AltoTrombone
by MichaelLake
Excerpts for any trombone
Alto Trombone Savvy excerpts for any trombone
1
Copyright © 2017 by Michael Lake
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2017
ISBN 978-0-9824218-4-0
Redlake LLC
Cave Creek, AZ
2
Introduction
This short excerpt from Alto Trombone Savvy is meant as a fun and worthwhile collection of music for practicing.
It’s not easy to get an in-tune trombone quartet together that plays whenever you feel like playing. Nor is at easy
to possess interesting, modern background tracks with which to practice sight reading, intonation, rhythm and
improvisation.
All those are contained within this portion of the full book. As explained on the following page, the Bach chorals,
Wee Small Hours and Rochut music and audio files have been created for playing whichever part you wish to play.
For playing the third part on Bach chorale #50, for example, play the audio file that omits the third part which is
named “Bach #50 No Third”. Any individual part within the book you wish to play can be accessed through the
Soundcloud playlist explained on the following page.
The music within the “Rhythm Savvy” chapter can be used for many purposes. It was originally developed as a
means of strengthening one’s sense of time and rhythm through modeling the recorded trombone lines. But this
music can also serve as sight reading exercises, intonation practice and even improvisation over static harmonies.
Whatever use you may have for any of this, I hope it provides you with a new and fun means to practice trombone.
Michael Lake
Cave Creek, AZ
January 21, 2017
1
Accessing and utilizing the audio files
Over fifty audio files are available to you as examples and accompaniments throughout this book. They are
organized as a Soundcloud playlist and can be accessed through the URL: www.bit.ly/altobonesavvy.
Each time a soundfile is available, you will see the music icon followed by the name of the file. For example:
œ œ
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Bach 50 full”
In the above example, you would go to the soundcloud playlist at bit.ly/altobonesavvy and then select the file called
“Bach 50 full” within the playlist. By the way, the full URL is: https://soundcloud.com/mlake/sets/alto-trombonesavvy-audio. I shortened the link to make it easier for you to get to the playlist of files.
I purposefully chose not to place these audio files on a disk within the book because I wanted to prevent the cost
of the book from significantly increasing. I also felt that in a certain way, digital files accessible on-line was more
convenient. CDs are becoming more and more a relic of yesterday’s technology.
That said, I know this will inconvenience some of you. If you lack an internet connection that feeds a sound
system, perhaps find a fast connection and download into a folder some or all of the files. Then feed them through
your sound system which could be everything from a state-of-the-art sound system to an iPhone. Upon selecting
a sound file on the Soundcloud playlist, click to the right of the file and select Download from the dropdown
options.
One last tip concerning the Soundcloud playlist: Since there is no way currently to disable the autoplay feature
within a Soundcloud playlist, I have inserted a file of silence at the top of the playlist so that you’re not hit every
time with the first track. It will get annoying after hearing it every time you go to the playlist. Someday, perhaps
Soundcloud will fix that and I can remove this silent audio file.
The very bottom of the Playlist page displays some controls for going to the track start, play/pause on current track
and next track. There is also a cycle link that will repeat the current track if you want to keep cycling the track. A
good application for that would be to cycle the tracks Strings for Gliss Warmups or Dreams of tomorrow as you take
your time warming up on the written exercises or improvise ones of your own making. Those types of tracks also
make for great intonation play-along exercises.
And hit the space bar for start and stop.
2
The audio files used within this book are as follows:
1. Silence Playlist Autostart
28. Wee Small Hours Four Part No Third
2. Dreams of Tomorrow
29. Wee Small Hours Four Part No Fourth
3. Life is a Game
30. Vibrato Examples
4. String for Gliss Warm-ups
31. String Accompaniment with Trombone Line
5. Nova Discovery For Warmup Glisses
32. String Accompaniment for Rhythm Exercise
6. Intonation Exercise - Holding Tones
33. Jazz Rhythm Exercise with Recorded Trombone Line
7. Bach #50 Full
34. Jazz Rhythm Exercise Rhythm Only
8. Bach #50 No First
35. Off Beat Bass Rhythm
9. Bach #50 No Second
36. Dream Repair with Recorded Trombone Line
10. Bach #50 No Third
37. Dream Repair Rhythm Only
11. Bach #50 No Fourth
38. Metro Crystals with Recorded Trombone Line
12. Bach #107 Full
39. Metro Crystals Rhythm Only
13. Bach #107 No First
40. Harp March with Recorded Trombone Line
14. Bach #107 No Second
41. Harp March Rhythm Only
15. Bach #107 No Third
42. String Bounce with Recorded Trombone Line
16. Bach #107 No Fourth
43. String Bounce Rhythm Only
17. Bach #154 Full
44. Jungle Dance with Recorded Trombone Line
18. Bach #154 No First
45. Jungle Dance Rhythm Only
19. Bach #154 No Second
46. Three Feel Flexibility Track
20. Bach #154 No Third
47. Rhythm Flexibility Track
21. Bach #154 No Fourth
48. Creative Slide Demo
22. Rochut #1 Both Parts
49. Walkin Blues
23. Rochut #1 Melody
50. Now’s The Time Rhythm
24. Rochut #1 Counter Melody
51. Trading On Blues
25. Wee Small Hours Four Part
52. Held Blues Chords
26. Wee Small Hours Four Part No First
27. Wee Small Hours Four Part No Second
3
6. Intonation savvy
A solid centered in-tune pitch is a big part of a great sound on alto trombone or any wind instrument.
