Best products from r/Trombone

Along with what everyone else here said, I would like to point out that you're in a vicious cycle.

You don't like to practice because you don't like what you play. But you're not playing other music because you're not practicing. This is a common but shitty loop to be in. And the only way out is by making some sort of change.

Look, we're trombone players. Outside of the jazz/pit scene, our parts are hardly ever really technically challenging, even at the higher level orchestral stuff. Of course, it's not easy. But you'll almost never be expected to play sixteenth notes faster than 120 bpm or play higher than a C5. Rather, challenges will come with breath control, blending, tone. Things that can't be fixed with an hour of practice. And when they aren't technically challenging, they don't jump out as "fun" to you. So, you can go about this two ways.

1. Learn to enjoy what you have. I used to be like you, and despised the common writing for trombone as providers of chordal structure, ostinatos, and hits here and there. Then two things happened in sequence that completely changed my mind. First, I was invited to attend all state as a member of the orchestra. Something I had never done before. I got my one 10 minute song and the other 25 minute song both in tenor clef, second part, with no rhythms faster than an eight note, both probably under 160bpm, and instantly thought I would hate it. I continued to dread it until the first rehearsal, when I played these chords, for the first time, with other in tune brass players. And holy crap is that humbling. The half notes I always hated turned very quickly into the most beautiful sound in the world. Now, I don't mean to rub it in that you haven't attended all state. My intention for saying this is so you can relate to someone who has grown to love the parts that you and I disliked. Before all state, I had never really listened to classical music. After it, I started listening to it a lot. And I started to pay attention to the brass, and realized that my idol instrument the trumpet played very similar parts to the trombonists in a lot of compositions. And that made me feel good. It made me feel important, because everyone hears trumpet and says "what a beautiful/piercing/powerful sound". Not many non-musicians say the same about trombone. But I've come to realize that most complements to trumpets, in classical music, is really a complement for the entire brass section, because it's a beautiful, tight knit family of players, instruments, and minds that create chords that can't be emulated by any other section. This mind set has helped me come to love what we do in wind ensemble every day. Because as technically boring as a part may be, or even if the high school band's intonation is horrendous, I know that played correctly or not, my part connects me to the rest of our friends and family in the brass section, and that is comforting to me because the bond makes each person as important as the rest, even if we just hold half notes. So overall, I think you should try to give listening a shot. Listen to Mahler, Brahms, Rimsky-Korsakov, Bernstein, the list goes on, but essentially people who write great brass parts. Because you won't love what you play if you don't appreciate the trombone. It doesn't even have to be classical though. Listen to big band, jazz combos, musicals, anything really. If you want any suggestions, call me a freak but I actually listen to all this stuff regularly so I can point you in the right direction.
   
   
2. Play what's available, practice what you love. Basically, you have no choice but to play what your band director picks for you. Unless you want to quit trombone, which I hope isn't the case or else I spent 10 minutes writing this for no reason. So, rather than learning to love the easy, low level music that you play in school, deal with it. Then be eager to go home and practice what you enjoy. It sounds like you like technically challenging stuff. I HIGHLY recommend picking up the JB Arban's method for trombone. It's expensive, but it is THE bible for trombonists. Flip to the "scales" section, put the metronome on 80, and see if you can keep up. I have a blast practicing this stuff, because it fast, and fast stuff to me is fun. And I can't do it all. So it gives me a reason to practice. There's really no need for me to bring home band music and practice for the most part, because a lot of it is sight readable. But exercises in the Arban's book are not. Better yet (and cheaper), get a copy of Blue Bells of Scotland or Carnival of Venice (pm me if interested). They're not a cake walk. But believe it or not, they're actually easier than they look since it's a lot of scalar runs, and they are fun as hell to play. But they require practice. Who care's if you'll never play them on stage? If you're having fun playing them for yourself, then it's more than worth it. And if you can play these, you're definitely a great player, regardless of what chair you are in band. If you're into jazz, pick up an Aebersold book. Pop in the CD, and improvise 8 choruses of Cantaloupe Island for beginners. Once you get a bit more experienced, try out the Miles Davis Aebersold book and you'll be playing exactly what the professional jazz players from the 40s through 60s created, played, and loved. The stuff I've suggested is real music. They're not crappy arrangements from 21st century pop loving music majors. They are sophisticated pieces of literature that will challenge you and entertain you if you give them a try. Good luck and I hope you didn't get thrown off by this wall of text
   
   

Looks like you're going to the U of Iowa next year. There are some great jazz trombone people in the state - I recommend looking up Dr. Anthony Williams. He's the trombone professor up at UNI and he is a great Classical/Jazz trombone player. More importantly, he's a great teacher. I graduated the year before he started working at UNI, but I've taken a couple lessons with him and found them well worth the money.

