More Arban's

So you've done the 25 minute tool-sharpening routine, and you think to yourself, "That's all? I want more!" Of course, you could put away Arban's and practice something else, but you could also do the following building/stretching/strengthening routine.

As I write this it's September 8th, so I would continue by going on to the next section...I play etude number 8, and then (rather than play #18 - I'll do that on the 18th) turn some pages and play the next number 8, and so on until I get through the book or run out of time (or chops, as you'll see).

At this point, in addition to solidifying my approach to the middle range I want to expand to the high and low ranges as well. I find regular attention to extreme ranges to be a very important way to keep myself ready to play whatever comes my way. And I have to always be sure to balance them, so that my low range and high range are produced such that I am always supple and able to move in and out of them.

What I usually do is continue in tenor clef, playing (from the trombone book) two octaves down, then one octave down, then as written, and then doing the next one in the reverse order. For the longer interval studies and other etudes that cycle through all the keys, I will usually cycle through the octaves for each key change rather than play one or two entire pages at a time. This has me covering a very wide range, and it can start to feel pretty rough. But if I spend 30-45 minutes doing this, the next day feels awesome. If I'm not in great shape such that it seems I will only be straining to play that high and that low, I will instead play in bass clef as written and down an octave, maybe ending with one or two etudes in three octaves of tenor clef.

This routine was inspired by Charlie Vernon. Charlie told me that when he decided to really go after playing tenor trombone after years as a bass trombone player almost exclusively, he played the entire Arban's book from beginning to end. He would play an etude 8vb, as written, and then 8va, and put a check mark on it for a visual representation of that accomplishment! Then he would play the next one 8va, as written, and 8vb, and so on. It took him a few months of a few minutes a day, but he said that by the time he got to the Characteristic Studies he could play things that he'd never been able to before, or at least not easily. I've started doing this a couple of times, but felt that I was a bit better off playing from different sections of the book rather than going from beginning to end.

I don't do this kind of routine right before a concert, or even before I need to put in some serious time practicing music. I tend to put this kind of practicing at the end of my day, and I find that it's like putting money in the bank for the next day and days to come. The simpler middle register routine from the beginning of the book can be a great way to warm up before a performance, but this is really too strenuous for that.

Enjoy! And remember, this is one of the things we practice that are actually much more physically difficult than playing music. We do these things so that our bodies can be free to carry out whatever music our minds can imagine.