Some say that the alto is more difficult to play in tune but I think it depends on the horn (and player). Pitch is not
just a matter of slide position, but also of ear.
There are two systems of tuning. When you play with a piano or guitar for example, you are playing equal
temperament, meaning each note is one fixed pitch regardless of harmonic context. When you are playing with
your trombone choir or brass quintet, you are tuning to more of a perfect tuning called just intonation where
the various intervals are more perfect and based on mathematical relationships. The piano and guitar cannot
accommodate just intonation because of their fixed tuning.
Here is an exercise to help you find the pitch within a chord. For each eight bar
repeated phrase, hold one note that falls within each of the eight chords.
I recorded the chords from a synthesizer under equal temperament, so once you
find the pitch, you should be good throughout the four bars. The trick, however,
is to find the pitch and remain in tune throughout the four bars. These chords
are not meant to be cool progressions with a clear tonal center, but rather a
sequence of chords chosen for the placement of the held tone. Keep in mind
that your note completes each chord.
Someone once remarked
to Pablo Casals at how
accurately he landed on
the correct pitch of notes.
“No”, he replied. “I simply
adjust quickly.”
The first chord is the root so that you can more quickly locate the proper pitch.
The sixth position F and seventh position E may be more difficult if you are starting out on alto. By hearing the
various placements of the single note, your ear will get better at directing your arm to the right place on the alto slide.
Think about what part of the chord you are on. Can you hear it? Alternate between octaves as an additional challenge.
This a also good warm-up exercise.
œ œ
4
?
? 44
?4
4
C
wwCC
?
? w
?
F
Fw
Fw
?
? w
?
G
G
? Gw
? ww
?
E
E
bb
b
bbww
bw
bb
b
ww
w
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Intonation Exercise - Holding
Tones”
E
A
C min7
F7
E
A
C min7
F7
min7
E
A
C min7
F7
F
wFFw
w
b
E bmaj7
Ewbmaj7
maj7
Ewmaj7
w
b
B b9
B b9
Bw 9
w
w
#
F #7
F 7
b
Eb
Ewb
Ew
bbww
bw
w
b
Bb
Bwb
Bw
w
b
Eb
Eb
Ew
w
w
C maj7
C maj7
maj7
b
ww
w
D bmaj7
Dwbmaj7
maj7
Dwmaj7
w
G7
G7
ww
G7
w
C7
C7
wC7
w
w
D9
D9
E maj7
E maj7
maj7
E#maj7
w
#w
#w
b
Ab
wwAA b
w
b
D bmaj7
Dwbmaj7
maj7
Dwmaj7
w
b
D b‹
D b‹
Dw
w‹
w
w
F maj7
F maj7
Gõ
Gõ
Gõ
w
w
w
Añ
#Añ
Añ
#ww
#w
#w
A¢
A¢
A¢
#w
Cñ
Cñ
Cñ
w
Bï
Bï
ww
Bï
D7
D7
ww
D7
#w
#w
w
w
w
w
Eï
Eï
ww
Eï
Bö
Bö
##ww
Bö
Aõ
Aõ
ww
Aõ
A7
A7
A7
w
E min7
E min7
min7
E min7
w
A bmaj7
A bmaj7
maj7
Awmaj7
w
w
w
b
#w
w
w
w
w
b
w
w
Continued on the next page 5
B b‹
B ‹
D min7
D min7
A min7
A min7
4
?
? www
?
www
www
www
www
EEE
FFF#777
##
C
maj7
CCmaj7
maj7
D9
D9
D9
FFFmaj7
maj7
maj7
BBB
G
maj7
GGmaj7
maj7
#
C
CC 777
FFF
BBBb
?
? www
?
?
? www
?
?
