The Modern Trombone

T he Modern
Trom bone
A Definition of Its Idioms

NlU
ML

' -t
ST U A R T DEM PSTER

l,’li)iA 'JA U \'S V E f;5 ;7 /

SCHCCLOF^USiO
UBRARy
Bi.OOf®GrcsV, IN47405
INDIANA U N I\T R S n Y
LIBRARIES
BLOOMINGTON . . t
Accura Music, Inc.
A th e n s, O h io
To m y wife,
Renko
 Clonicnis

List o f Recordeii E x a m p le s.................................................................. xi

A c k n o w le d g m e n ts .................................................................................xv
F o re w o rd .................................................................................................... 1
I. Voice and M u ltip h o n ic s ......................................................................... 5
The Voice, 5
Voice and Buzzed Lip, 6
The Scream , 8
High Register Close Double Stopping, 8
Spht Tone, 9
Buzzed Lip and Muted Vowel Harmonics, 9
A uxiliary Double or Single Reed, 12
II. Vowels and C o n s o n a n ts ........................................................................ 13
Buzzed Vowels, 13
Vowel H arm onics, 14
Vocal Vowels, 14
Tonguings, 15
C onsonants, 16
HI. G l i s s a n d o s .................................................................................................18
Normal Glissando, 18
Bent T one, 19
H arm onic Glissando, 20

IV. M ic r o to n e s .................................................................................................24
Just Tuning, 25
Sixth Tones, 26
Q uarter Tones and Eighth Tones, 26
M icrotones, 27
Leaps o r Skips, 27
R everberation, 28
D oppler, 28
V. V ibratos and T r i l l s ...................................................................................29
Slide V ibrato, 29
Lip or Jaw V ibrato, 31
Tongue or Vowel V ibrato, 32
Diaphragm or G ut V ibrato, 33
Trill and Shake, 34
T rem olos, 35
V oice V ibratos, 35
Mute V ibratos, 35

vn
 ( O N / I N JS
VIII

V I, O th e r H o d y .............................................................................................................................................. ......
f)u//.e(l I-lp, *
lonKKC-Hu//, 4I m
Sh.pl.;nK-*c, l-lNtf/, -«■'<
IridlHofial Mu((crloriK'J«, 1'/
Voicc, 3‘/
l-.iop»iaj(fal Spccdi amf
f ’lowd .S ound!, '♦I
Throal Sound*, 42
nitk » an d Iliuckt, 41
Air Sound*, 4 3
Inhaled .Sound*, 44
Circular Hreaflijn*, 44
VII. Slide and Hell l)i'>:iHScmt>iy...........................................................................
Mouthpiet-c, 46
Slide Section, 47
BeJI Section, 4<>
"I-” Attathment or "Triiwr," 4V
Valve Trcmolo, 50
V III. P e r c u s s i v e I Je v ic e < > a n d A c c m o r i c * ............................................................................... 5 1
Two Moufhpiecc*. 53
Palm on Moulhpiecc, 53
Bell F-djfe Ifittin*, 54
Vacuum, 54
Mutei, 54
Sfickn, 55
Circular Breathinj; Beater*, 55
Extra Percui«ion, 56
Scraping, 57
Water, 58
Kazoo, 58
Mouthpiece Beater, 59
IX. M u t e s ................................................................................................................... fiO
Wa-wa, 61
Buzz, 6]
Plunger, 62
Hat, 63
Felt, Bucket, and Hand, 63
Cup, 64
Mute Nucleui, 65
Mute Effectiveneii, 65
Mute Harmonici, 66
X. M eans o f E x te n s io n ............................................................................................ 67
Piano Reionance, 67
KJectronici, 6<(
Recommended Sound* for Amphfiaition, 70
Performance Space Revjrianc*, 70
XI. T h eatrical I m p l i c a t i o n s ................................................................................ 73
fiarden Ho*«, 73
Mufical Ventriloquism, 74
Theatrical CortKioutneu and Hunv^r 75
Laufh, 75
Theater Piecet, 76
Peiionality Portrayal, 76
 IX
CONTENTS

B ack w o rd ..........................................................................................................
A p p e n d ic e s .....................................................................................................
I. G eneral S p e e c h ...........................................................................
A n n o ta tio n s, 82
S core, 85

