Allen Ostrander METHOD FOR BASS TROMBONE and F attachment for Tenor Trombone by Allen Ostrander The NewYork Philharmonic Orchestra KI = 517To Walter Lilleback FOREWORD Due to a lack of published material for Bass Trombone, many performers are practically self taught as regards use of the thumb valve. This treatise and method of instruction explains the various adjustments of the valve mechanism ‘and the reasons for making each adjustment. The altered positions are treated progressivly with exercises designed to show the location of the altered position in relation to regular trombone positions. It is assumed that a student studying this book has.at least mastered the requirements of any standard method for Tenor Trombone. The studies contained herein were designed to demonstrate the actual difficulties for the thumb valve as may be found in the bass trombone parts of the standard symphonic repertoire. PART I The F Valve ‘The mechanism should be adjusted so that 4th line F in the 1st position tunes with the same F but with valve down and slide still in 1st position, This is the most practical adjustment of the valve mechanism, although it has its limitations in that low C below the staff is sharp. and there is no low B. PART II explains and demonstrates an adjust- ment of the mechanism to get the low C in tune and PART IIf deals with the so-called “E” valve, Everything in Part I may be played on a Tenor Trombone with F attachment as well as on a Bass Trombone. CHART OF POSITIONS WITH MECHANISM ADJUSTED TO GET F IN FIRST POSITION = = = 3 vo = bai bat 451 bel bz +t—4— 14 - rae | ' ! 1 ' ' + } cS 1 | u 2i 3I 4 5 61 7 1st position is slide closed, Most Bass Trombones have spring bumpers i the spring to get the low F in tune the slide, You may have to push in on b 2nd position is about an inch beyond the regular 2nd. The complete set of harmonics is possible, but I only show the notes which I have actually used to advantage in orchestra, b 3rd position is approximately 2%4 inches beyond regular 3rd. Even though it is about % of the way between 3rd and 4th, think of it as a form of third position, Sth position is about an inch short of regular 5th. b 6th position is an inch or so beyond 6th. b 7th position is as far as you can reach and it will still be sharp, (Part II of this book explains an adjustment of the mechanism which permits of a low C in tune with other positions altered accordingly.) naseAdjust the mechanism so that fourth line F in 1st position tunes with the same F, but with the valve down and slide still in 1st position v over a note means to use the valve. vovvvovvvvyvy vy vow PP Pe PPT Peper prereset = leer Prrrrierrrersrssse Sa : SOE Eee er et == EEE EES Ferree Keep the slidein Ist position’ SS rs voy oy vy ye ete Tae Dapper ereriprerrerererr a= ie rererr ZSERER ERE CERES oP Tt rr Play both tongued and slurred. Use valve for all C’s and F's He Play in various dynamics with evenness of register. Attack neatly, hold correct valuation, and round the end of each tone. Make all notes alike, not only in intensity, but in tone quality. == Nase=120 Allegro deciso (Use valve for all low C's) ft tf mf f mf = — orn f. at a Ste fe Last time slight rit Lf t if E and B in the Flat 2nd Position Place the stirle approximately one inch beyond the regular 2nd position, The fol- lowing notes are also possible in this position, The two lower notes are used frequently. ‘The others are used rarely. ‘enharmonic Be careful of note values. Make a slight lapse between notes, Round off your tones. Try to maintain the same tone quality and style throughout, Relax the right arm and wrist Moderato ; ™p (Use valve for B&G) Play slowly and smoothly. Relax your right arm. Use valve for all low B's. N43s2Round the end of each tone, Make your spacings between notes alike, Whether you start forte or piano, maintain the same level of intensity throughout 6 v 4 Allegro (Play all C's & B's with valve.) 6 St f poco a poco dim NaseAllegro risoluto SF Play all low C's 3 and B's with valve unless otherwise marked. oP Eb and Bb in the Flat 3rd Position Place the slide about 2% inches beyond the regular 3rd position, or about % of the way to the 4th position. You will note that this is so far beyond the regular 3rd position that it is actually nearer the 41h, However, think in terms of flat 3rd position for two reasons. FIRSTLY : You are used to thinking of all Eh’s on a Tenor Trombone in terms of 3rd position, SECONDLY : You will find that Part II of this book explains and demonstrates an adjustment of the valve mechanism used primarily to get low C below the staff in tune and which brings low Eb below the staff to a regular 3rd position. The