In the meantime, transcribe, transcribe, transcribe! The first solo I have all of my students transcribe is Chris Buckholz's Fat Back. It's a medium swing tune in F minor, the solo remains mostly diatonic and it swings its ass off. Chris has a fantastic time feel, especially for a trombone player.

Finally, start digging into jazz theory. Knowing how to read chord symbols is ESSENTIAL. I recommend learning some basic jazz piano skills, as well as composing your own tunes. Improvisation is nothing more than spontaneous composition. Once I started writing tunes, I became much better at recognizing the sounds I was hearing inside my own head.

Good luck! Have fun in Iowa City! It has a great jazz scene, you will not be hurting for things to see or do in that town.

Play more in public. Volunteer to play at church, or for a nursing home. Perform for your family, your friends, your classmates.

The thing is, performance anxiety and nerves don't just go away. As you get more experience performing, you get more used to them, to the point where I've heard (and read) professionals talking about how nerves are that extra little spark that makes a performance more special than a rehearsal - in other words, their anxiety doesn't disappear, it becomes a part of how they perform.

Now, all that said, there are things you can do to help you cope with the side effects of nerves on your playing. If this is something you're serious about tackling head-on, I highly, highly recommend tracking down either Performance Success or Audition Success by Don Greene. Perhaps see if your local public or college library has a copy or can borrow one via interlibrary loan before buying either one yourself. Two other books I see recommended a lot (that might be easier to find at your local library) are Zen in the Art of Archery and The Inner Game of Tennis, both of which have valuable insights that can be applied to performing. (The is even an adaptation of the latter called The Inner Game of Music, but I don't feel it adds much to the original.)

But yeah, the best thing you can do overall is to find and create more opportunities to play for more people. Force yourself to step outside of your comfort zone often enough, and you'll find it soon becomes comfortable. We've all been there to some extent!

Since you played Euphonium and a bit of Trombone before, is it safe to assume that you can read music (and specifically the Bass Clef)?

I've always liked the 'standard of excellence' beginner method books. You can get all 3 for around $25 from your local music store or online. Having played before you may be able to skip the first one and go right to the second, but it might be a good idea to zip through the first one anyway as a refresher. After that something like the Arbans or Rubank book as well as the Rochut book are good 'intermediate' books.

As for condition - for trombone it's all about the slide. dents in the bell section don't matter at all, they might even add a little character to your sound. Dents in the slide are a big deal. You'll want to clean the horn very well in lukewarm water with just a hint of dish soap, clean the outside well with a clean rag, the inside with a slide snake (you can get these from any music store if you don't have one already), and then lube up the slide well with your favourite product (I like 'Slide-o-Mix', others are fans of Trombotine, please don't use valve oil). The slide should have almost no resistance once it's clean and properly lubricated.

If your slide is dented or out of alignment, a reputable repair shop should be able to sort it out for ~$60-100 (depending on how bad it is). I highly suggest you ask for recommendations from local musicians or the trombone.org boards before getting slide work done though - an unskilled repairman can do more damage than good on a trombone slide.

As other people are saying, listening a lot is obviously really important. But here is a fantastic tool to help you in a slightly more concrete way:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002J6I8M/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This was the book of choice by my jazz professor, who I studied improv with. The most important part about the book is in the middle, where there are a series of increasingly complex chord progressions. It starts with 12 bar blues, and evolves into full charts. And it comes with a CD, which has drums and bass playing those changes. To me, this was the perfect way to practice improvising. Just spend an hour a day playing along with the changes, and you get rapidly better.

The rest of the book is full of common improv vocabulary, with exercises, scales, licks, etc. Study these a bit to get some of the important vocabulary under your belt. But the most important thing is just to listen to solos you like, use them as inspiration, and then practice playing to the changes. Good luck.

Hey, do you have a trombone yet?

Trombone is probably the most straight-forward instrument to learn (except for maybe the voice). My best advice is to practice in front of a mirror. My second best advice is to learn how (and when) to put it down! That might not be so easy if you're coming from a woodwind instrument.

I have some friends who are professional saxophonist/reeds who learned trombone because they also love the instrument. I will be seeing one of them on labour day. I will ask him what he thinks.

This is my favourite book to go back to and practice the basics: http://www.amazon.ca/Studies-Legato-Trombone-Reginald-Fink/dp/0825802458. The preliminary exercises are a great way to benchmark your technique. And the legato studies are a great way to get ready for the Rochut books. You can open the Fink book at any skill level and find something that's worth working on.

You probably already know everything else you need to do to get started. Just put the horn on your face and give it a go!