II. T en G rand H o s e i y ......................................................................

S tage, 9 0
L ighting, 90
P erfo rm an ce, 91

III. T he D i d j e r i d u ................................................................................
IV. Jo h n Cage and F rank R e h a k ..................................................
V. R a n g e ...............................................................................................
High R ange, 98
Pedal Tories, 99
B artok G lissando, 100
D ouble Trigger, 100
T enor-B ass, 101
A lto T ro m b o n e , 101
New L im its, i0 2

B i b l i o g r a p h y ............................................................................................... ’
B ooks and A rticles, 103
M usic, 103
R ecordings, 104

I n d e x ...............................................................................................................
The examples that will be found on the compact disc that accompanics this book are listed hei^ by chaptcr. The
bands on Ihe compact disc correspond to the chapter number. These examples are coordinated with the text, and ;n
the margins of the text you will find the recorded example numbers adjacent to the relcvani text discussion. In the
list below, follow each example, the text page number where the relevant text discussion occurs is given.

C h ap ter I
a. V oice Speaking T hrough th e T rom bone, 5
b. V oice Singing T hrough the T rom bone, 5
c. H um sing, 6
d. U nison (o n F ), 6
e. “ B eats” P ro d u ced by Moving Slowly from a Unison T ow ard a H alf Step, 6
f. U nison w ith A ltern atin g D ynam ics, 6
g. P itch E xchange (Glissed and S lurred), 7
h. Intervals (C horale), 7
i. Scream (N o Playing), 8
j. Scream w ith Playing, 8
k. Scream w ith Playing and Vowels, 8
1. High R egister Close D ouble S topping, 8
m. S p h t T o n e, 9
n. S plit T o n e D uring G lissando, 9
o. M u ltip h o n ic C hoices on Low Bb, 10
p. M u ltip h o n ic C hoices on Low F, 10
q. M u ltip h o n ic C hoices w ith Wa-wa M ute on M iddle F , 11
r. M u ltip h o n ic C hoices w ith Wa-wa M ute on Low Bb,11
s. T w o S up erim p o sed V ow el H arm onics (O ral Cavity Change w ith Wa-wa M ute), 11
t. D ouble R eed, 12

C h ap ter II
a. Vow els: a, e, i, o, u, an d S om etim es y, 13
b. V ow el H arm onics (See Also I.o ,p ,q ,r), 14
c. Vocal V ow els (N o In stru m e n t), 14
d. V ocal V ow els T hrough In stru m e n t (B u t No Playing), 15

XI
 K J' . COK D t ' I . X A M IM.I-.S
XII

C hapter III
a. Nomial Glissando, 1H
b. Normal C;iissan(Jo with Break. IK
c. Bent T one, 19
d Drop (Dow n and Up). 20
e . R i p n j p and Down), 20

f Harm onic Glissando (Usual Param eter), 2

‘h “ u Ml«b o„d l l » Bb S l„ « an d F a s,, 2 ,

i. Almost Same Note H annonic CJlissando S h o rten ed , 22
j. Almost Same Note Harm onic C.lissando L cn u th c n u i, 22

CTiapter IV
a. Rolling Bell on Piano Strings, 28
b. 53 Seconds from the Opening Section o f Oliveros’s Theater Piece: Bell o n Piano Strings and Piano
Frame (See Also V III.k.) with G arden Hose (See Also X I.a.), 28
c. Final 1 Minute 13 Seconds of Oliveros’s Theater !Hece\ Sw inging G arden Hose over Head While
Playing, 28
d. Middle 1 Minute 19 Seconds o f D em pster’s Didjeridervish W here In stru m e n t and Player Rotate
as a Unit, 28

Chapter V
a. Three Primary V ibratos: Norm al Param eters o f Slide, Lip, and D iaphragm , 29
b. Slide V ibrato; Variable Speed an d /o r W idth, 30
c. Shde Vibrato: More D ennite Pitch Indication, 30
d. Slide V ibrato: Fast and Wide with Diminishing W idth, 30
e. Lip or Jaw Vibrato: Variable Speed an d /o r W idth, 31
f. C om bination Slide and law V ibratos: N orm al E xcept fo r S low er Jaw , 31
g. Com bination Slide and Jaw V ibratos: B oth V aried, 32
h. Tongue or Vowel V ibrato: Normal P aram eter, 32
i. Tongue or Vowel V ibrato: Variable Speed a n d /o r W idth, 32
j. Tongue and Jaw Vibratos: Exchanging from O ne to th e O th e r, 33
k. Diaphragm or G ut V ibrato: Variable Speed a n d /o r W idth, 33
I. Diaphragm or G ut Vibrato: Diagonals Indicating C rescendo o r D im inuendo, 33
m. Shde, Jaw, and Diaphragm V ibratos in C o m bination, 33

