Glissando chart

On the website http://www.youngcomposers.com I found this interesting trombone slide chart which composers can use to know what slurs and slides a trombonist can make sound good.
The direct links is: http://www.abearnamedflint.com/trombone-gliss.pdf (400kb)

Take a look at it and distribute it to composers you know!

I can make good glissando's on my tenor trombone in range from the low F (6th position) to the F 2 octaves higher (1st or 4th position). The hardest part of glissando's for me is following the pitch with my lips when I go from low to high. The other way around is easier. I think that when my range in the high notes starts to get better this will get better too. For glissando specifically I'm practicing it by playing the glissando from A (6th position) to F (1st position) faster and faster.

Sad trombone button

If you ever need a failure sound, go to http://www.sadtrombone.com. Already more than 8 million failures are recorded. This website is created for whenever boredom strikes at the office, just like http://www.instantrimshot.com.

I must say these websites are just cheaply made, but when used in the right context they can add a funny tone to the situation.

Trombone Clipart - Own creation (first try)

Simply made in MS Paint, later this week (if I have time) I'll try to make another. Feel free to use.

Clipart

If you ever need some clipart/pictures of trombone and trombonists to spice up booklets, articles, etc., than use the first two who are part of the public domain. The rest below is for personal use only. They are taken form the site: http://www.clipartheaven.com/. For the more graphical talented among us: its also fun to draw some yourself and scan them. I'm planning to explore how good I'm in doing this!

Music and poetry

Recently I have found this website to a solo project that combines poetry and trombone playing: http://trombonepoetry.com/. The trombone playing is free and slightly experimental. This project shows that it is possible to use the trombone in so many different styles of music and expression. It is worth checking out!

You can see trombone poetry preform on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/trombonepoetry?gl=GB&hl=en-GB

Bayrische Polka

Yesterday my teacher spoke of a polka called the "Bayrische Polka". He said that is was a very challenging solo to play for trombone and that it still will take a while for me to get to a level high enough to play such music. Indeed I must say that he is very right, the bayrische polka is a nice song but difficult for a (beginning) student like me.

The Bayrische polka is an Austrian-German folk dance that is related to the Schottisch and the Rheinländer. Its related to the area of Bavaria. The polka my teacher was talking about is the one written by Georg Lohmann. My first search for information regarding this composer was without result.

Score: https://www.notenbuch.de/displayimage.aspx?img=images/FWF222-POS-SOLO.jpg


Bayrische Polka on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUv76QcT_5c&feature=related - Very funny because the director slides the trombone for of the musician who keeps playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZXA5TJ7mN0&feature=related - Only brass. Nice solo playing, but not as good as the previous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfVyqNOXcqY&feature=relate - Nice playing, but bad recording

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxwlXmtheNU&feature=related - Good recording, fooling around at the end :-)

Henry Fillmore

Last week in my search for some new trombone scores I came across a composer named Henry Fillmore. Strangely I had never heard of him before. He was a talented American trombonist who lived in the early 1900's. The music he made was mainly for fanfare, he is most known for his marches and rag-times.

By searching some more I found that there are 4 scores part of the Public Domain now. Theses scores are made available for everybody by the IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library. Follow the link below to get to the scores. For now I'm studying on "Lassus trombone".

Four full scores on imslp:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Fillmore,_Henry

General info on Henry Fillmore:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fillmore

Slide Factory

It seems there is a giant European trombone festival in Rotterdam calles Slide Factory. Today is the first time I have read something abou it and I want to share this on my blog. It goes on from 26 March 2009 till 29 March 2009 in the Doelen at Rotterdam

From their site: Slidefactory.nl

The New Trombone Collective proudly presents under the title “Meet the World”:
Slide Factory 2009, European Trombone Festival

This is the festival:

• where the best of world class trombonists will be present;
• where all musical genres meet: classical, jazz, ancient music, contemporary and world music;
• where everyone can find something to suit his taste: from young to old, from music enthusiasts in general to brass players or trombonists in particular;
• where you can have a “meet & greet” with all the stars at the festival;
• where you yourself can play.

In short, Slide Factory 2009 is a festival that you can’t miss. Come to Rotterdam in March and Meet the World of the trombone!

-This blog is really a good means to get me into more and more trombone research on the internet and broaden my knowledge.-

What I've been playing and my trombone

My first teaching book was a dutch originated book called "Horen, lezen, spelen 1" published by deHaske. You get a playalong cd with it and the lessons are just fine for a someone new to trombone playing. So the first pieces I ever played on my trombone came from this book.
At a certain moment I saw that the progress I made by teaching myself became inappropriate to get my playing skills to a higher level. This is when I decided to take courses in a local musicshool. I knew the director of the band where I play percussion and timpani was a former tromboneplayer and teached at this musicschool. I subscribed myself to take lessons and got an old method book from which my teacher studied too at young age. It is called "Prelude" and is written by Jan Van Beekum. Now about 1,5 years later I have almost finished the book.

Now for the introduction of something that is almost double my age: My trombone! It is a trombone made in England by Besson Internatonal (serial: 444024). Its a trombone I borrowed from a collegue musician from the band I play in. My guess is that it is an instrument made in the beginning of the sixties. It may be old, but is is a very nice beginner trombone and as you can see on the picture it can still shine.

Hello, I'm new to blogging

The reason for me to start this blog is a wonderfull instrument called the trombone that I play for about a year and a half now. In my search for new things to learn I have come along quite a few websites and have learned some things about getting tips on "how to play" through the internet. Also I have come along some cool scores to play and nice videos.
I hope this is my first post of many.

Greetings Jonathan