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Hi all,

I'm teaching bass trombone to a college student who has been a tuba player until now. I've been looking at some of my bass trombone method books, for material to use with him, and they all seem to assume that the player is coming from tenor trombone. Is there a good method for bass trombone that doesn't assume slide knowledge, but would be suitable for a college-age musician?

Thanks,
Gabe

No bass trombone instructor, I, but I would think that the real issue is the slide, and so a beginner's book in tenor T-bone may be a good way to start (he should breeze through it pretty quickly).

He really needs to develop his slide technique in a very fundamental way, through repetition. With a solid foundation in slide technique, he can then expand his range downward.

If you can find a copy of Armin Bachman's Bass Trombone Method to look at, it might be suitable.

The book is divided into keys. Each key has long-tone exercises and scale patterns. At the end of each key are a couple of etudes. I can't remember much about the range off the top of my head.

You would probably want to look at the book before buying it, to see if it is worth the cost for your needs.

I have had tuba students use the Aharoni method with some success.

I started one of my High School wunderkind tubists on bass trombone last spring. I used the already mentioned approach of starting him with the beginning trombone book. It worked well.

Z-Tuba Dude wrote:No bass trombone instructor, I, but I would think that the real issue is the slide, and so a beginner's book in tenor T-bone may be a good way to start (he should breeze through it pretty quickly).

He really needs to develop his slide technique in a very fundamental way, through repetition. With a solid foundation in slide technique, he can then expand his range downward.

Not an instructor either; but I agree that you can't become a bass bone player without being a bone player. Skipping that step will make it harder for the player to develop a characteristic bass bone sound. Besides, the bass bone is often called upon to work up in and above the staff with the other bones, so it's important to achieve competence up there as well.

I'll throw one more opinion into the mix: just as important as slide technique is learning the difference in oral cavity and embouchure to get a good bone sound.
____________________________
Joe Baker, whose bass bone playing didn't come together until he had spent some time on tenor.

I became a bass trombone player by just jumping right in. I knew "trombone basics" but had never seriously performed on the trombone... I did have several trombone students at the time, from whom I learned loads. An opening came up in a local big band and my name was floated in front of the director.. I had never touched a bass trombone.. I had never sight-read on trombone in a performance setting.

First season was shaky, but it made one hell of a bone player out of me.. enough to have me back the next season, where I really worked on my trombone chops, and after about 3 years I was confident enough to call myself a "bass trombonist". Lots of practising, lots of playing, and (especially) looming deadlines in front of me.

I'm going to have to disagree with the advice of starting on tenor trombone.. not that it's bad advice, but that I don't think it a prerequisite any more than I think euphonium to be a prerequisite to the F tuba.

I would say, especially, that tenor trombone fundamentals are not prerequisite to bass trombone fundamentals, specifically because the fundamentals are different. They can and do complement each other(just as do the tuba fundamentals), but they are two different sets of protocols.. I think this just adds room for confusion. In teaching my students, references to technique on other instruments are usually for the purpose of contrast, not reference..this why I don't view tenor trombone as a prerequisite.

I say approach the student as any other bass trombone student. He will have strengths and weaknesses, address them. How to address them is up to you, but I don't think it should differ from how you address the concerns of your other bass trombone students. Teach the instrument, inside out.. give the student what is necessary to be his best. Teach him the fundamentals of the bass trombone, and go from there. G'luck!

my $.0002