Chapter VI
a- A lternating Normal Lip Buzz w ith Tongue-B uzz 38
b. Tonguc-M outh F lutter, 38
c. Tongue-M outh F lutter: Fake Low Pedal N otes 38
d . High, Screamed W histling or W hooshing, 3 9
e. Voice Lecture, 39
f. Quarrel, 40
g. Dog Bark, 40
 Ml' « I M M i l I) |! S A M I* I i n xm

' 7 ,'........ .................... ............... .................. ........................... s ,„ h „ i ,. . m.

I, K p I i 'I i I mh, M I
I I'unpliuurol S|ir<M li, >11
k. Stoiiiiii li t loiihlr, 'I I
I, WIilttlllMK, 'I I
in Klinliiu <11 Ninni kliiu, 'I.’
II. MIk.I i K I hoI iih Soitiiil, •!.'
(». riiriiiil <'IriiiliiK, »l»’
p. S|>ll, 42
(|, A lirin, A l
r. V c ljit(’llt k. 4<
%, f'onllniiniiH V rliu , >] t
I. Noii-pllt'hcd I'pcldl Tniirn, 4 t
II. KimhliiK A ir, A »
V. I)(>K I’linl, WIilHllliiK AllriMiilliiK wllli HI(.w|ii(j. A \
w. Vocal Itilialc, 44
X. Hu/./,cil Infiiilo, 44

C h ap ter VII
a. l,ip Uuzz, 4ri
I), I,lp Muzz Into M o iitlip irip , Al»<> D dtir wllli I'liillc ilo n u m ’. 4ri
c. Moullipiccc 'I'alk. W oikinK IlitiulN In I'Voiil ol' M(»iillipliHc. 4(i
(I. PliiyinK on Inside (O u te r Sllile ()(T) Sluit’ S ecllon Alone (W ith M onthpieiT ). 47
c. Playinn on Slide Sciilion w ith O nly (he 'I'op Tiihr I'.iiKaKcd. 4K
f. V acuum Sm ack (Crcatirifi S ucllon and h illin g O u ter Slide O ff), 4H
«. Blowing over Slide 'l uheN, A» over a H ottie, 4H
h. Slide S cctio n A lone, M outh on M outhpiece and 'I'huinb ( ‘overinn l.ow cr T uIhv C reating S uction
and PrcNHure A ltcrn a lciy by Moving Slide Hack and I-orth, 4K
i. Valve Slide R em oved and K eplaced, 49
j. Valve Slide O ff: Cuivr6 liffect, 50
k, Valve 7 rc rn o lo ; Playlnit witli One Valve I'u Ijc (InKaned, 50
I, Slow Valve T re m o lo (M alf Valve liffect Included), 51

C h ap ter VIII
a. Beating T w o M o uthpieces T o g eth er, 5.1
b. S trik in g M o u th p iece w ith Palm , Leaving Palm On, 53
c. S trikinx M o u th p iece w ith Palm , HrinKlnK Palm O ff Q uickly, 54
d. A* in b. and c. B ut MovinK the Slide fo r Pitch V ariation, 54
c- H ittin g Bell hdgc with King, 54
f, Platitic-handled P ercustion Stick in (Jrip Area, 55
K- Snare fJrum Brush on Hell, 55
h, Supcrball B eater on Bell: R ubhing S ounds, 55
i. P roducing R h y th m i by V ariation* in C ircular Breathing (Sec Also IV .d.), 55
j. Scraping Bell on P loor, 57
k. Scraping Bell on Piano Strings and Piano F ram e (See Also IV .h.), 57
1. Playing w ith Bell near o r U nder W ater, 5f<
xiv r ec o r d ed ex a m ples

C h ap ter IX
a. Wa-wa M ute: S tem in All th e Way, 61
b. Wa-wa M ute; Stem H alf E x te n d e d , 61
c. W'a-wa M ute: Stem F ully E x ten d e d , 61
d. Wa-wa M ute: Stem R em oved, 61
e. Wa-wa M ute B ackw ards to P roduce a Buzz, 61
f. T ig h t P lunger to Make a B uzz, 62
g. C o m b in ed Buzz and ua b y Using Plunger M ute w ith T ru m p e t S tra ig h t M ute in Bell, 62
h. H at M ute, 63
i. B ucket M ute (F in ch M ute), 6 3 , 63n
j. C u p M ute: O pen and T ight, 6 4
k. B lowing over C up o r S traight M ute, As over a B o ttle, 66