? www
?
www
www
bb
www
www
##
www
bb
b
D
DD
www
www
##
FFF#sus
sus
sus
www
www
F‹
F‹
F‹
G7
G7
G7
www
www
B›
B›
B›
###www
www
bb
BBBb‹
‹
‹
www
bb
bbbwww
AAAbmin7
min7
min7
bb
AAAbmaj7
maj7
maj7
www
As a warm-up exercise, this will have the effect of centering you on the alto
slide placement. Yes, you can always use a strobe or single note (drone), but
especially for jazz players, I believe that hearing the note’s place within various
chords is far better.
The tuning slide
Some trombone players have their tuning slides very far extended. I haven’t
©© an overly extended
done any detailed research on this, but from my experience,
©
tuning slide may not be ideal. It could be due to several things:
•
A mouthpiece shank inserted too far into the lead pipe
•
A poorly built horn
•
Playing too tight - not relaxed
•
A habit of thinking that’s where it belongs while not realizing that you are
perpetually playing flat.
Remember that as a trombone player, you are basically playing a glorified
tuning slide. Good pitch is our superpower, right? I believe that one of the
hidden results of good pitch is a more pleasing tone. When your tone is
centered, you just sound better.
Every horn has a sweet spot where the tuning slide is ideally positioned. There is
no one place for the tuning slide. I do suggest, however, that if yours is extended
most of its length, listen to the consistency of your pitches as you go up and down
the various partials. Also, push it in and see if you hear a difference in tone. Push
it all the way in. Does the horn feel more centered? Less centered?
You may have difficulty hearing your own pitch. Have you ever experienced
playing the tuning note in your ensemble, and subconsciously lipping the pitch
up or down to match it? Catch yourself doing that, and instead, play a centered
note regardless of its intonation. Hear where it falls relative to the tuning note
and make the adjustment. Play your tuning note by slightly glissing up to it
rather than hitting it hard and dead-on. And realize that as you warm up, your
pitch center will change. Go ahead and adjust accordingly.
www
D
min7
DDmin7
min7
www
bb
bbbwww
BBBbï
ï
ï
##
FFF#maj7
maj7
maj7
www
www
AAAmin7
min7
min7
www
bb
EEEbõ
õ
õ
www
C
min7
CCmin7
min7
www
How well do you listen
to yourself?
Resist the temptation to
simply run through the
next few pieces of music
then move on.
These intonation
exercises are deceptively
hard. The notes are not
difficult but playing them
in tune is.
We all possess a capacity
to believe we’re playing
better than we actually
are, so listening back to
recordings is the only
objective way to accurately
evaluate your playing.
The quality of the
recording doesn’t matter so
use your iPhone or small
digital recorder. Position it
so that you hear a balance
between the recording and
your playing.
Listen to the recording
and be honest about what
you can improve.
5
Here is Bach Chorale # 50 “In allen meinen Taten”. This is mostly in F major and goes up to high C only a few times.
There are five recorded renditions: One with all four alto trombones and the other four containing only three of the
parts, giving you an opportunity to play whichever part you wish with the other three. Perform the parts listening for
your pitch-perfect place within the three other parts. Without a piano, synthesizer or other fixed pitch instrument,
more of a just intonation makes for more perfect intervals and chordal intonation. Can you hear the difference?
œ œ
In allen meinen Thaten
JS Bach
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Bach #50 full”, “Bach #50 no first”, “Bach #50 no second”,
“Bach #50 no third”, “Bach #50 no fourth”
œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Uœ
œ œ œ œ œ U̇. œ
œ
œ
œ
?b 4
4
œ ˙ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œœ
˙ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U̇
?b
JS Bach
Trombone 1
In allen meinen Thaten
7
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ U̇. œ
nœ
?b 4
4
Trombone 2
?b
In allen
meinen Thaten
œ #Uœ n œ œ œ
U
œ œ œ œ œ
JS Bach
U̇
œ
œ
œ œ œ œ nœ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
U̇.
œ œ œ œ . œ œ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ Uœ œ œ œ
œ
?b 4
œ
œ
œ œ
J
4
Trombone 3
?b
Uœ œ
œ œ œ œœ
In
allen
Uœ
œ
œ œ meinen
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œThaten
œ
œ
œ œ œœœ œœ
œ
œ œ
Trombone 4
œ
œ . œJSU̇Bach
J
U
U
? b 4 œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ Uœ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
4
œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙. #œ
J
U
U
œ
œ
U
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œ œ
? b œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
œœ œœœ œ œ
˙
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œ
˙
Trombone 4
7
©
6
Here’s one more Bach Chorale. This is the first stanza of Herzlich lieb hab ich deich, o Herr, translated means, I Love
You Dearly O Lord. It is Chorale # 107. I transposed it down a fourth to put into trombone range.
