As a trombone teacher, you probably know that learning improvisation requires more than a mastery of scales and patterns. While scales and pattern drills and memorization help build technique, they can also handicap players. Improvisation is not the running of scales nor is it the rote memorization of licks. Rather, improvisation is the spontaneous composition of melody and rhythm over the harmonic background played by the other musicians.

My new book, Trombone Improvisation Savvy focuses on projecting the player’s inner musical voice from their trombone. The primary skill the book teaches is the development of one’s ear. The skill of listening.

Watch the video below to see and hear how Trombone Improvisation Savvy can help your students become an improviser beyond their (and perhaps your) expectations. The link to the book is altobone.com/improve-improvisation-skills-trombone-improvisation-savvy/ There you can preview and buy the book.

“Michael Lake’s book is as comprehensive as it is insightful and practical. I can’t wait to delve into it further and look forward to sharing it with my students. I highly recommend this book for all levels of trombonists and improvisers alike.”
– Steve Davis, Trombonist/Composer/Educator

Mike has created what has to be one of the most comprehensive tools for learning to improvise specifically for trombone! From the basics to more advanced concepts, great tune selections, and an amazing array of interactive play-alongs and demonstrations. This is a thoughtful, thorough, and dynamic approach to learning trombone improvisation.”
– Nick Finzer, New York Trombonist & Educator

“I’ve studied from a wide variety of books on trombone and jazz but Michael Lake’s book provided me something I’ve never before experienced. Within about an hour of working with one of the tunes in Trombone Improvisation Savvy – a tune I was soloing over with some difficulty in my band – I could now understand and hear the tune’s harmonic structure, I could play well over the most difficult sections, and I finally felt comfortable soloing over the entire tune. Even my bandmates noticed a difference in my playing at our performance.

I really think that when this book gets into the hands of trombone players wanting to ‘crack the improvisation code,’ it will be a must have for all jazz trombone aficionados!”
– Barry Kierce, Jazz Trombone Connoisseur