C h ap ter X
a. Piano R esonance: Playing in to Piano w ith th e Pedal D ow n, 67
b. Playing w ith th e Idea o f Im itating E lectro n ic Music, 70
c. Playing in a R everberant Space, in This Case w ith a 14-second N a tu ral R ev erb era tio n in the Great
A bbey o f Q e m e n t VI in th e P ope’s Palace, Avignon. (T his is a 52-second sam ple o f th e type o f
m usic th a t form s D em pster’s Standing Waves: how ever, it is from a d iffe re n t ta p e from th a t which
appears on D em p ster’s 1750 A rch R ecord, S -!7 7 5 ), 70

C h ap ter XI
a. G arden Hose (See Also IV .b.), 73
b. T ro m b o n e Laugh Using Wa-wa M ute, 75
 A ck n ow led gm en ts

Thanks go to so m any it is im possible to know where to begin or end, but I will give it a try anyway.
Thanks, then, to the follow ing: Alain Hdnon, University o f C alifornia Press Editor. Barney C hilds and
B ertram Turetzky, The New Instrumentatinn Editors, for their assistance, reassurance, and patience; Jeirie
Kennedy, w ho so kindly edited the entire manuscript: W illiam Bergsma, Donald Erb, and R obert
E rickson, for th eir suggestions after reading the first draft; Brad Sherm an, for the hand-draw n exam ples;
M ea H artm an, A1 Sw anson, and Betty W angerin for their assistance in the preparation o f the recordings;
Buddy B aker, G lenn B ridges, John C age, Jam es Fulkerson, Frank Rehak, Bem ard Schneider, G erald
Sloan, Larry W eed, and others, w ho wrote letters or otherw ise supplied helpful inform ation to me; Loren
Rush and the C enter for C om puter R eserach in M usic and A coustics (CCRM A ), Stanford University, for
their assistance irt the preparation o f the index; the University of W ashington for its direct and indirect
support; the publishers who have given their perm ission to print musical exam ples, particularly Raoul
R onson o f Seesaw -O kva M usic C orp., who so willingly gave perm ission to reprint the entire General
Speech-, and finally the com posers who have written the incredibility beautiful m usic that has m ade this
book possible. A nd now thanks to R eginald Fink o f Accura M usic for his assistance and encouragem ent
in this reprint.

XV
 Foreword

This b o o k is in ten d ed to ex ten d the techniques discussed in o th er books ra th e r than to supplant or

co m pete w ith th e b o o k s and m eth o d s now in existence. It will n eith er discuss n o r ignore the trad i­
tional tro m b o n e , b u t will build upon th at which already exists in trom bone m aterials and o rch estra­
tion books. Books to consult b efo re reading this one w ould be the tro m b o n e books by Fink,
G a 'g o ry . K leinhanim er, and Wick, as well as such basic orchestration books as those by K ennan and
Piston. David B aker s Contem porary Techniques fo r the Trombone should also be exam ined w ith
special a tte n tio n to th e value o f exercises and drills. WTiile Baker’s book “ addresses itself to the
teacher, s tu d e n t, a m ate u r and professional tro m b o n ist . . . this book is for composers as well as
tro m b o n ists an d . o f course, teachers in b o th fields. C om posers and trom bonists alike need to be aware
o f those tech n iq u es th a t are id io m atic to th e trom bone.
T rad itio n al tech n iq u e ca n n o t be ignored, since it is m andatory in o rd er to learn and m aster new
tech n iq u es; learning and m astering new techniques enhance and define m ore clearly traditional tech ­
niques. T he old and th e new , so seem ingly separate, are actually inseparable and, in the long run,
co m p lem en tary , even if in th e sh o rt run this seem s n o t to be the case.
In exam ining th e reasons w hy this c o n d itio n exists, at least on a brass instrum ent and particularly
on a tro m b o n e , I stu d ied the A ustralian aboriginal didjeridu, a hollow ed-out tree trunk th at functions
m uch like a tro m b o n e (see A ppendix III). It tu rn s o u t th a t m uch o f w hat I tho u g h t was new is a
tw o-thousand-year-old tra d itio n ! As far as can be determ ined, th e aboriginals have been using m any
o f these “ n ew ” so u n d s fo r centuries. This in fo rm atio n led m e to conclude th at this treatise should be
less co n cern ed w ith w h at is new o r old on th e tro m b o n e th an w ith w hat is idiomatic to the instrum ent.
These idiom s have been o f fo rem o st im p o rtan ce in m y determ in atio n o f th e tro m b o n e ’s acoustical
rep erto ire, w h ich is th e subject o f th e book.
T he tro m b o n e is n o t an in stru m e n t in th e usual sense, since it has no reed to m ake sound; rath er, it
is a resonator o f w h atev er so und is in tro d u ce d at the m outhpiece. This “ n o n -in stru m en t” is sim ilar
to a m eg ap h o n e; its real fu n c tio n is to focus the sound ra th e r than to am plify it. T h at is to say, the
tro m b o n e p rim arily co n tro ls th e q u ality o f tone pro d u ced and, secondarily, increases the loudness. It
is this q u ality o f to n e th a t pro d u ces the sound o f a tro m b o n e ra th e r th an the sound of, say, a b an to n e
horn. T h at th e tro m b o n e can be sim ulated by a garden hose fitted w ith a m outhpiece and a funnel
 I O H I ' W O U I)
J