œ œ
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Bach #107 full”, “Bach #107 no first”, “Bach #107 no second”,
“Bach #107 no third”, “Bach #107 no fourth”
Trombone 1
? bb 4
? bb
4
œ
œ
œ
? bb 4
œ
? bb 4
œ
Trombone 2
4
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ
œ œ œ
œ
Trombone 3
4
˙
Trombone 4
? bb œ
œ
..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ
œ
œ
˙
U
œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
œ œ
U̇.
œ
U̇.
..
U
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ
œ œ œ bœ
œ œ œ œ
? bb œ
œ bœ
? bb 4 œ
4
˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
? b
b
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ œ
œ
œ
nœ
˙
U̇.
œœœœ œ œ U
œ œ
œ œ
˙
U
˙.
..
..
7
©
This last Chorale is the most challenging. With its syncopation and sharp 11 passing tones, I’d say Bach would have
made a heck of a jazz alto trombone player! Here is Der du bist drei in Einigkeit or Chorale # 154.
œ œ
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Bach #154 full”, “Bach #154 no first”, “Bach #154 no second”,
“Bach #154 no third”, “Bach #154 no fourth”
?# 4
Trombone 1
?#
4
œ
œ
?# 4
Trombone 2
?#
œ
4
œ
œ œ nœ œ
œ
œ
œ n œ Uœ œ
œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ
J
nœ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ Uœ œ
œ œ nœ œ
œ
œ œ œ Uœ œ
œ nœ
œ
œ œ Uœ œ
œ œ Uœ
œ œ Uœ n œ
œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ
J
œ . œ #Uœ œ n œ œ œ œ # œ œ n œ œ
J
J
œ œ œ Uœ
Uœ œ œ
œ
U
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œœ œ œ œ
4
œ
? # nœ
œ œ nœ
4
Trombone 3
?#
œ bœ œ
Uœ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
U
œ
U
U
? # 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ nœ #œ œ
4
œ
œ
U
U
œ
nœ œ œ œ œ
? # œ #œ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
Trombone 4
©
8
Now that you are all tuned up, let’s play some Rochut. Play Rochut #1 with an the accompanying second part on page 10.
Tom Ervin, retired professor of trombone for the University of Arizona, wrote a wonderful book containing harmony
parts to the first 20 Rochut etudes. With his kind permission, here is his counterpart to Rochut #1. Play with a friend
or with the recording. I have recorded three files: one with both parts played, one with only the counter line and one
with the original melody.
œ œ
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Rochut #1 Both Parts”, “Rochut #1 Countermelody”, “Rochut #1Melody”,
Twenty Counterparts
Melodious
Etudes
Book
One for trombone
Andante ( q»§º )
Duet accompanimentsBook
to the Bordogni-Rochut
One
“Melodious Etudes For Trombone” #1-20
œ œœ œœ ˙ œ .
œ.
œ
œ
œ
œ
No.1 ? 3 ‰ ?œ 3# œ‰ n œ œ œ
œ œ œ
No.1
4
4
p
p
˙ ? ‰ œ œ œœ œ #œœ œ œ˙
˙
?
œ
œ œ œ œ
a tempo
? ‰
a tempo
j
œ
œ.
˙
bœ
ritard - - - -
œ
œ bœ
. , œ
œ
œ
œ
b
œ
œ
œ
œ
? ‰ J
œ œ œj
J
œ
œ.
#
œ
œ œ
œ œ œ
˙
œ œ
œ
œ # œœ . n œ œ œ
œ. , œ œ œ
œ
œ
#œ œ œ œ
? ‰ J
œ Jœ
œ œ œ #œ.
œ ˙
?
#œ
œ œœ .
œ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
?
? ‰. œ J
bœ
œ J.
,
œ
˙
˙.
˙
Œ
Œ
œ
œ
Œ
Œ
˙.
œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œœ œ ˙ œ
.
œ œ
J
Tom Ervin
œ œ
œ œ. œ ˙
œ
œ
‰ œ #œ. œ ˙
œ
#
‰ J œ ritard - - - -
œ œ œ
? ‰
˙ ˙.
œœ
J
œ
Tom Ervin
J
bœ.
bœ
J
cresc.
cresc.
p
˙
œ
.
œ .
œ
,
œ
œ
b
œ
N
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ?# œœ bnœœ œ œ # œ
# œ n œ n œ œ œ . Jb œ# œ œ œ œœ œ
œ .b Jœ œN œ œ
œ
J J
J
? ‰ J J
cresc.
F
f
dim.
j
p
œ œ.
œ. œ ˙
œ ˙
œ
.
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
œ ,
, b?œ œ b œ œ
œœ
Œ
‰
Jœ ˙ , Œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
bœ
Nœ #œ œ
œ
œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
?
Rochut Etude No. 1 from Melodious
by Marco Bordogni and Joannes Rochut
p Etudes for Trombone
F
f
Copyright © 1928 by Carl Fischer, Inc. Copyright renewed.
