Methods/Technique Books
- BGuttman
- Posts: 7368
- Joined: Mar 22, 2018
How much cash do you have? :evil:
First, what are you trying to achieve?
Second, what playing level are you or the target for these books?
Also, books can only go so far in explaining a technique. Usually somebody has to demonstrate or coach.
Only one book you can have and you are well past beginner? Arban method edited by Alessi and Bowman.
Don't like Arban? LaFosse methode Complet (3 volumes).
Full disclosure: I have dozens of method books each of which covers some particular aspect(s) of playing.
First, what are you trying to achieve?
Second, what playing level are you or the target for these books?
Also, books can only go so far in explaining a technique. Usually somebody has to demonstrate or coach.
Only one book you can have and you are well past beginner? Arban method edited by Alessi and Bowman.
Don't like Arban? LaFosse methode Complet (3 volumes).
Full disclosure: I have dozens of method books each of which covers some particular aspect(s) of playing.
- EllaRubin
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Feb 20, 2025
I have Arban, Bordogni/Rochut, Claude Gordon Daily Practice book, Clarke books, Blazhevich, and The Charlie Vernon book. Also a good range of Solo and duet stuff. Just wondering what else I should have.
- AtomicClock
- Posts: 1094
- Joined: Oct 19, 2023
I've bought a lot of books based on internet recommendations. For the most part, they sit on a shelf and gather dust. The books I actually use are the ones I learned how to use in private lessons.
- Kbiggs
- Posts: 1768
- Joined: Mar 24, 2018
For me, it depends on the student, their level of achievement, and how they learn and progress.
For absolute beginners, I like the Fred Weber series, especially for students who are new to trombone and to music. It’s older, but I think well done. Some school districts or teachers are use one particular series like Accent on Achievement, or Belwin, or Ed Sueta, or the Yamaha series. They all have the basics: care for the instrument, embouchure, importance of air/wind, rhythms, pitch, incremental progress in range and rhythmic complexity, etc. For beginning students who have prior experience with another instrument, Rubank works well as an all-round method book. Arban’s is one of the so-called bibles in this line of work.
One beginning etude book I’ve recently started using is Gerald Bordner’s First Book of Practical Studies. It progresses from very easy etudes of 2 or 3 lines to interesting rhythms, range up to G (A-flat?), and repetitive phrases to encourage creative expression.
After that, you have to look at books specific techniques, or some of the tried-and-true books like Bordogni-Rochut, Blazevich, Kopprasch, Blume, Müller, and more recent ones from Reginald Fink, Brad Edwards, Ralph Sauer, etc., etc., etc.
For absolute beginners, I like the Fred Weber series, especially for students who are new to trombone and to music. It’s older, but I think well done. Some school districts or teachers are use one particular series like Accent on Achievement, or Belwin, or Ed Sueta, or the Yamaha series. They all have the basics: care for the instrument, embouchure, importance of air/wind, rhythms, pitch, incremental progress in range and rhythmic complexity, etc. For beginning students who have prior experience with another instrument, Rubank works well as an all-round method book. Arban’s is one of the so-called bibles in this line of work.
One beginning etude book I’ve recently started using is Gerald Bordner’s First Book of Practical Studies. It progresses from very easy etudes of 2 or 3 lines to interesting rhythms, range up to G (A-flat?), and repetitive phrases to encourage creative expression.
After that, you have to look at books specific techniques, or some of the tried-and-true books like Bordogni-Rochut, Blazevich, Kopprasch, Blume, Müller, and more recent ones from Reginald Fink, Brad Edwards, Ralph Sauer, etc., etc., etc.
- Savio
- Posts: 688
- Joined: Apr 26, 2018
[quote="Kbiggs"]For me, it depends on the student, their level of achievement, and how they learn and progress.
[/quote]
:good: :good:
There is an ocean of learning matrials out there. It has changed dramatically within a few years. If you search youtube you will so many who desperately want to teach. Be aware of everything on youtube or everywhere else on internet. A teacher who knows you is the best.
About Methods/Technique books. It depends on what you need. I have a philosophy; Practice everything with a purpose. Don't play a book because everyone tells it's good. In the end a simple scale in Bb is all you need.
When I grow up there was nearly no books or information like we have today. It was both good and bad. Bad because it was hard to get information. Good because we had too figured out somethings our self.
Today with Internet I think the clue is to strain out the dirt.
Leif
[/quote]
:good: :good:
There is an ocean of learning matrials out there. It has changed dramatically within a few years. If you search youtube you will so many who desperately want to teach. Be aware of everything on youtube or everywhere else on internet. A teacher who knows you is the best.
About Methods/Technique books. It depends on what you need. I have a philosophy; Practice everything with a purpose. Don't play a book because everyone tells it's good. In the end a simple scale in Bb is all you need.
When I grow up there was nearly no books or information like we have today. It was both good and bad. Bad because it was hard to get information. Good because we had too figured out somethings our self.
Today with Internet I think the clue is to strain out the dirt.
Leif
- GabrielRice
- Posts: 1496
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
In addition to what you have, my staples are:
Brad Edwards' Lip Slurs are a must-have at this point - the best book of lip slurs I've ever seen. His other publications are great too. Brad is always thinking about musical ways to work on technique.