following notes are possible in the flat 3rd position. The two lower notes are used frequently, the others are used rarely, if at all. 63 oy oy voy oyvioy ah ot (Play both tongued and slurred.) ba fhe Use the valve when marked and only when marked, The triplet exercice demonstrates a very common use of Bb in the flat 3rd position. Note that it is in a passage consisting of Ab, Bh, C, and Dp in succession. This will occur most frequently in the keys of Ab and Db. 1 434 bs ba 6 ba ba 6 2903 ¥ 2 (Play both tongued and slurred.) (Use valve for all Bb 's & B's) NassStaccato Round the ends of the tones. Space the notes well, but no matter how fast you play there must be enough tone to ‘establish pitch. Maintain a steady volume. No crescendo or decrescendo, v6 x a 6 4& sempre stace. Lebhaft (tively) Play all low B’s with valve, except the one which is marked 7th position. Be sure to use the valve for the Ad's that are so marked and for all low E's. was,D and A in the Sharp 5th Position Place the slide about one inch toward you from the regular “Sth position, The fol- lowing notes are possible in this position, The two lower notes are frequently used, the others are used rarely, if at all. a #5 45 2h x as y x vy ete (Play both tongued and slurred.) a a5 ete a vee Play slowly qs marked. Make the A’s intonations match each other. ? te 2s zg 5s vn vos 4 2Use valve as marked. Note the conditions under which you feel it advantageous to play B and C with valve, or A with valve. MODELS a> Ghort chunks of tone) NaasLegato Use a soft, short, relaxed stroke of the tongue. The tone must keep flowing, yet there will be a slight lapse between tones due to the tongueing. — ee a repeat ad lib, ‘When moving the slide, have the right arm and wrist relaxed. Move the slide moderately fast, but with a very smooth motion without jerkiness. —_— repeat ail lib Play the following glissandi, No circus smears! Play softly. Relax the right arm, Watch your slide and see that it moves back and forth smoothly with a flowing motion, Repeat ad lib. Keep the slide in continual motion. Moderato I= ame 355ze i= se = Now use the soft stroke of the tongue on the following notes. Use the same relaxed, flowing motion of the slide as when you played the glissandi. In the following exercise the slide is continually moving. Use the soft stroke of the tongue as you go by each position. Do not play too slowly, or there will be glissandi between each stroke of the tongue. ‘The object of the following exercise is to get a relaxed, smooth control of the slide. When playing slowly in legato, one ‘must naturally stop the slide for each note. 5: a ——— —— eee (Play slowly and smoothly.) Semi-legato has a lightly greater lapse than legato. Use more tongue. Moderato_semplice P (Ose valve for all low B's) SS ae is eee = mp tempo poco rit Pirie aaMtato = P Soeeeniceseee Pmaanhstahe eueeenA ss ececceceeeeaaas es ye — ree: _ Pee rit Na3s2‘molto eres Db and Ab in the Flat 6th Position Place the slide about one inch beyond the regular 6th position. The following notes, are also possible in this position. The lowest note is frequently used, the Ab occasionally; the others, rarely, if at all, a '$ ete vo s vy ete (Play both tongued and slurred.) fears » v_ete Nans212 Moderato bey 2g Z ¥ imp gis. eliss. bliss o bs mp “D.C. al Bo Coda __Andantino mp mp (On a Tenor Troiabone the positions become farther apart as you extend the slide. In other words, you move the slide farther between 6th and 7th positions than between 1st and 2nd, On a Bass Trombone, when using the valve, this space between positions becomes even greater. The positions when using the valve which have been demonstrated so far are: 1st, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, sharp 5th, and flat 6th. In low register these add low F, E, Ep, D, and Dp. Since the low Dp is in a lowered 6th position, it will be readily understood that a low C will necessitate an extremely lowered 7th position, Actually the slide is not long enough to get it in time. However, by using as flat a 7th position as possible, the low C, even though slightly sharp, is usable in many passages. Part II of this method explains and demonstrates an adjustment of the valve which permits of a low C in the 7th position, but unfortunately the advantages of an F and C in the first position are lost. Low C For the flat 7th position extend the slide as far as possible. i ta 4 at Yom % Use the low C with this “F" adjustment of the mechanism unless the note is very exposed, and the faulty inton- ation will be heard. Do not attempt Part I of this method until you are thoroughly familiar with the positions used in Part I; otherwise, the slight