Hi there I have now been playing trombone as a beginner for 7 months. My highest note I play with ease is a G above the staff though I can at times reach b flat an octave above the staff. This seems to be quite common range, though I am practicing to increase my challenge is sight reading faster notes, especially 8th notes. I have difficulty to play a song with those if I see it for the first, especially on a faster tempo when playing with rest of brass band members. I need to practice them quite slow on my own and can match the band speed after a day's practice. However what I would really like is to read better. I try to look ahead, look for patterns, but some songs such as the one I will try to load is quite different. Also kindly advice if it's early for my level to play that well like I would like to. I try to practice at least an hour every day sometimes up to 3 hours a day, but normally no less than 4 times a week. There is usually an event over the weekends, sometimes we would play all night and half day the next and say 4 hours the following day. The chops are not so much of a problem, though it becomes a bit of challenge on third day to get sound out during initial stage. I play with a new Yamaha student model (354) and an older trombone whose name I can see. However I avoid using the latter bone when playing above notes as it seems slightly out of alignment since it has a bit of resistance unless I use lots of spraying mineral water (this I think hampers my development and seemingly irritates fellow musicians as they seem to think I don't clean it at home, but there is no professional who can fix it).
Sight Reading and Endurance Problems
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ttf_anonymous
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- Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:09 pm
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ttf_BGuttman
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- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:15 pm
Sight Reading and Endurance Problems
This may not be the topic to answer you problems, and there are several:
1. The old trombone with the sticky slide: It needs a good cleaning and probably some dent removal. I assume you are in The Netherlands and there should be some decent techs in the area of Den Haag, Amsterdam, or Rotterdam. If you are in Belgium, look around Brussels or Antwerp. If you can't get it to work well after a good clean and lube, leave it be for now.
2. The performance schedule you are talking about is tough for ANYBODY. I'm not surprised you are "shooting blanks" by the 3rd day. How frequently do you have to do this?
3. The key to good sightreading is to do a lot of it. Find a couple of songbooks that you've never played before and just place it on the stand and read. Once through. No stopping to fix mistakes. Train yourself to scan ahead a couple of measures.
I am going to split this into a separate topic in Just for Beginners.
1. The old trombone with the sticky slide: It needs a good cleaning and probably some dent removal. I assume you are in The Netherlands and there should be some decent techs in the area of Den Haag, Amsterdam, or Rotterdam. If you are in Belgium, look around Brussels or Antwerp. If you can't get it to work well after a good clean and lube, leave it be for now.
2. The performance schedule you are talking about is tough for ANYBODY. I'm not surprised you are "shooting blanks" by the 3rd day. How frequently do you have to do this?
3. The key to good sightreading is to do a lot of it. Find a couple of songbooks that you've never played before and just place it on the stand and read. Once through. No stopping to fix mistakes. Train yourself to scan ahead a couple of measures.
I am going to split this into a separate topic in Just for Beginners.
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ttf_MichaelWindhoek
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- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:00 pm
Sight Reading and Endurance Problems
performance schedule is at least twice a month. I am in Southern Africa, Namibia. I used the cleaning method Bill Watrous is suggesting. When i do that it plays quite well, but i need to do it quite frequently at least once a week if not twice. If i play it in open air where there is dust i certainly need to clean it. It does not have visible dents, but i suspect the two slides may not be 100% well aligned. I am afraid if i try and correct it i might break it. I try to read music from musescore and others while i also have a couple of songs with background cd. The latter are quite fast, but i try to follow, especially when i am not playing along. I will try to follow your link when you split the topic, thanks for advise.
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ttf_anonymous
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- Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:09 pm
Sight Reading and Endurance Problems
I can offer some suggestions on the site reading that may help.
First - do not expect to be a really good site reader after 7 months you will improve with practice as you associate more and more note patterns with their rhythm. Many players learn better by listening. Most band pieces can be googled and found on YouTube or a vendor site. I will often play along with the band when practicing but even listening closely and following your score will help.
The really good players are often reading a little ahead of the conductor.
Take the few minutes you get before you play to find the tricky spots and don't be afraid to mark or highlight your music. (Key changes sneaky repeats etc.) Unless of course it is a copy to be returned.
First - do not expect to be a really good site reader after 7 months you will improve with practice as you associate more and more note patterns with their rhythm. Many players learn better by listening. Most band pieces can be googled and found on YouTube or a vendor site. I will often play along with the band when practicing but even listening closely and following your score will help.
The really good players are often reading a little ahead of the conductor.
Take the few minutes you get before you play to find the tricky spots and don't be afraid to mark or highlight your music. (Key changes sneaky repeats etc.) Unless of course it is a copy to be returned.
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ttf_anonymous
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:09 pm
Sight Reading and Endurance Problems
I can offer some suggestions on the site reading that may help.
First - do not expect to be a really good site reader after 7 months you will improve with practice as you associate more and more note patterns with their rhythm. Many players learn better by listening. Most band pieces can be googled and found on YouTube or a vendor site. I will often play along with the band when practicing but even listening closely and following your score will help.
The really good players are often reading a little ahead of the conductor.
Take the few minutes you get before you play to find the tricky spots and don't be afraid to mark or highlight your music. (Key changes sneaky repeats etc.) Unless of course it is a copy to be returned.
First - do not expect to be a really good site reader after 7 months you will improve with practice as you associate more and more note patterns with their rhythm. Many players learn better by listening. Most band pieces can be googled and found on YouTube or a vendor site. I will often play along with the band when practicing but even listening closely and following your score will help.
The really good players are often reading a little ahead of the conductor.
Take the few minutes you get before you play to find the tricky spots and don't be afraid to mark or highlight your music. (Key changes sneaky repeats etc.) Unless of course it is a copy to be returned.