Mel Bay’s MR. TROMBONE the KAI WINDING method of JAZZ TROMBONE IMPROVISATION including HARMONIC APPROACH ... TECHNIQUE . LEGATO “DOO-DL” TONGUING . “FRETTING”. cet DUAL SUPPORT BREATHING . INTERPRETATION Mel Bay Publications, Pacific, Mo. 63069 55ay Winding’s notes to the method from an interview of 1980. [...] To speak of the trombone, and the advances made on it-I"ve written my first book: it relates to my method of playing. As I say, for many years, within the jazz idiom, the trombone was looked upon as an instrament with limitations. In the pre-bop era, it was really sort of a secondary melodic instrument somehow. With the advent of bebop. when the lines became more technical and required more ability than the normal procedure of trombone playing, then guys like myself, JJ. and many others came along and changed the whole concept of technique on the instrument. The people who became fans and advocates of what we were doing realised that this could be done: so I suppose We pioneered this direction. Today, of course, it’s very common for trombonists to be able to play as fast. and to do things technically just as easily and with as much facility as someone with a saxophone or any keyed instrument. This book has been a very interesting project: of Improvisation” What I do is explain my approach, not only technically but harmonically, and I deal ‘with all of the phases that encompass the way I play jazz—such as breathing. for instance. The tonguing techniques are speeially important. You see, being that on trombone we do not have the valves or the keys, so that we can mannally execute, we Ihave to sely entirely on the tonguing eoneept—along with the slide, of course. Ninety per cent or more of it is within the tongning aspect of the execution. What I go into in "s called “The Kai Winding Method depth in my book is a completely revolutionary form of articulation in brass instrument playing. We refer to it as doodle—tonguing. Rather than the legitimate “ta-cata-ca-ta- ca-taca” form of tonguing, we go into the “doodle oodle oadle oodle oodle 00”. which ismmch faster. It’s one of the first books where this has really been analysed to perfection. This concept applies to trumpet as well. As a matter of fact, I was talking to Clark ‘Terry recently—he’s been a very good friend of mine for many, many years.Apparently, he has also written « book—which I wasn’t aware of where he explains his approach to this type of tonguing. When he saw my book, he said that it was very close to what he'd put down in his book. So it seems we're on the same track. Twouldn’t say I've necessarily developed any different technique with the slide. The slide is just the mechanical part of the trombone. With the slide positions. it really wwotks as a violin does. Of course, we have what are called altemate positions: we utilize nuanees by this means, but, again, itis purely a mechanicel situation. A note can ‘be accomplished in so many positions, and it’s just a matter of choosing them, within the framework of the keys and the harmonies you are working with. But the important thing really is the articulation-the tongning. Well, the breathing, which actually precedes the articulation, We nmst breathe to play-as we must breathe to live: Foundation What is very important is the way we maintain our ais column: this is the seoret to all musical accomplishment on the brass instrument. I's ike speaking: when swe say a long sentence, we must have enough breath to complete it—then if we have to sneak a breath in the middle, we have to. Breathing properly is the complete foundation. One of the major parts of the book I've written deals with the proper type of breathing. It's a natural approach, and most professional brass players da it instinctively. For the novice. there's a certain way of thinking about it. and concentrating on where the breath originates and how to sustain it, Everything is founded on keeping that air column going. Beyond that is the tonguing, which is the articulation: then beyond that is the sound that yon ereate on your instrument. And beyond the whole thing is your head-your thinking. So it’s quite an involved concept, As for mouthpieces — you know. so many players get into a situation where they think a mouthpicce is going to save them. or ereate something beyond their expectations, But the answer is not the mouthpiece. not the instrument — it’s the person, ‘You must play the instrument; it does not play itself. The mouthpiece is merely a tool,