.................................. ............. ........ ............................ ..............................

II,., M u i n l n . l M ' ........... It m i l l H 1U . I . M I linm -

I I. .m ................ . Ml II,.• .. U IIH' ........................"I l'l>. « l . « t a l in,

................ I ,......................................... . I............................... . ....... ....................... “

............... .. ...... ..... ................ ............. I ll.i..« l. I..I I....... . " " ttic t«t»l
........... . ........... I. II |."1 m...r -I.Hlv uiiir I. y.nm.tly -pa,! on tlw-sc- lhan „„ ,he
», 1 ,1.1 l.„ „ l„ « llM'll .... . .......... . I" tiody u,c,
.II„ I |,„.,ll,l,. . l l , M « l l n „ . ,ll.,-. I l y , n „ . r i i i c l W ill, i W | ,r .» l,.c lL .ii ..I l o i i c n r w if i, , , w , l i l y t h a n « « .

I'm I, I l,»|,li*i l« « mill mt'l I' <Ii"iiitiii',1 I" I'l' ** flcsircil. < hiiptcrs are cross-rcfercnced
111 .,1.1, ,1 w«v II,.,I i,-l«l,-,l IMI'I, < li'" i, 'lilli'li- ii'' l,» l'lri' l’ >'- "!»'l ciinTCCutively. One can also read
lulvmiltiK'-oii'.ly Im*mi Im. k lo lnMit (%rr H m k w n n l). O n e r ac iiiia in lc d w ith Ih c tro m b o n e ’s “ p alette
ol tliiniiHli IIk* M-mliMK<*l lli'-v’ cliiiitlctH. o n e can hcKin to th in k a b o u t m u sic th a t is truly

