Chamber Music trombone
SKU: CF.WF231
20 Original Etudes in
a Variety of Styles.
Composed by Tom Brantley.
Collection - Performance.
With Standard notation.
48 pages. Carl Fischer
Music #WF231. Published
by Carl Fischer Music
(CF.WF231).
ISBN
9781491153314. UPC:
680160910816.
Styli
stic Etudes for Trombone
was written for
intermediateto advanced
level trombonists,
seeking to meet
thedemands of the modern
marketplace for
performers. AsI often
tell my students,
it’s simply not
enough to mastera single
style and fake the rest.
To make a living as
aperformer, trombonists
are expected to play
many, manydifferent
styles authentically.
Classical performers
studyhard and devote
themselves to mastering
the stylisticnuances of
various eras, various
composers, variousforms;
jazz musicians seek to
accurately reflect the
stylesof everything from
bar-room burlesque to
Coltrane; hornbands in
the funk, rock, ska and
hip-hop idioms
mustreflect attention to
the details of their
influences even asthey
create new paths through
popular music.This etude
collection is an attempt
to help studentsand their
teachers work on the
details associated
withmastering each of
these various styles.In
order to perform with the
correct feel,
articulationand sound,
trombonists must first
get these concepts
intheir head through
diligent listening and
then disciplinedpractice
playing in every single
style. The same
wayorchestral players
study the symphonic
literature andexcerpts,
or the way a professional
jazz musician mightwork
on chord changes in
excruciating detail, a
wellroundedtrombone
player must master styles
by listeningto and
playing with great
recordings. Most of the
etudesin this book are
based on styles from
specific
orchestralliterature,
jazz standards and other
styles such as
NewOrleans’ funk
music (Meters) or the
music of JamesBrown and
Tower of Power.One final
note: some of these are
hard. On purpose.
Theseare not warm-ups
that you can play through
mindlesslyto get your
face going. These are
“study
pieces†in the
oldfashionedsense. They
are designed to challenge
you asa player, to make
you a little
uncomfortable. Some
aretougher than others,
of course, but none of
them are easy.If you can
play through each of
these well, with
greatmusicianship and
impeccable technique, you
will be anincredibly
versatile instrumentalist
and be able to
secureperformance
opportunities that are
outside the comfortzone
of many
trombonists.Thanks for
buying this book. I hope
you enjoy workingthrough
these, whether
you’re a teacher,
student,performer, or
weekend warrior. I
learned a lot by
puttingthese together and
I hope you find them
useful and
helpful.
Stylistic
Etudes for Trombone was
written for intermediate
to advanced level
trombonists, seeking to
meet the demands of the
modern marketplace for
performers. As I often
tell my students,
it’s simply not
enough to master a single
style and fake the rest.
To make a living as a
performer, trombonists
are expected to play
many, many different
styles authentically.
Classical performers
study hard and devote
themselves to mastering
the stylistic nuances of
various eras, various
composers, various forms;
jazz musicians seek to
accurately reflect the
styles of everything from
bar-room burlesque to
Coltrane; horn bands in
the funk, rock, ska and
hip-hop idioms must
reflect attention to the
details of their
influences even as they
create new paths through
popular music.This etude
collection is an attempt
to help students and
their teachers work on
the details associated
with mastering each of
these various styles.In
order to perform with the
correct feel,
articulation and sound,
trombonists must first
get these concepts in
their head through
diligent listening and
then disciplined practice
playing in every single
style. The same way
orchestral players study
the symphonic literature
and excerpts, or the way
a professional jazz
musician might work on
chord changes in
excruciating detail, a
well-rounded trombone
player must master styles
by listening to and
playing with great
recordings. Most of the
etudes in this book are
based on styles from
specific orchestral
literature, jazz
standards and other
styles such as New
Orleans’ funk
music (Meters) or the
music of James Brown and
Tower of Power.How these
etudes were conceived,
composed and transcribed:
The style or concept of
the etude was thought out
in my head and ear. I
then improvised in that
style and concept on my
trombone, recording my
efforts until I was
satisfied with the etude.
All along, my goal was to
play the range of the
instrument while
emphasizing certain
articulations, rhythms,
range and, fundamentally,
the intended style of the
etude. The resulting
etude was then
transcribed by a terrific
graduate student named
Zach Bornheimer, who also
works with many other
classical and jazz
composers as a
copyist/arranger.Tips for
working on the etudes:
Seek out professional
recordings that match the
style of each etude to
get a good idea of what
the etude should sound
like musically. My
recording of each of
these etudes is available
for download and can be
purchased online for a
modest fee. Search for
“Brantley
Etudes†at either
iTunes or CDBaby.
Practice each etude very
slowly and in segments as
needed, using a
metronome. Record
yourself and listen for
good technique,
musicianship and
authenticity of style
with your sound, feel and
articulations. Compare
your own efforts to the
sounds you’ve
heard on recordings.
Would you fit in that
ensemble or band? If
range is an issue, take
certain notes or passages
down or up an octave.
Work on your fundamentals
every day, including the
techniques and skills
needed for these etudes.
Be patient! Small
improvements every day
result in big success
over time. Always play
with a wide dynamic
range. Always play with
line and direction.
Always play with
impeccable time as well
as rhythm. Use a
metronome to help with
this. Always play in
tune. You can work on
this with a tuner as well
as with drones. Play
these for teachers,
friends, peers and
colleagues not only for
their feedback but also
for the experience of
informal performance. An
audience changes
everything. Make music,
listen to music, record
yourself, play in public
and have fun!One final
note: some of these are
hard. On purpose. These
are not warm-ups that you
can play through
mindlessly to get your
face going. These are
“study
pieces†in the
old-fashioned sense. They
are designed to challenge
you as a player, to make
you a little
uncomfortable. Some are
tougher than others, of
course, but none of them
are easy. If you can play
through each of these
well, with great
musicianship and
impeccable technique, you
will be an incredibly
versatile instrumentalist
and be able to secure
performance opportunities
that are outside the
comfort zone of many
trombonists.Thanks for
buying this book. I hope
you enjoy working through
these, whether
you’re a teacher,
student, performer, or
weekend warrior. I
learned a lot by putting
these together and I hope
you find them useful and
helpful.Best
wishes,—Tom
Brantley.