All rights assigned to Carl Fischer, LLC. All rights reserved. Used with(sust.)
permission.
œ b œ n œ œ #?œ œ 3œ b œ n œ
œœ œ
œ œ œ œ .. œ ˙
dim.
9
Twenty Counterparts
Book One
Andante ( q»§º )
Duet accompaniments to the Bordogni-Rochut
“Melodious Etudes For Trombone” #1-20
No.1 ? 3 ‰ œ # œ n œ œ œ
œ œ œ
4
p
œ œ #œ
˙
˙
?
œ œ
œ
œ.
‰ Jœ # œ œ # œ .
Tom Ervin
˙
œ
J
œ ˙
ritard - - - -
œ. , œ
œ œ
J
œ
œ bœ
œ #œ nœ œ œ
? ‰ J
œ , œ
œ œ .
J
œ œ #œ œ
œ œ
˙
œ bœ œ œ œ œ
˙.
œ œ
.
? œ
œ
J
œ œ œ.
bœ
J
œ œ
œ
œ
? ‰ J œ bœ œ œ
a tempo
,
œ œ
Œ
œ
œ
Œ
,
œ #œ nœ œ œ #œ
œ. œ œ œ #œ nœ nœ œ œ. bœ œ œ
œ
J
J
? ‰ J
p
,
,
œ ˙ , œ
bœ bœ œ bœ œ œ Nœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ
œ
œ
œ œ œ œ
?
F
f (sust.)
dim.
- œ .. œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
œ bœ nœ
œ œ œ
œ
œ
#
œ
œ
b
œ
n
œ
œ
œ
.
?
J
J
œ
Œ
Œ ‰ J#œ
p
© 1992 by Tom Ervin
©1992 by Tom Ervin
10
One more intonation exercise. This is a four part harmony on the ballad In the Wee Small Hours. Unlike the Bach
chorale and the Rochut, this tuning is equal temperament. You’ll be playing with a piano, bass and string section so
the notes and intervals are fixed and therefore, not perfect (theoretically) like the a capella chorale and duet. Each of
the four parts are provided as are rhythm tracks containing the full piece, and four versions each missing one part.
œ œ
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Wee Small Hours - four part”, “Wee Small Hours - four part no first”, “Wee Small Hours four part no second”, “Wee Small Hours - four part no third”, Wee Small Hours - four part no fourth”
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12
8. Rhythm savvy
“Rhythm is sound in
motion. It is related
to the pulse, the
heartbeat, the way we
breathe. It rises and
falls. It takes us into
ourselves; it takes us
out of ourselves.”
- Edward Hirsch
Trombone
Trombone
Tbn.
Tbn.
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b
A good sense of rhythm is critical to playing music well on any trombone. In jazz
improvisation, I would go so far as to claim that rhythm is more important than
the right notes or accurate pitch. As a jazz player, your time is as responsible for
maintaining the groove as is the rhythm section. Regardless of the music you play,
the quality of your performance is connected to your sense of time and rhythm.
The size of the alto provides a different experience of rhythm. If you are a lifelong
tenor player, the shorter distance and slightly quicker response of the alto will likely
make it easier to stay in time. Less prone to dragging perhaps?
How do you practice and improve your sense of rhythm and time? You can play
scales, etudes, musical parts and patterns along with a metronome. There are lots of
good metronome phone apps. You can play exercises like this using the steady beat
of the metronome which will strengthen your tonguing while improving your time.
44 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ33 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ33 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙
4
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b
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œœœœœ œ œœœœ œ œ œœœœœœœœœ œ
˙
˙
Ó
Ó
Ó
Ó
One
4 way to practice the above exercise is to give yourself a beat only on beat one of each measure as you loop three
or six bar phrases. How well can you hit beat one of each bar?
But mechanical exercises like this get boring and they only go so far in building your reflexive sense of rhythm that
is critical to a musical performance. Your goal is not to turn into a metronome but rather to develop a stronger
innate sense of musical time. One way to improve your musical sense of time is to play musical phrases over an
evolving rhythm. Here are a few such exercises for you.
The following pages contain interesting and in some cases, fairly complex rhythms over which you can play the
melodies written for each. As stated earlier, the goal of these exercises is not to turn you into a metronome because
perfectly hitting the major beats or subdivisions is less important than playing a consistent musical groove befitting
the style of music you are performing–doing so without dragging or rushing. (Not that trombones ever drag!)
For each rhythmic song, I recorded on alto trombone the written line as a model. You are certainly free to abandon
the model in favor of a rhythmic pace that you prefer over the song tracks. Regardless, as you listen back to the
recording of your performance, listen for a consistent pace throughout. If you record yourself while playing with
the recorded trombone line, judge how accurately you match my pace note for note and phrase for phrase.