The ultimate protection case would probably be the tank cases, but they're not all that easy to move. Marcus Bonna has a few, the regular tenor case, the super light case, and the compact case. I believe you can use backpack straps with all of them. Like /u/The_WhiteRhino said, the Eastman cases are also good. And of course ProTec's Contoured case is a favorite from where I'm from, and don't forget their backpack straps either! As you can see, hard cases have a somewhat hefty price tag, but it's worth it for the protection they offer.

No notes, minimal knowledge of music theory, no lessons.... I can't say this is a recipe for success. Can one become a poet without knowledge of words and grammar?

Now, are you willing to increase your skills and abilities in notes and music theory? If you are, I would strongly recommend (if you refuse lessons) to spend the ~$5 on a method book, like standard of excellence. This book, while full of really lame music, will give you foundational skills and information,and you'll learn to read music! Use youtube for interesting and fun things to play.

>The instrument seems pretty simple and highly intuitive, unlike a guitar for example.

Actually, I think the trombone is more like a guitar than any other wind instrument. Kind of like a guitar in reverse and you can only use one string at a time.

I don't want to discourage you from starting, but you seem to want something for nothing here. There's a reason lessons are expensive. This shit's hard, but rewarding. Open your mind to learning to read and a little theory. It's not so bad.

[Yamaha Trombone Slide Lubricant](Yamaha Trombone Cleaning And Care Product (YAC1021P) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049P5U7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZGi1CbCN0PM3Y) is awesome. It works great and you don’t need water. Just apply it. Use the slide to make sure it’s evenly distributed and you’re good to go. I’ve never had to relube it during the same playing session or rehearsal.

I even use it on my beater conn director whose slide needs alignment. Makes me forget to take it in for alignment.

Edit: I only half read your post apparently. Take it to a shop to get the slides aligned.

Rochut - Melodious Etudes book 1
The Rochut is used by many teachers to work on legato articulation and phrasing.
I would also recommend Brad Edwards' excellent BoneZone site. I have his Lip Slurs book, which has great exercises without getting too boring. Looks as if he's added some great titles since I had seen his web site.
[BoneZone books link] (http://www.bonezone.org/_Main/books/books_index.htm#ls)

I also started playing again after a ten or so year break. Couldn't find my old Arban's so I ordered a new version from Amazon.

Although it's not completely beginner and not melodic pieces if that's what you're looking for, it's amazingly pleasant to play through and will definitely get your chops back in shape.

If you're really back at beginner level, I do remember the Rubank Elementary Method series as being quite useful.

I have two. This one. I don’t use this for gigs or anything I just keep my tenor on it in my room.

And this one which I use for everything pretty much


Both are very sturdy and great stands. The Hercules one is weird and kind of annoying to take the trombone off of every time you want to go to play if you’re using it in rehearsals or something. It won’t work with a bass with a finger trigger though because of the way it holds the instrument. The K&M is a good all purpose and reliable stand so I would recommend it like others are doing here.

good question!

I'm not sure. The new tenor version looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-SB5XC-Silent-System-Trombone/dp/B00I141EKC

It doesn't look like it would work. I was blown away, because most practice mutes get squirrely up high. Tried it on a small-bore jazz horn.

Bass is my main axe, and I might look for one in the future.

I do like the older style mutes like Wick. They work well for helping students to open up. Blow like crazy, and try to get a harmon-like rattle out of the mute. Once the mute is removed most players will sound fuller. The downside is the wacky pitch.

>Arban's artistic ideals, his sound musicianship, and invaluable instructive principles were perpetuated in his splendid "Method for the Cornet", which has maintained the very highest position among similar instructive works.

>Its practical superiority, as well as artistic plan, has never been surpassed and as proven by the present new transposed edition, its fundamental pedagogic principles are as adaptable and serviceable for other brass instruments as the one for which it was originally conceived.

Link to amazon page

Three things:

1. Check and make doubly sure that there isn't already a list of repertoire (scales, etudes, solos) that they want to hear for ensemble auditions. In my experience as a student and teacher, the vast majority of schools will have such a list. To find out, I would check your college's school or department of music website. If there is no information there, email the director of bands at your school. Be polite and make it short.
   
   
2. If there truly is no prescribed list of what to play, then I would ask... who did you audition for initially? If it was just your applied professor, maybe contact her/him and ask if you should just repeat Morceau Symphonique. The other members of the faculty may not have heard you yet, in which case there's no need to fix what's not broken!
   
   
3. If you receive absolutely no direction from any faculty and you're just itching to try something new, you cannot go wrong with any Rochut etude from the first half of the book. Except #1. #1 is awkward. If you don't have the book, it's cheap. Here's an Amazon link: Melodious Etudes for Trombone - Book 1. You'll need it at some point anyway.
   
