Technic Today, Part 1: Trombone Book

Ployhar built this supplement to align seamlessly with Band Today Part One, creating a focused technical reinforcement tool that doesn't ask students to jump between unrelated materials. The 24-page format stays lean and purposeful, concentrating on the specific articulation, intonation, and flexibility challenges trombone players face at the intermediate level rather than padding the book with tangential exercises.

Focused and efficient. The exercises target real problems trombonists encounter at this level: smooth slide technique, consistent intonation across registers, and articulation clarity. The material feels purposeful rather than overwhelming, giving students concrete technical wins they can hear week to week.

Intermediate trombonists using Band Today Part One as their primary method will find this book essential for building the technical foundation they need. It also works well as a supplement for any intermediate band method where trombone players require targeted work on tone production, slide technique, and articulation.

• Assign exercises in short daily doses rather than as bulk practice. Two or three exercises per rehearsal, repeated over several days, cement technique faster than racing through the entire page.
• Use recorded accompaniments if available to anchor rhythmic precision and intonation work. Hearing the ensemble context while practicing slide positions builds better ensemble awareness.
• Isolate passages where students struggle most and have them notate slide positions directly on the page. This transforms abstract fingering into concrete, visible information.
• Rotate between soft and loud dynamics within the same exercise to develop control across the full range of the instrument.

Assign this as the primary technical warmup material for trombone section rehearsals, running through one or two exercises each time your trombones meet. The structured progression works well alongside your main method book, filling the gap between foundational exercises and full ensemble passages.

• Slide position accuracy and consistency across registers
• Articulation control (single and multiple tonguing)
• Tone production and dynamic control
• Intonation stability in common chord voicings
• Technical fluency with intervals and scale patterns used in Band Today Part One repertoire