change in the manner in which the positions are altered will tend to be confusing. fa 2 etc 2 7 v__etc. v_ete. Nasa1B With the exception of first line G in the flat 7th position as part of a glissando from G to C, I use only the low C im this position. Andante con moto —— oo = fr——sf = Schwungvoll (with_momentum) 8 % P % Play all Bp’s with valve except the ones marked 1st Unmerklich langsamer Memperceptibly slower) ee eee ip Exercises for Thumb Coordination ees 2 (Play both tongued and slurred.) bay a2 2 2 Nasewe aay Nassee16 Practice the above exercises slurred as well as tongued. Strive towards an evenness of register, so that all tones are of the same quality and intensity Play the following exercise using the valve as demonstrated in the above exercises, In some cases you will have 1 choice of positions. Progressive Studies Use the valve, with slide in fist poston, for every Cand F, === Cantabile (d.- 48) P —— = =— P tf — Pp S—Pp oon grazia Nasea Pits mosso (J. = 58) —— f =——P mf 2 maf P ap pS Cantabile (J. = 48) vit, P — — rubato Play all low C’s with valve except those marked 6th, In the following study, be careful not to confuse valve markings with accents, Allegro moderato yt 5 4 2 nf Diy poco @ poco. crest. — "poco a poco crest. Lr Tt mf poco a poco — crese. Naasa.18 (Play all Ch’s with valve.) Adagietto poco a poco erese. Allegretto mp T nf e f P ft wf Allegro ma non troppo SF (Play all low C’s with valve unless otherwise marked.) poco. cresc, molto crese. Nasea = ee Somewhat tranquil, with quiet dignity and restrained emotion. See eae ema ‘PP rubato Pp «tempo SS eee poco a poco crese. ed accel mp a tempo wasse20 Exeerpt from the Overture to William Tell G. ROSSINI Allegro d =108 1 phe ate 1 Naas21 Vivace — Play slowly at first. Use the valve as marked Presto . cerhpre IF Major and Minor Triads (Play both tongued and slurred.) x x eo y veety y ais?22 Exercises for Valve Register Play the following in various ways, from staccato to legato, and forte to piano, Strive to make the valve notes “speak” the same as the others, thus acquiring evenness of register. 1 If you have trouble with the above exercises, go back and note the preceeding exercises which are marked “play both tongued and slurred”, and practice them slurred. Naas23 Allegro con brio | nf’ poco erese tw poco @ poco crese crese tf mp poco @ poco crese. St Allegro moderato d= 108 oy = St eae ot == Molto pit allegro 1 Nos24 Allegro moderato d= 112 o atest = ia mf poco @ poco —decresc. NasszExcerpt from the Hungarian March 1H, BERLIOZ Allegro d .88 (Use valve for lo F and all low C's except those marked 6 th.) — wT Sehr lebhaft (very lively) oa oa —_ —~ Deny att ow Cs with wave) fut Palen or (well held) 3 z wad, Nas26 rf wf Excerpt from Les Préludes F, LISZT Andante maestoso Nass27 Cantabile con aleuna licenza (Play all B4’s with valve except the two marked 7th.) “—? ——= of — 5 mf poco a abe poco crese St rit, atom rubai Pp sbato P mf Play all C’s and B's with valve, Play all low F's with valve except those marked 6th. Allegretto scherzando Se boro rit, mp 6 n "p Nass28 Excerpt from Capriccio Espagnole (No. 5, Fandango Asturiano) N. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV y 6 ze Presto Nass2dim ‘poco — fF poco @ poco dim t = sempre p v7 mare. 29 passe Allegro molto vivace &4 Naas? P t Allegro (Play all low C's with valve unless otherwise marked.) t Maestoso Poco agitato31 wf Pedal Tones Most players drop their lower jaw and push it slightly forward. The tongue tends to protrude between the teeth. 1 find, however, that if the tongue touches the lip it impairs my attack. Strive for a good attack, so that the note “speaks” immediately at the stroke of the tongue. The most difficult thing is to slur down to a pedal tone. A soft stroke of the tongue will help. Energico J «138 15: t P tf P Sf Play slowly so that you can make all the notes “speak” alike, No sudden bulges. NaasUse a sweeping type of slide motion between {stand 6th positions. Be sure to get the D in sharp Sth and D and G in 4th in tune. vy 16 1osy Allegro moderato 8 16: St e Cantabile of - ; ip Naas2Excerpt from Symphonie Fantastique (Fourth Movement) H. BERLIOZ, Op.14 Allegretto non troppo (d =72) Andante cantabile P poco eres pace — cress. NassNaas Allegro of s, Pie P possibile sempre36 Extremes of Register Take care not to shift the mouthpiece in order to get the high or low notes. aye a ¢ Fi 5 Play this slowly and deliberately. Strive for evenness of register so that you attain the same tone quality from top to bottom. Pay particular attention when you cross from regular notes to valve notes and to pedal tones. Play this in various dynamics from forte to piano, Play