Coordination for Trombone Playing: Trombone Book

Van Lier refuses to compartmentalize trombone training. By weaving technique, theory, and coordination work into one cohesive system, this book acknowledges that jazz players need classical facility and classical players benefit from jazz flexibility. The exercises build genuine endurance rather than just drilling patterns.

Methodical and thorough, with no shortcuts. The practice feels purposeful because each exercise builds on the last, and the explanations keep you grounded in why coordination matters before you're asked to execute it.

Trombonists ready to move beyond beginner fundamentals who want a single resource addressing technique across multiple styles. Whether your students are classical players developing jazz vocabulary or jazz players tightening their orchestral control, this method meets them where specialization begins.

• Map the exercises in clusters based on what needs attention that week. Don't treat the book as a daily read-through; use it diagnostically to target specific coordination breakdowns.
• Work through the sound and expression sections after your embouchure is warm. These aren't warm-up activities; they require the muscle memory you've already built.
• Pair range-building exercises with flexibility work in the same practice session. The book's design supports this; trust the progression rather than skipping ahead.
• Record yourself weekly on the same exercises. Coordination improvements are sometimes too subtle to hear in real time; playback reveals what your ears miss.

Assign sections as targeted homework during middle and late high school years when students have foundational chops. Studio teachers use it for private lesson progressions; ensemble directors pull specific exercises to solve coordination problems that emerge in rehearsal.

• Slide coordination across multiple positions and register transitions
• Embouchure flexibility and response without sacrificing tone quality
• Breath support for extended passages and dynamic control
• Precision in rapid articulation patterns
• Legit and jazz phrasing integration
• Range extension through systematic, injury-free methodology
• Endurance for consecutive performances and long rehearsals