Playing trombone better
Your journey toward musical instrument improvement
I’m going to Los Angeles next month for the Taxi Road Rally conference. Taxi is an independent A&R company that helps composers submit their music for film, TV and games. I am excited about networking with producers and musicians, and learning more about that part of the music business. There will be lots of opportunities…
Read MoreThe high octane fuel to improve your trombone playing
I thought of something I’d like to add to the very beginning of my upcoming book, Rhythm Savvy. The further I get into writing and recording for the book, the more I believe that this tool can help players improve their musicianship. That improvement, however, won’t come immediately or by magic, and that is what…
Read MoreRhythm Savvy in the works
I am writing my new book. It covers an important topic with which many players struggle. Namely, the ability to play with more of a deliberate and accurate sense of rhythm. I originally titled it Time and Rhythm Savvy because I was making a distinction between the steady pulse of music and the stream of…
Read MoreA lesser know tool for helping you play more in tune
I just created a new video on intonation. My original intention was to create one video covering three areas from which the music files within my books can be used. A reader of my last post suggested that instead of one video on all three areas I should create three separate videos. That made sense,…
Read MoreThis is how best to use the music tracks within each of my books
Today, I am laying the groundwork for a new video that I think will be my best. One of the assets within each of my books that I feel us underutilized is the musical drones. I’m not certain as to HOW underutilized, but I have this feeling… The video will lay out in my typical…
Read MoreBetter breathing for optimum trombone playing
I conducted an interesting social and musical experiment this week. After producing a video on better breathing for wind instruments, I created an incentive to leave a comment below the Youtube video. I offered a free copy of Jazz Ear Savvy to the first 10 good comments. I got all 10 in record speed and…
Read MoreHow to improve your musical instrument playing much quicker
I think I have a somewhat unorthodox method of teaching trombone and improvisation. Instead of telling students what they sound like and commenting on the things I’m hearing them do wrong, I ask them what they hear. I’m of the belief that if I tell you what something sounds like, it relieves you of the…
Read MoreThree keys to playing trombone much better
The final chapter of Trombone Improvisation Savvy was titled The Inner Game. It contained some thoughts that don’t normally appear in jazz instrumental method books but I think playing the trombone well involves more than just getting the horn out and periodically blowing notes through it for a while. Let me share some personal thoughts…
Read MoreHow to listen to yourself
I’ve recently created some exercises for my upcoming book on alto trombone that are built to improve intonation when playing trombone. Among other things, I’ve recorded Bach choral #50, a four-part harmony of In the Wee Small Hours and Rochut #1 with a harmony part. I’ve recorded versions of each whereby one part is missing…
Read MoreStrengthening your sense of timing and rhythm
The following is a page from my upcoming book on the alto trombone. This section, however, has as much to do with tenor (and bass) as with alto trombone. Regardless of your instrument, your internal sense of time and rhythm helps define your musical performance. I’ve created some exercises that I believe can go a…
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