l«llonuitli loi llic lt<iinh(inc<

llilH Iwink U nil Invlliilinn to cK pcrim cnt w ith th e m a te ria ls p ro v id e d , a n d it is m y fe rv en t hope that
the tni(UM will d o II i Ih lirqiirM liy while readinn Ihc b o o k . It is also an in v ita tio n fo r c o m p o se rs and
p n l d i i n n s let ii>nslru« t p lrc rs to n c th e r, and fiirth e rin o re , to ta k e th e tim e n cc cssary to b ec o m e really
iici|in iin ln l w ith Ihc tro in b o n c . While doiim so , read ers arc e n c o u ra n e d to e x e rc ise th e sam e diligence,
tliiil in luuiilly reserved lo r ac»iiiinnn kn o w led n e o f th e strin g s o r p ia n o . M y o w n view - w hich may
h r a slnittiliir one is thiit » co m p o scr an d p e rfo rm e r, w hen niven th e c h a n c e , c a n w o rk to g e th e r bene-
Ik ially tiiul p ro d u c e w orks o f u (juiility fur Jtrcuter th a n ju s t th e su m o f th e tw o p e o p le ’s e ffo rts. Such
collaboriitlvc w orks, nil fully d o c u m e n te d in th e B ib lio g ra p h y , p ro v id e m o st o f th e e x a m p le s fo r this
b o o k . My o rie n ta tio n is p e rfo rm a n c e ; th a t o f th e c o m p o se rs is, o f c o u rse , c o m p o s itio n ; how ever,
the best d escrip tio n o f the c o lla b o ra tio n , in R o b e rt F ric k s o n ’s o w n w o rd s, is th e p h ra s e , “ E ach gets
Inti) th e o th e r’s p o c k e ts."
lo in en tlo n R o b e rt H rickson is to cite un in d iv id u al w h o , p e rh a p s , h a s th o u g h t a b o u t th e trom bone
as a source o f so u n d and sight m ore deep ly th a n an y o th e r c o m p o se r. T h is h as b e e n in p a r t d u e to
tiiy ow n insisten ce, b u t, for w h atev er reason, he has d e v o te d his so le a t t e n t i o n to th e tro m b o n e at least
tw icc to p ro d u ce tw o m ajor w o rk s fo r tro m b o n e , th e /ilcercare 5 ( 1 9 6 6 ) a n d G eneral Speech (1969).
O th e r c(|Uiilly Im p o rta n t w orks are also c o lla b o ra tio n s , su ch as L u c ia n o B e rio ’s S e q u e n za 7 (1 9 6 6 )
or P auline O liveros’s Theater H ece ( 19 6 6 ), th e la tte r a c tu a lly a th re e -w a y c o lla b o r a tio n o f OliVeros,
chorct)Krnpher I'.li/.abeth H arris, and m yself. O liveros sees an in s tr u m e n t as a ss u m in g v irtu a lly th e
en tire p erso n ality o f th e in stru m e n ta list. N o o th e r p e rs o n , so fa r as I k n o w , w o rk s in q u ite th is fashion.
n»e p o in t here is th a t n o n e o f these picces co u ld have a tta in e d th e ir h ig h a r tis tic level w ith o u t the
M rorcnicntioned c o lla b o ra tio n . I see tru e value in c o lla b o ra tio n a n d fm d i t p re fe ra b le t o c o m p o se r and
pcrl.itincr woikinii wparalcly in Ihoir w patatc tower* (n o l necessarily ivory), rarely communicating.
(iran tcl, collaboration requires more work from each party, but each is then m ore satisfied and the
lonjt-tcrm value is far m ore significant.
 fo r ew o rd 3

It has been m y ex p erience in th e past to find m any tro m b o n e players distraught at the sight o f
so m any d ifficu lt new pieces. H appily, this state o f affairs is changing as tro m b o n ists begin to realize
the trem en d o u s aco ustical p o te n tia l o f th eir in stru m en t, and th a t th ey can exercise som e co n tro l
over th eir ow n artistic d estin y . In d eed , tro m b o n ists should take responsibility in acquiring new litera­
ture, such as is being d o n e th ro u g h th e In tern atio n al T ro m b o n e A ssociation. TTie above organization,
and th e various tro m b o n e and brass w orkshops here and abroad, provide a convenient and co m fo rta b le
stru ctu re from w ith in w hich w orks can be com m issioned. As good as the above-cited group e ffo rt is,
how ever, individual en d eav o r will p robably bring ab o u t even m ore fru itfu l results. If th e individual
tro m b o n ist can face th is challenge by m eeting com posers and inspiring them to w rite fo r him o r her
as an in stru m e n t an d , p ossibly, as a to ta l p ersonality, th en m y effo rts will be m ore than am ply rew arded.

S tuart D em pster
Seattle, Washington
 Chapter I:
\"oice and M ultip hon ics

A new s tu d y o f th e tro m b o n e is best begun w ith the m ost im p o rta n t secondary p itch source: the voice.
Using th e voice to p ro d u c e h arm o n y in th e tro m b o n e dates at least to the tu rn o f the cen tu ry and
possibly m u ch e a rlie r.’ P robably th e m ost fam ous early exam ple in brass lite ratu re is in the C. M. von
W eber Horn Concertino, O p. 4 5 , during the cadenza.^ While n o t a new idea, use o f voice has appeared
m ostly in th e back o f m eth o d b o o k s as purely an exercise, and it seems likely th at n eith er com poser
n o r p e rfo rm e r to o k m uch serious in terest in it as a m usical resource. D uring th e second h a lf o f the
present c e n tu ry , how ever, a trem en d o u s in terest has developed in this “ double sto p ” tech n iq u e to
such a degree th a t it p ro b a b ly holds equal statu s w ith th e vowel sounds as the m ost popular, successful,
easily learn ed , and best organized o f all th e new techniques.