Cimera - melodic etudes shorter than Bordogni/Rochut, available from Cherry Classics. Great for transposing to various clefs and octaves.
Kopprasch - the classic French horn method, transcribed by many different people for trombone or tuba. I especially love the ones that mix articulations and slurs. I use this version for bass trombone by Benny Sluchin, available as a free download from Doug Yeo: https://www.yeodoug.com/kopprasch.html
Brad Edwards' Lip Slurs are a must-have at this point - the best book of lip slurs I've ever seen. His other publications are great too. Brad is always thinking about musical ways to work on technique.
Cimera - melodic etudes shorter than Bordogni/Rochut, available from Cherry Classics. Great for transposing to various clefs and octaves.
Kopprasch - the classic French horn method, transcribed by many different people for trombone or tuba. I especially love the ones that mix articulations and slurs. I use this version for bass trombone by Benny Sluchin, available as a free download from Doug Yeo: https://www.yeodoug.com/kopprasch.html
- GGJazz
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Jul 30, 2022
Hello Folks.
Well , I do not agree with Leif about the thing that 40 years ago there were no books around for trombone.
About the books listed above , they all existed at those times , with exception of C. Vernon , B. Edwards , and R Sauer books
There were A LOT of French books , printed by A Leduc : G . Masson , H Couillaud , M. Bitsch (20 etudes of rhythm ) , G. Senon , etc ; then more printed by IMC : as Grigoriev ( melodic etudes) , A. Ostrander , etc.
Then I remember M. Delgiudice ( 12 etudes for bass trombone) .
Then the " melodious etudes " by Concone .
There were books of technical routines as Schlossberg , Remington , C. Colin ( flexibility etudes) , L. Maggio , Paul Tanner , etc . The A. Raph' book ( the double valve bass trombone) .
Etc, etc , etc.........
Of course , to find them one had to get busy , but there were some very dedicated music stores that were able to find all these books . Maybe you had to wait a couple of months ...
I do not like that young people could think that in the 1980/ 90 we were in a post-Neanderthal-World....
Regards
Giancarlo
Well , I do not agree with Leif about the thing that 40 years ago there were no books around for trombone.
About the books listed above , they all existed at those times , with exception of C. Vernon , B. Edwards , and R Sauer books
There were A LOT of French books , printed by A Leduc : G . Masson , H Couillaud , M. Bitsch (20 etudes of rhythm ) , G. Senon , etc ; then more printed by IMC : as Grigoriev ( melodic etudes) , A. Ostrander , etc.
Then I remember M. Delgiudice ( 12 etudes for bass trombone) .
Then the " melodious etudes " by Concone .
There were books of technical routines as Schlossberg , Remington , C. Colin ( flexibility etudes) , L. Maggio , Paul Tanner , etc . The A. Raph' book ( the double valve bass trombone) .
Etc, etc , etc.........
Of course , to find them one had to get busy , but there were some very dedicated music stores that were able to find all these books . Maybe you had to wait a couple of months ...
I do not like that young people could think that in the 1980/ 90 we were in a post-Neanderthal-World....
Regards
Giancarlo
- hyperbolica
- Posts: 3990
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
In the 80s/90s there was a lot of 3rd stream, modern music still had a hold, but there was a lot of good stuff. We were still playing Rochut, but we're still playing Rochut today too.
Some of my favorites are are Snedecor, which had some nice stuff for trombone. Bitsch was a bitch, but once you got what he was doing, it could really help your time. The old time stuff like Arban, Mantia and Rubank are essential for fundamentals. La Fosse has tons of stuff that you have to read through, and sometimes just sit and practice.
You've got to play things like the Bach cello suites, Telemann flute fantasies, Gabrielli Recercare, Top Tones for Trumpet, Mozart bassoon concerto
Also, Ostrander was not French. He played in the NY Phil. He lived in Ithaca NY for a while, and I met him while there.
There's also a good bit of stuff for jazz and pop type music like Tommy Pedersen, JJ Johnson, Bob McChesney, Michael Davis, Abersold, Aharoni...
Some of my favorites are are Snedecor, which had some nice stuff for trombone. Bitsch was a bitch, but once you got what he was doing, it could really help your time. The old time stuff like Arban, Mantia and Rubank are essential for fundamentals. La Fosse has tons of stuff that you have to read through, and sometimes just sit and practice.
You've got to play things like the Bach cello suites, Telemann flute fantasies, Gabrielli Recercare, Top Tones for Trumpet, Mozart bassoon concerto
Also, Ostrander was not French. He played in the NY Phil. He lived in Ithaca NY for a while, and I met him while there.
There's also a good bit of stuff for jazz and pop type music like Tommy Pedersen, JJ Johnson, Bob McChesney, Michael Davis, Abersold, Aharoni...
- GGJazz
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Jul 30, 2022
Hi again .
@ Hyperbolica : of course you are right . I know that Allen Ostrander was an american bass trombonist ; I made a mistake in inserting it after the LEDUC books , so it seem that I was meaning that also the IMC books were written by French authors .I apologize for that !
Regards
Giancarlo
@ Hyperbolica : of course you are right . I know that Allen Ostrander was an american bass trombonist ; I made a mistake in inserting it after the LEDUC books , so it seem that I was meaning that also the IMC books were written by French authors .I apologize for that !
Regards
Giancarlo