Playing Through the Blues: Trombone Edition (C): Trombone Book & CD

This book cuts through the confusion many intermediate trombonists feel when approaching jazz improvisation. By pairing melodic blues lines with play-along tracks and chord changes, Lipsius gives students something concrete to learn from rather than asking them to build solos from scratch. The variety of feels and styles (shuffle, funk, straight eighths) ensures students encounter real jazz vocabulary they'll hear in live performance.

These blues lines have genuine groove and personality. They're singable and musical, never dry or mechanical, so playing through them feels rewarding rather than like an exercise. Each tune has its own character, from the straight-ahead blues feel to funkier, more modern takes on the form.

Intermediate trombonists ready to explore jazz vocabulary and soloing in a structured way. This works especially well for students in jazz ensembles, combos, or private lessons who want to build blues language without overwhelming complexity.

• Sing the written blues lines before playing them. This trains your ear to hear the phrasing and helps you internalize the blues sound rather than reading note-by-note.
• Use the listening tracks first to absorb the style and feel of each tune, then move to the play-along versions. You'll know exactly what sound to aim for.
• Start your improvisation by quoting from or slightly varying the written lines shown in the book. This bridges the gap between reading and creating your own solos.
• Pay attention to how the written lines sit in your horn's range and use that knowledge when improvising. The book demonstrates smart register choices you can apply to your own ideas.

Assign individual tunes as part of jazz ensemble reading or solo repertoire during a blues unit. The recorded accompaniments make this ideal for student practice outside rehearsal, and the variety means different sections can work on different tracks based on their interests and ability level.

• Blues melodic vocabulary and phrasing
• Reading and performing chord changes
• Basic jazz improvisation over blues forms
• Interpreting different jazz feels (shuffle, funk, swing)
• Listening and aural skills using the play-along tracks
• Flexibility between reading and creating within a harmonic framework