Listen within each song for the varying proximity to the beat I am playing. For example, I am much closer to the
beat on the classically-oriented Rhythm Exercise Over Strings than I am on the more laid-back Rhythm Exercise
Over Jazz Piano/Bass (see page 16). And, by the way, I am NOT holding myself up as a model of classical trombone
technique. I am simply providing you with a rhythmically consistent rendition of the melody.
Feel free also to vary the articulations in order to reproduce what you feel is a musical flow to the melodies. What
I played felt natural to me but it is certainly not the only way to play these phrases. You are also not locked into the
notes written on these pages. Feel free to improvise your own melodies and listen back to the recordings for how
consistently you aligned yourself to the beat and feel of the rhythmic background.
13
The rhythm backgrounds for Rhythm Exercise over Strings and Rhythm Exercise Over Jazz Piano/Bass should
challenge you because they evolve and become progressively more sparse.
Rhythm Exercise over Strings begins with a beat on quarter notes, then on beats 1 and 3, then only on beat 1 of
each measure. The identical sequence begins again mid-way through. Play the music on page 15 with the audio file
background. The idea is to match the tempo of the strings. You have neither a conductor nor any visual clues from other
players–only your ears to anticipate the beat! And unlike a metronome, the beat also serves to guide your intonation.
Rhythm Exercise Over Jazz Piano/Bass is a similar idea, but it’s jazz. The music is on page 16. Again, the background beat
becomes more sparse and, therefore more difficult to play. It ends with 16 bars of offbeat bass quarter notes. I liked that
groove so much I created a separate file of just the offbeat bass for practice once the fuller rhythm beat becomes (or is)
too easy. See music file “Off beat Bass Rhythm”. If you can maintain a musical flow and groove over the offbeat bass alone,
you have a good sense of time. For both of these, is your playing consistent or does it sound a bit like the stretching and
compressing of a slinky as you wander a bit throughout the beat? Are you recording this?
You can probably hear the contrast between the placement of my notes within the beats of the strings rhythm and the
jazz rhythm. As mentioned above, the jazz notes are behind the beat much more than the classically-oriented strings
melody–as is idiomatically appropriate. Take a look at the following wave file graphics to see just how much of a delay
there is in the jazz notes. It is between 35 and 50 milliseconds between the beat and the attack of the note. The vertical
white line is the downbeat of the rhythm.
Trombone notes in the
Rhythm Exercise Over Strings
The attack is on the beat
Trombone notes in the
Rhythm Exercise Over Jazz
The attack is behind the beat
The remaining five rhythmic backgrounds are static. At a certain point, these exercises and melody lines will become
predictable and start to fall into the beat through repetition. At that point, begin playing on another staff or start in
the middle of a staff. Each staff maintains the same key and rhythm so vary your start. Start on beat 2 or 4. Challenge
yourself to keep a consistent groove regardless of the feel of the background cycle.
Record your performances along with the background and listen back to it ruthlessly as if it was your student. Become
comfortable listening to recordings of your playing. Your dislike of the process could be a sign that you need to record
yourself more. Sorry! It’s very easy to fall into the trap as we play of thinking we’re in perfect time. Recordings don’t lie.
Read the sidebar on page 5 about listening to yourself.
14
Rhythm exercise over strings
œ œ
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “String Accompaniment for Rhythm Exercise”
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bit.ly/altobonesavvy “String Accompaniment for Rhythm Exercise with Recorded Trombone Line”
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bit.ly/altobook “Jazz Rhythm Exercise Rhythm Only” and “Off Beat Bass Rhythm”
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bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Jazz Rhythm Exercise with Recorded Trombone Line” (Michael Lake playing the
trombone line with the rhythm track)
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b 4
Trombone
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Rhythm exercise over jazz piano/bass
37
16
Here are some rhythm exercises with contemporary backdrops - more in the style of The Electrik Project at www.
altobone.com. I’ve created some rhythms that aren’t quite as intuitive as the previous strings and jazz section. They
become progressively more complex four-bar lines to be played over their associated rhythm tracks. Listen first to
the rhythm in order to feel the beat. Perhaps start by singing the rhythm if playing it prooves too difficult at first.
If you are a jazz player, improvise over these unique backdrops after playing the written lines. After all, the point of
these exercises is to strengthen your rhythmic sense for the real world of playing music.
œ œ
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Trombone
Tbn.
