Smooth Trombone Legato Mastery

[@PaulTheTrombonist]

thanks for liking and subbing, it helps the channel out a lot. I appreciate you all

[@alexscott1257]

Thanks Paul I was just practising some Lafosse legato exercises yesterday and I recorded myself and was wondering why my best legato playing is in the upper registers and it seems to get progressively sloppier as I go down to the bass range. You just answered that question thank you! I am a "lo" legato player and so is my teacher who plays for a professional orchestra in England. I was using it before I met him though. I find that if I say "lo" my tongue sits very low in the mouth and just allows me to give a very slight brush of the air to make a smooth legato. I have a book on legato that encourages experimentation with syllables to find the one that is correct for you as we are all different! Thanks for the video I found it very helpful!

[@walterbryant5543]

Great video and very helpful I grew up using doo but I like the feel of a more open jaw with da.

[@danielalfaro3118]

Great video and very helpful

[@PaulTheTrombonist]

Thank you so much Daniel!

[@Samy-kq2oo]

Bro I’m trying out for a solo and I’m bad at legato this just saved me 🙂

[@g.243y.6]

Wow love this video!! ❤❤

[@PaulTheTrombonist]

Thank you!!

[@Salieri211]

You probably get this a lot but what brand is that trombone

[@PaulTheTrombonist]

It’s my bac custom trombone

[@Salieri211]

@@PaulTheTrombonist Thanks. I'd just never seen anything like that yet and it looks pretty neat

[@PaulTheTrombonist]

@@Salieri211 it’s a great horn. I’ll make a video on it soon

[@voornaam3191]

Ah, just one tip for beginners. Whenever you get the chance, play a while on the King 4B. That's a large bell, but not a bass trombone yet. Then get used to a 3B model, and feel the differences. And then find a "cheap" secondhand, but technically fine Olds trombone. Any model. But here it comes, find an Olds mouthpiece as well. When you are a beginner, you'd say, no, I'm used to my first mouthpiece, I'll use that one. For real, an Olds trombone plays and sounds very different from these perfect Kings. But the moment you switch to the Olds mouthpiece, that suits this type of trombone, you will be flabbergasted, astonished, amazed, how EASY you can control the degree of brilliance! Do you see? When you play at a low volume, your tone is warm. The louder you play, the more higher harmonics you add into the "mix". The sound is getting brighter. And there is that point of breaking, playing very loud will get you that "shattering". Well, that transition from warm to shattering is totally different, depending on the shape and design of the trombome AND the mouthpiece. That is the reason why certain bands prefer a certain brand and model of instruments. What I can tell the beginners here, is, it does indeed make a massive difference. I have played some music that was hard work to get it right on a splendid King 3B, and after we bought an old dented Olds, playing those background chords got a whole lot easier. I played my King at the brink of shattering, and on the Olds that shattering was never a problem. Again, nothing wrong with King, but it simply was easier giving that music the expression you like. So, do try different trombones, you'll see you might want to buy a second one. And you should be careful buying a mouthpiece, for you get used to the ones you play often. Changing your "gear" is something you should talk about with your teacher, or an experienced player in your band. It is a big deal. But when they advise negatively on the Olds and the Olds mouthpieces, listen to me, ignore them and do try them no matter what, you'll see it is worth while. Maybe not usefull in your band, that can be true, but still, I do think you should try new trombones. Well, you understand by now. I love that good old sound of the Olds trombones. That is not a bla bla bla thing, those instruments do have some nice quality.

[@Salieri211]

@@voornaam3191 Would you suggest Christian Lindberg or Denis Wick mouthpieces to Intermediate players? I'd like to explore options because currently I'm playing on a 48L (my second ever mouthpiece.) I tried a 5g but hated it because it ruined my endurance.

[@voornaam3191]

Wow, 8 million comments! Oh oh, just EIGHT comments. Oops. Why is that double sized trompet less popular than the "macho" trumpet? Just watch a trombone closely, it is exactly like a trumpet, it's just one octave lower. But do check the pro players, you can learn to play bloody high on a trombone. It's amazing. It is! All you need is a very good teacher. Playing very high notes and parts, it takes certain skills, and you need to practise, obtaining extremely strong muscles in your lips and mouth, you really need that for playing exactly in tune, and having perfect control on your "sound". Practise and you will get better. Even if you are not a trombone genius, do not give up, we ordinary players simply need more time. Once you like the trombone, you can always improve, improving slowly is not that bad, everybody is slightly different, who cares? Simply keep playing, find a band that you like, having fun is important. Gee Minor, I'm feeling old. And oops, I still got a great Olds trombone, that I borrowed years ago. You know, amateur bands playing the jazz standards from the American Songbook. And the usual Christmas arrangements. I can tell you, the Canadian veterans visiting Europe they librated 75 years ago, well, they do like that American Songbook. Problem is, these men are fading away. And yeah, a slide DOES replace 3 valves, but many slide trombones also have one or two valves (and that thing does make sense). And oh, do you know that smell, when you open your trombone case? I guess it is the lube you smell, but it is something every brass player knows, and you will never forget such things. That smell is connected to your lessons, your bands, your friends, maybe the arrangements you wrote, the friends you made in the music world. Feel free to think about your trombone memories. Have a good year!

[@goldito62]

It's time for a mouthpiece polishing. Get the toothpaste and schmear it all over, then wipe with a dry napkin or cloth. Use the brush for the shank. You don’t wanna look like Finzer, who is a fine bone-ologist and pedagogist. BTW, I tuned a fish the other day for dinner. 😊