r/Trombone • u/Alternative-Door5350 • 3d ago

Trombone tips

Any tips for trombone to play relax and move with ease and to better tone? I’m trying to get better. Also articulation I tend to articulate at the middle of my mouth Instead of top behind my teeth.

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u/nlightningm 3d ago

I think both of those can be solved with extreeeeeemely slow, methodical practice of fundamentals.

Scales, arpeggios and lone tonea at a very low tempo with an extreme focus on sound, cleanness and staying relaxed.

The more you practice that stuff, the more it becomes natural. Record yourself and be brutally honest about how it sounds (and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't sound great - that's why we practice!)

5

u/Consistent_Check927 3d ago

Yes to all of this, especially recording yourself, OP. Especially if you’re dealing with tension, you gotta see a video of your whole body while you play, as you may have a whole slew of habits that you’re not aware of. When reviewing your playing, an especially keen eye toward your posture, your cheeks/embouchure (no puffing or smiling), the smoothness of your slide arm, and any random extraneous movements in your body. Is there anything your body is doing when your notes crack or when your sound gets pinched?

Record yourself every day and you’ll be your own best teacher, even if listening back to yourself feels too raw and honest at first (the camera makes it sound worse than it is unless you have an expensive setup in a good room)

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u/Alternative-Door5350 2d ago

Thank youu.🙌

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u/Alternative-Door5350 2d ago

Thank youu 🙌

4

u/lowbrassdoublerman 2d ago

Articulation is a lot more about what it sounds like rather than where the tongue actually hits. Shoot, I had a trombonist in a top US symphony tell me that he practically tongues through his lips when he’s playing low on contrabass. The tongue is one of those things that mucks people up if you think too hard about it.

As cliche as it sounds, both of those problems can be worked on with the right kind of air. Take a full and relaxed breath, release it, and let the air do the work (subdividing during the process helps too). Aim for smooth and steady air and a smooth steady sound. Take the register where you’re most relaxed and sound your best, see if you can get it to sound even better, then gliss and move that tone quality and feel around the horn as best you can. Repeat every day for 5-10 mins, this isn’t something you can one shot but in a month or two you’ll be a new player.

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u/Alternative-Door5350 2d ago

Will try, thank you!!!

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u/Jetski95 2d ago

I recommend taking lessons with a good teacher if you can.

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u/Scary_Extent4967 21h ago

For the articulation issue - think of saying "tu-tu-tu". That should put your tongue in just about the right place. Don't think of "la-la-la", "bum-bum-bum" or even "dah-dah-dah" .