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Dream Repair
bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Dream Repair with recorded trombone line” (Michael Lake playing the trombone
line with the rhythm track)
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b 4
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bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Dream Repair rhythm only”
31
17
Jungle Dance
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bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Jungle Dance Rhythm Only”
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bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Jungle Danc with Recorded Trombone Line” (Michael Lake playing the trombone
line with the rhythm track)
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18
Trombone
Playing over chord changes
I remember very clearly my struggle in high school trying to learn how to play melodies over chords. There are
only a limited number of notes in any given chord, I reasoned, so how are these musicians playing so many notes
and using them all to make really cool music?
The answer I desperately needed to hear goes something like this: You can play any note over any chord. Some will
sound better than others, but they all have a role and that role depends on context. Scales correspond to chords. All
seven notes within the key of the C major scale work on a C Maj 7 chord. The seven notes within G major work well
also if you’re aware of the color of the F#. Focus on creating melodies that sound good within the chordal context of
the tune. Melodies can be built on much more than the handful of notes constructing the chord.
Thinking in terms of scales, however, is limiting. Scales provide you with a predictable collection of relatively
“safe” notes but they also can provide you with a false sense that you are playing music over changes when in fact
you really are just playing scales. The same goes for patterns. Knowing your major, minor and modal scales is an
invaluable tool for practicing your trombone and for gaining some tonal familiarity with jazz changes. To play jazz
well, however, your goal is to focus on creating melodic phrases rather than running scales and patterns.
For more on this, read my blog post at http://www.altobone.com/learning-to-improvise-jazz-on-trombone/
Consider this four bar phrase played over a C7. Conventional wisdom says you should play a C mixolydian scale/
F major scale starting on C. There are four notes below, however, not found on either of those scales. What gives?
?b 4
4
Note of
the chord:
C7
#œ œ #œ œ
#11
#9
bœ œ œ œ
b9
Œ œ
œ ˙.
œ bœ œ œ
œ
œ
J
Œ
‰
b13
Again, context is crucial. These four seemingly odd notes work because of the specific role they perform. Notice
that the F# and D# both lead a half step up to important notes within the C7 chord. We call these passing tones.
They pass to more consonant notes within the chord quickly enough so there’s not enough emphasis on them to
sound wrong. The same goes for the Db and the Ab.
Notice the passing notes resolve just as does the entire phrase. Four notes are outside of the basic chord structure, but we
resolved their dissonance using the fifth, third and root of the chord. The full four bars resolves comfortably on the root.
Again, scales serve a purpose in that they give you a ready-made sonority to the chord over which they are played.
By practicing scales, you’ll gain a feel for the basic notes associated with the chord. But scales should never be
confused with the authentic music we compose/improvise in real time on the trombone.
The iconic melody Phil Woods played over Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are is a great example of playing notes
not found in the basic chords. In this case the two main altered notes are not passing tones, but instead they are
important colors of the line Woods played–the hook. They are the sharp eleven of the seventh chords. The Bb at the
end was simply a passing note resolving to the important fifth of the chord. (Play this as an exercise in various keys!)
E7
. œ
? ## 4 œ J # ˙
4
œ
œ
œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ . J # œ . Jœ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ ˙
‰
Ó
A7
D maj
19
Don’t lock yourself into the specific notes of the chord or of the associated scale. Practice your scales but play
melodic phrases in your performances.
I could make a case for there never being wrong notes when you play them deliberately. “Wrong” notes pop up
when we don’t know what to play. Maybe we’re lost or struggling to remember the chord. The way out is to listen to
the rhythm section and sing melodies with your trombone.
Here is a solo improvised over a medium tempo 12 bar F blues beginning with a one bar pickup. Play it over the
three chorus soundfile called Walkin Blues.
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? bb
Trombone
4
4
Tbn.
8
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œ œ
b7
bœ œ œ œ œ
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bit.ly/altobonesavvy “Walkin Blues”
F7
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The above solo was recorded by Miles Davis on his tune Walkin on the collection called The Essential Miles Davis.
If you don’t own this recording, I’ll wait while you download it from iTunes. Go ahead...
Listen to the recording. Miles is not in a hurry to play a bunch of licks or to play high or to play fast. The tune is called
Walkin’ and Miles is simply taking us on a leisurely stroll. Play his solo over the above F blues rhythm track. Better
yet, sing it first. How close can you come to his masterful feel? How close can you come playing the trombone with his
feel? Are you laying back or playing too on top of the beat?
Now go ahead and play your own solo over this F blues track. Again, maybe sing some melodies over the track first.
Add your horn, play some simple melodies and allow for rests in between phrases like Miles does. Beginning jazz
players (and experienced players) feel the need to fill the entire form with notes. Especially with something like this,
you want to create space. Perhaps sing a phrase then answer it with your horn. You’re trying to focus on good musical
phrasing rather than scales, patterns and chords. Melodies should feel intuitive.
20
Embrace your limitations?
