First Book of Trombone Solos: Trombone & Piano Book

A curated tour through musical history where each stop offers something new. You move from the intimate yearning of a Russian song without words to the theatrical swagger of a Gilbert and Sullivan patter song, then settle into the meditative calm of a baroque saraband. The repertoire feels genuinely musical, not like exercises dressed up as pieces.

Elementary to intermediate trombonists ready to perform with accompaniment but not yet at the level of advanced solo repertoire. Students benefit most when they have spent enough time on fundamentals that they can focus on musicality and style interpretation rather than mechanical execution.

• Attend to the character of each style before focusing on notes and rhythms. Play through the piano part alone first to hear what harmonic world the trombonist is entering.
• Tailor your vibrato and tone color to match the historical period. A baroque piece benefits from restrained vibrato and a leaner sound; a 19th-century romantic work invites fuller expression.
• Balance volume carefully with your accompanist, especially in slower lyrical pieces where the trombone line can easily overwhelm the piano texture.
• Mark breath points in advance so you avoid mid-phrase gasping, and coordinate them with your pianist during rehearsal.

Select individual pieces for student recitals throughout the year, programming them alongside works at similar difficulty from other composers to vary the concert experience. Use this book in lessons as a natural transition from method books to performance literature, allowing students to experience ensemble playing and the give-and-take of working with an accompanist before moving to more demanding solo works.

• Performing with a pianist and learning to balance sound in an accompaniment texture
• Shaping musical phrases across technical passages without loss of line
• Distinguishing musical style and adapting tone, vibrato, and articulation accordingly
• Reading and interpreting notation across multiple historical periods
• Building stamina through longer lyrical passages and sustained tones