
Back to F.
Play an Eb in 3rd position
Back to F
Play a D in 4th position
Back to F
Play a Db in 5th position
Back to F
Play a C in 6th position (no cheating with the trigger)
Back to F
Play a B in 7th position (no cheating with the trigger)
Back to F.

You can do the same exercise starting on any other "home" note (Bb, D F, etc.)

A teacher can help with the other stuff

Thanks all, unfortunately I'm not really in a position to hire a teacher right now. I would if I could.

For now I'll just keep working at it.

Scales and scale patterns can seem like work, but are really the best way to get command of the slide and muscle memory those notes. To really solidify stuff, start playing intervals. All this is in the Arbans book, but then I would probably add the Simone Mantia book, and then play something musical to put it all in context. Stuff out of pop song books, real books, hymnals, junk you find on musescore... depending on what styles you plan on playing most.

The bad news is there are no shortcuts. There's no substitute for flight time. You just have to spend the time with the horn, especially with things like developing a high range, which takes a long time and it's 80% physical 20% technique (ratio random).

As for putting the slide in the right spot, I agree that scales are helpful, and are probably the fastest way to getting fluent. But as you can see by searching this forum, there are way more than seven "positions" on the trombone. Every single note has its own position, and indeed multiple positions, so you'll still be doing micro adjustments. You just need big ears, patience, and flight time.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:49 am For positions, there is a Remington exercise that works very well. Initially use a tuner to get yourself calibrated.
Play an F in 1st position (whole note at q=60 or so)
Play an E in 2nd position.
Back to F.
Play an Eb in 3rd position
Back to F
Play a D in 4th position
Back to F
Play a Db in 5th position
Back to F
Play a C in 6th position (no cheating with the trigger)
Back to F
Play a B in 7th position (no cheating with the trigger)
Back to F.

You can do the same exercise starting on any other "home" note (Bb, D F, etc.)

A teacher can help with the other stuff

I suggest also that you repeat notes before moving to the next one. Use your ears to hear if your placement is the same each time you repeat. You're building muscle memory, so the fingers, wrist, arm, chops, tongue, etc., and ultimate your ears all need to know how to navigate from note to note.

--Andy in OKC

Use your ears, yes, but I think if you've been off the horn for a while you need to calibrate them first.

It is easy to hear sharp notes as correct, especially in long positions, but sometimes just for brightness. I would use a tuner for everything for a while. (not in public of course)

timothy42b wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 7:07 am Use your ears, yes, but I think if you've been off the horn for a while you need to calibrate them first.

It is easy to hear sharp notes as correct, especially in long positions, but sometimes just for brightness. I would use a tuner for everything for a while. (not in public of course)

Agreed. Calibrate first. Use the tuner for the first couple of iterations but then close your eyes and repeat.

--Andy in OKC

Playing with a tuner is a great way to check consistency on a trombone. Also: playing with drones, with the understanding that playing in-tune with a drone is distinctly different from using a tuner.

Pipion wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 1:14 am properly translating notes on the page to moving my hand to the correct place.

Concerning this, yes - scales and scale-based exercises are a traditional way to practice this. But I think it may be just as useful to force yourself into novel ways you have to find notes, like sight-reading or playing along to recordings that you're not familiar with.

AndrewMeronek wrote: ↑Sat Aug 26, 2023 7:53 am Concerning this, yes - scales and scale-based exercises are a traditional way to practice this. But I think it may be just as useful to force yourself into novel ways you have to find notes, like sight-reading or playing along to recordings that you're not familiar with.

Yeah, scales and sight reading have been the most helpful for me so far. If nothing else, I'm glad to hear from everyone that I've been doing the right thing so far in just practicing, even if there aren't any specific exercises for what I need to work on.