Those of you who have worked with me already will know that I am very focused on the quality of your fundamentals. Between now and the Fall you can get ahead by being patient in your practice, ensuring the most beautiful sound possible on EACH AND EVERY note with a minimum of effort (NO FORCE!). Clear clean attack, seamless air in legato, sustain from breath to breath. This is actually more important than just getting (hitting???) notes, because its’ presence guarantees your success, and its’ absence guarantees your failure.
Here are a few basic texts that you must acquire before school starts. A great source is hickeys.com:
Eric Klay/Richard McDonald - Daily Exercises for the Trombone
Edward Kleinhammer/Doug Yeo - Mastering the Trombone
Charlie Vernon - A Singing Approach to the Trombone
Arban's for Trombone, the new Alessi version is great but any version will do.
Max Schlossberg Daily Drills
Blazevich School for Trombone in Clefs and Alto Studies (Kharlamov/Deryugin/Stare) New Edition!
Brad Edwards Lip Slurs
Marstellar Basic Routines
Slama 66 Etudes
Nelson Also Sprach Arnold Jacobs $27
I like you to have a good selection of etudes, lyrical and technical such as Kopprasch, Mueller, Slama, Blazevich, Bitsch, Bozza, Tyrell, Maxted, Bordogni.
Baroque sonatas are vital. All Undergrads need the six sonatas of Galliard in two volumes (edited by Marx, published McGinness and Marx,NY). A great place to start, and good value (cheap!). Of course, similar sonatas by Vivaldi, Marcello, Corelli etc are equally valid. Try to buy them in collections of sonatas, probably for cello or bassoon, that are cheaper than individual sonatas edited for the trombone. Do bring any solos you own as well as duets, trios and 4tets. We will add repertoire once you are here
My colleague, Peter Ellefson, has also provided his list. You may notice some obvious duplication. Please acquire as much required material as you can afford. You may also wish to expand your repertoire, $$$$$'s permitting.
Ellefson Studio Study Materials
Prices approximate. Please visit hickeys.com for latest prices.
Required:
Arban Famous Method $27.95
Blazhevich Clef Studies $8.95
Bordogni/Rochut Melodious Etudes vol. 1 $13.95
Cimera 55 Phrasing Studies (out of print)
Ellefson Scale Pyramid (peterellefson.com)
Ellefson Warm-ups (peterellefson.com)
Marsteller Basic Routines $20
Remington Warm-ups $5.50
Schlossberg Daily Drills and Technical Studies $14.95
Snedecor Lyrical Etudes $7.95
Stevens Scale and Arpeggio Routines $17.95 (miltstevens.com)
Tyrell 40 Progressive Studies $12.95
Vernon Singing Approach to Brass Playing $20
Suggested:
Bitsch Rhythmical Studies $17.65
Blume 36 Studies $9.50
Blokker Oefeningen voor Trombone (out of print)
Bona Rhythmic Articulation $10.95
Bordogni/Rochut Melodious Etudes vol. 2 $13.50
Bordogni/Rochut Melodious Etudes vol. 3 $12.95
Bordogni/Schwartz Vocalises (with CD) vols. 1, 2, 3 price varies as to volume
Bozza 13 Etudes Caprices $17.65
Charlier 32 Etudes de perfectionnement $42.95
Colin Advanced Lip Flexibilities $15
Colley Tune Up System $49 (tuneupsystems,com)
Kopprasch Selected Studies vol. 1 & 2 $7.95, 11.75
Maxted Studies $15 (high register etudes)
Pilafian/Sheridan The Breathing Gym $29
Sauer Orchestral Etudes $15
Duets:
Bach/Miller 2 Part Inventions $15
Blazhevich Concert Duets $12.50
Blume Duets $15.50
Mozart/Powell 11 Duets $12
Ritt Melodious Accompaniment $15 (melodiousaccompaniments.com)
Telemann Canonic Sonatas $12
Telemann/Lawrence/Welcomer Sonatas vol. 1 & 2 $20 each
Texts and Periodicals:
Farkas The Art of Brass Playing $15
Farkas The Art of Musicianship
International Trombone Association Journals
Kleinhammer The Art of Trombone Playing $16.95
Stewart The Legacy of a Master Arnold Jacobs
Stewart The Legacy of a Master Philip Farkas
Wick Trombone Technique
Winding Yoga for Musicians and Other Special People (difficult/expensive to find)
Finally, here are some further texts which I also recommend:
Lafosse 1&2 the old version WITH orchestral studies and French solo rep studies (you can copy this from me when you get to school)
Lafosse school of sightreading
Konrad Bruns 20 Künstler Etuden
Bill Adam Routine (do you ever see him?)
Pichereau 20 studies
William Hill various study books
Benjamin Coy intonation studies for 3 trbs
David Vining Daily Drills
Buddy Baker Trombone Method
Johann Doms various studies
Alfred Jabobs studies for 2,3, and 4 trbs
Michael Mulcahy
Professor of Trombone