with slide in 1st position, Naas237 PART II The Flat F Adjustment ‘This is what I call a flat F adjustment, In order to get a low C in tune more tubing must be added to the horn Pull the slide in the F mechanism about an inch and a half so that E flat is in tune in a regular third position. This makes low C in tune in the 7th position but the other valve positions must be altered differently than formerly. Note that C and F will now be flat in first position and therefore are unusable. THE FOLLOWING NOTES ARE USED WITH VALVE. a i # ae = = ‘= = m= Note that first tm shout an foout alt vay In a little a Bosision with Hieh fron second, Sectneen fourth Hot sixthe ts Toneer sable, anything nearer x te fourth than fifth, #21 3} fs! 7 fl ie! 1 | 1 + 1 u 2 i 1 I I ' 1 + + + + 31 a 51 6 Eb (D#) and Bb in the 3rd Position Ey and Bp (These will be used frequently.) Play all E's, D's, and Bp’s with valve unless otherwise marked * at 3 o E and B (Cb) in the Sharp 2nd Position Bring the slide in toward you about the same amount as you extended it previously in getting B in flat 2nd position with regular F adjustment. Tv z > Play all E’s and B's with valve unless otherwise marked. NassD and A in the Sharp 5th Posit jon. ‘The position will have to be raised considerably. Formerly in the regular F adjustment the Bb and Eb were in a flat 3rd position which was so flat that it actually was nearer 4th position than 3rd. This time you will actually be nearer ‘4th position than 5th. I always think in terms of flat 3rd and sharp 5th position regardless of valve adjustment. To me it is less confusing than trying to remember one position for another adjustment. Note tht Bin sharp 2nd is very useful when you have «run leading up tot but going po further, 2 y 7 Db (C#) and Ab (G#) in the Sharp 6th Position sy by gv 6 1 Nase39 Andante cantabile mp — —— Scherzendo SS np mp ==) Andante nf np ante mp NasszAndante con moto 4 = 96 (Use valve for all Bb’s & A's with exception of final Bb.) P Vivace Use valve for all Bb’s and A’s except where marked, Vane onan aaa RAE EA f of St oof Molto moderato mf P poco a poco crest, tf 4352an =" fF Pp poco a “poco eres. P cree eS, Andante P ‘dole - ——* Kasep poco axitato t Tempo I dolce ro OP Nass43 Feierlich (solemn) Lr Sebr lebhaft ery lively) SFPART Ill The So Called E Valve Bass Trombones are always advertised as having a mechanism in F and FE. When the instrument was adjusted to get a low F in tune in first position, the low C was sharp in seventh position. It will be readily understood that if Eis obtained in first, then low B will be sharp in seventh. In fact, it is extremely sharp. The only thing to do is to adjust the valve mechanism as flat as it will permit, and alter positions accordingly. Since the designs of valve mechanisms on instruments vary considerably, a definite chart of positions is almost useless. I adjust to get a low D in regular third position which makes everything parallel to the positions used in my flat F adjustment only a half tone lower. The average trombone will not adjust to as flat a pitch The following chart speaks for itself, and is intended merely as a guide, Most Bass Trombones should adjust to get a low E flat in regular second position. If you can adjust lower, by all means do so. Regardless of how you adjust, always try to have some position where the valve coincides with a regular tenor position, so that you will have as few altered positions as possible. While Bp, A, Ab, G, and Gb are obtainable with the valve, they are of no particular advantage, and I never use them, ae = | | 1 + + an 1 1 ' + 4 u 2 3 1 I 1 ' 4 + 1 5 6 7 Scales provide excellent practice for the purpose of becoming acquainted with this new set of positions. 4 Note that you may not be able to adjust your instrament to get a low B in tune. In that case, be careful not to judge the pitch of a tone following a low B by that B, or you will suddenly realize that you are playing everything sharp. Major and Minor Scales Bb major G harmonic minor Nass45 G melodic minor .harmonie minor melodie minor Ab enor Farrier F melodie minor Db major Bb harmonic minor Bb melailie_ minor CK major Ag harmonic minor A melodie_minor Eb harmonic minor NaseEb melodic minor FE major Dé harmonic mir DE nhac minor Cr major Ab harmonic: minor Ab melodie: minor G# harmonic minor 1 major G# melodic minor “Eas a CE harmonic minor CE melodie minor AL major F& harmonic minor 2 2 yeve ¥F FE melodie minor D_msjor NaseaT B_harmonie minor B melodie minor G msjor E harmonic minor E_ melodie. minor © major A harmonic minor A melodie minor F major D harmonic minor D melodie minor SSS Adagio SS bi Senipre malig sostenuto wiecamen ee Nags