   Good luck!
   
   Edit: Punctuation.

If you have any non-aerosol Pledge or some old timey Pond's cold cream, those could work. Coconut oil is going to be too much. Whatever you try, try just a liiiiittle bit and mist it with water.

Or you could invest $9 and get the best slide product known to science:
https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YAC1021P-Trombone-Slide-Oil/dp/B0049P5U7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487888330&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha+trombone+slide+lubricant

It says "oil" but it's really more like a mix of silicon and soap. Traditional oils are horrid compared to the modern lubricants like Yama-snot, Trombotine, Slide-o-Mix, Rapid Comfort, SuperSlick, etc.

I owned one of the ProTec ProPac cases (https://smile.amazon.com/Protec-Tenor-Trombone-Contoured-Case/dp/B0006JDQR4/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526777912&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=protec%2Bpropac%2Btrombone&th=1). Technically you can fit a trombone stand inside of it but you have to not have the compartment zipped shut which is not so great for the zippers. They also weight quite a bit. But if the extra weight is worth it to carry the stand it might be an option. I'd lean towards the Bonna honestly but I also am not a huge fan of that style of case either.

Worth mentioning: Arbans is great, too! Little more to it, but ya can't go wrong with the guidance of Alessi! Start ya slow, then build up more and more.

Great case. Bought one this spring.

Protec MX306CT Tenor Trombone (F-Trigger or Straight) Case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BAJO4Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Wh5WDb4ZRMJEY

According to the wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones_Plays_Hip_Hits) it looks like they had many people on this album.

Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland, Kai Winding, Melba Liston, Paul Faulise, Quentin "Butter" Jackson, Santo Russo, Thomas Mitchell - trombone

Also, if you go to https://www.amazon.com/Quincy-Jones-Plays-Hip-Hits/dp/B008EDCGRK, the second picture is an image of the back of album sleeve which gives more information about the album and who was playing on it.

It might be a bit dry with the oil but it also seems like the slide itself might have a few kinks. Try either the Yamaha brand (personal favorite) or Slide-O-Mix brand of slide oil.

Yamaha slide oil/lubricant is what you're looking for. It's not actually "oil" like a horn player would think of it - it's kind of viscous and actually contains soap that keeps your slide in excellent shape (especially for beginners and those who don't play too often!). I've been using it on my horns exclusively for almost 5 years, and I'm only on my second bottle. It lasts forever.

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YAC1021P-Trombone-Slide-Oil/dp/B0049P5U7A

Welcome to the instrument.

What you basically need is (obviously) a foundation. This is a warm-up set devised by Toby Oft, principal trombonist of the BSO. It has the dual purpose of fulfilling the desired foundation with long tones and flexibility, as well as being a warmup. Skip or simplify any of the exercises that are too hard for now - if you hammer away at this set day after day, eventually you can just breeze through them.

The next thing you need is a book on technique. I personally prefer the Arban method, but lots of other alternatives exist. The Arban is broken up into subjects: rhythmical, multiple tonguing, flexibility, etc. Take one exercise from several sections (say, five or six) per week.

Finally, choose a piece to work towards. At this level, if you're having trouble finding trombone pieces that are worth working towards, consider playing a cello piece (since the two instruments have similar ranges).

I am not a trombone player, but I have the horn version of this case and it works well for me. It's about $108 Canadian dollars ($85 USD). This case is made by the same brand and costs about 255 CAD, and looks fancier, but you have to buy the backpack straps separately (about 20 CAD).

This 6 1/2 AL on Amazon would be a fine beginner mouthpiece. $35.

https://www.amazon.com/Faxx-Trombone-Mouthpieces-small-shank/dp/B001VO9FNM

That particular Jupiter is what is called a small bore horn and uses a small shank receiver. Bach 5g are available in small shank, but they are a little harder to find as that is a large mouthpiece to use on a small bore horn. You may want to instead consider a Bach 6.5al, which is slightly smaller than the 5G, but still much larger than the 12c. If you want a cheaper version of this mouthpiece look for the Faxx 6.5al. Available many places, but here's one

https://www.amazon.com/Faxx-Trombone-Mouthpieces-small-shank/dp/B001VO9FNM

There are many options available for horns with F attachments. They most commonly come in large bore sizes (so a large shank Bach 5g is actually a nice mouthpiece in this case). However, they can also be found in medium and small bore. The question is how much are you wanting to spend? Have you talked to your band director about it at all?

K&M Trombone Stand (14990.000.55) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OS4RJI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pUT5Cb2AHNJDA

Most long tone exercises come from a book called The Remington Warm-Up Exercises.