Skip to main content

How to Get Better Range on a Trombone

Any trombone player can increase his range with enough practice. Improving your range requires development of the embouchure, the muscles in the face that control how well you hit the highest and lowest pitches. To play higher, increase the tension in your lips. This requires strength in your jaw and the muscles surrounding your mouth. To play low, relax your embouchure to slow the rate of vibration.

High Range 


Step 1 Play the "F" pitch, which is written on the fourth line of the trombone staff. Then play the following rhythmic pattern with approximately one second per beat: half note, half note and whole note. Then rest for four beats without moving the position of your embouchure. Breathe only through your nose.

Step 2 Perform a pitch a half step higher to play an F sharp. Use the same rhythmic pattern from Step 1, and do not remove the mouthpiece from your face.

Step 3 Continue ascending the chromatic scale until you can't play any higher. Take a 15-minute break and play the exercise again. This time, start a fifth below your highest pitch.

Low Range 


Step 1 Play a B flat, which starts on the second line of the trombone staff. Hold the note for four beats, with each beat lasting about one second. Slur down a minor second and hold that note for four beats, then ascend back to the original pitch and hold for four beats.

Step 2 Perform the same exercise from Step 1. This time, slur down one whole step so that you are slurring from B flat to A flat and then back to B flat. Follow the same whole note pattern, and hold each beat for one second.

Step 3 Continue to slur, each time starting on B flat and adding a half step to each progressive slur. Stop when you hit the lowest note on your trombone.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str
Post a Comment
Read more