A
dam Morgan and Mark Barden wrote an
insightful book called A Beautiful Constraint.
The theme of the book is that great things can
come from recognizing and embracing one’s limitations.
Face it, no matter who we are, we all have limitations. As
trombone players, we are limited in our range, our speed,
our timbre, just to name a few.
But each of us individually has
our limitations, and the issue this
book brings to bear is: how best
to work within the limits each of
us naturally face.
The book starts out with the
example of Google’s founder
Larry Page. In the very beginning,
Larry’s limited coding skills and
budget constrained what he could
put on Google’s home page. The
result was a stark white page with
one field in the center. Larry’s
limitation ended up becoming
Google’s strength – a uniquely
clean page with crystal clarity of its sole purpose. Many
at the time thought it was design and marketing genius.
As I read it, Morgan and Barden are encouraging us to
embrace our limitations as the first step in freeing our
artistic potential.
This is not a book on lack, however. Instead it is a book
on looking a new way at your potential.
The chapter called Break Path Dependence illustrates
the behaviors that prevent us from seeing “opportunity
in constraint.
They basically ask and answer three questions:
1. How does success today blind us to what could create
success tomorrow?
2. How does the language we use lock us into ways of
thinking and behaving that will limit our ability to see
new possibilities.
3. What can we do to surface and move away from
unhelpful paths on which we have become dependent,
in order to reveal newer, more productive paths?
Required of each of us is an attitude they label, canif. Can-if is the opposite of can’t-because. Can-if is a
powerful frame for conversation and introspection in
asking the propelling questions and finding the potential
in an apparently challenging constraint.
What is the value of can-if?
• It keeps the conversation on the
right question.
• It keeps the oxygen of optimism
continually in the process.
• It forces you to take
responsibility for finding answers.
rather than identifying barriers.
• The story it tells us about
ourselves is that we are people
who look for solutions rather than
someone who finds problems and
obstacles.
This book is in the genre of business
but I am recommending it for individual musicians
because we face constraint as a way of life.
What is a limitation you continue to face with your
playing? Articulation speed? What satisfying music can
you create without playing tons of notes? (Think Paul
Desmond.) High range? What satisfying music can you
create within your range (One Note Samba anyone?)
Overall technique? (Listen to Monk.)
See your limitations as pathways to a new way of
thinking about your art. I’m not suggesting you stop
improving your playing. On the contrary, work hard to
develop your strengths but end the unfruitful struggle
with aspects of trombone playing that aren’t core to your
inner musical voice.
Don’t fight your natural limitations. Instead, develop
a playing style that capitalizes on what emerges from
solutions. What does your “home page” look like without
huge resources allowing you to fill it with everything
everybody else has? Yes, high and fast trombone is cool
but so is the confident focus of your inner musical voice
projected through trombone.
21
“I really like this interesting and well-disposed book. So many good thoughts, facts and tips on alto trombone.
Great guidance for the searching alto souls out there. A must-have for the shelves.”
– Håkan Björkman, Principal Trombone at Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
“For anyone interested in learning to play the alto trombone, whether for classical or jazz, this book is a must. Clearly written,
with excellent exercises and links to audio examples, Michael Lake has provided the trombone world with a wonderful new
resource.”
– Ralph Sauer, Former Principal Trombone, Los Angeles Philharmonic
“I highly recommend Alto Trombone Savvy for players around the world wanting advice on handling the alto trombone at
the highest level. Classical and jazz players both share the same challenges, and it’s great to have this book in either bass
or alto clef to help answer some of those challenges.”
– Carsten Svanberg, International Trombone Soloist and retired Professor of Trombone
at the University of Music and Arts Graz
“Michael Lake has a unique perspective and has written a unique book. Alto Trombone Savvy covers a wide range of topics
and in combination with sound files, gives students a solid aural basis to improve on the instrument. Michael’s excellent
playing–used in structured imitation exercises–is particularly helpful.”
– Dr. Brad Edwards, Trombone Professor, Arizona State University Author of Lip Slurs,
Lip Slur Melodies as well as the Trombone Craft and Simply Singing series.
“Alto Trombone Savvy” is the most comprehensive book on mastering the Alto Trombone. With a keen attention to all aspects of playing, Michael answers all the questions and gives the best advice improving one’s playing and helps us break all
the secret codes of the Alto Trombone.
“Being familiar with the great alto trombone playing of Michael Lake, I can attest that his words of wisdom don’t come from
a theoretician, but from a remarkably
accomplished artist. I highly recommend this great book!!”
– Cristian Ganicenco, Principal Trombone, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Visit www.altobone.com to receive a free piece of
Michael’s original music free each month.
Also read additional articles, watch videos and check
out his recent CDs and other books.