THE VOICE

If o n e is m erely to speak in to th e tro m b o n e, th e m egaphone effect is easily observed. T he best reso­

la
nance is achieved by seahng th e lips o n the m outhpiece, ju st as one w ould naturally do for norm al
playing. S peech is a good so und source, and although the d isto rtio n is significant, the w ords can still
Ib
be u n d ersto o d .*

1. G lenn Bridges, in a le tte r d ated 12 A ugust 1974; “ T here w ere m any w ho were good at it.
G ardelle S im ons was a m a ste r at this besides P ryor, M antia, etc. I heard M antia do the stu n t on E u p h o n ­
ium back in th e 1920s. Even old Innes did this w hen he cam e to this c o u n try in 1 8 8 0 .1 w ould say it
goes ’w ay b ack. I have little d o u b t b u t w h at it was d o n e in England in th e early 1800s. M any early
c o m e t play ers did th e s tu n t very early. In fact it is a w ell-know n fact th a t ARBAN did all o f these well-
kn o w n s tu n ts .”
2. L arry W eed, in a le tte r d ated 11 M arch 1975: “ B irchard C oar’s b o o k on 19th-C entury H orn
V irtuosi c red its H am pel w ith b o th sto p p ed h o rn and sim ultaneous notes (circa 17 8 6 ).”
3. In th e K ren ek Five Pieces, page 1 1, “ m u tte rin g ” is required. 1 like to think o f things to say that
are a p p ro p ria te to th e tim e , place, an d audience; how ever, it should n o t be u n d e rsto o d any m ore th an
m u tte rin g w ould be n o rm ally u n d e rsto o d . It is follow ed in this p artic u la r case by a “ b a rk ,” a dog bark
th a t ap p ears as w ell in o th e r pieces such as in Cage’s Solo. See th e section on anim al sounds in
C h ap ter V I below .
 1. VOICE AND M U L T IP H O N IC S

T o u n d e rsta n d th e voice alo n e, o n e can h u m - w ith lips clo sed so th e so u n d ac tu ally emanate
th e nose - a lte rn a tin g w ith an o p en -lip p ed so u nid
d (a n o rm a l voice “ a h ” ). I have term e d this “u '

sing,” an d th e n o ta tio n w ould be as in th e fo llo w in g e x a m p le :

Ic E x am p le 1; H um sing
7?ia ' w-WTfrmTTTW w s r w ? * -W W W *

It is n o t necessary to stick to “ m a” ; th e so u n d s “ m i” (m e e ), mo (m o h ), “ m u ” (m oo), or

(m ee-ah-oh), etc. (cf. C h a p te r II) can also be used. O nce again, th e seal o f th e lips on th e mouthpiece
m u st be co rrec t. T he n e x t ste p is to sing th ro u g h th e tro m b o n e ju s t to g e t u sed to th e idea. This is
n o rm ally n o t in terestin g , th o u g h th e so und is n eed ed fro m tim e to tim e . T h e in te re st generally come^
in its c o m b in a tio n w ith the lip.

VOICE A N D BU ZZED LIP

A fte r th e voice alone, th en , pro ceed w ith th e u nison (E x a m p le 2) a n d learn to k eep this unison in
tu n e and in even volum e.
Id E xam ple 2: U nison

T h en p ractice m oving aw ay from th e unison, first by m oving th e slide a little d o w n , then the voice a
little dow n. L iterally c o u n t th e n u m b er o f “ b e a ts ” resu ltin g fro m th e in to n a tio n (th ese “ beats” are
req u ested in D onald E rb ’s . . . and then, toward the e n d . . . d u rin g th e cad en za). F inally, reach the
d istan ce o f a h a lf step , sto p p in g along th e way to try and tu n e q u a rte r tones. P ractice all the intervals,
le tu n e carefu lly, and listen to all th e ad d ed to n es o r in to n a tio n b eats. A m a jo r six th o r m inor seventh,
fo r in stan ce, will give a three- o r fo u r-n o te result.
In p ro d u cin g d o u b le stops, m o st peo p le p re fer to k eep th e voice p itc h above th e lip pitch. The
reverse seem s h ard er to co n tro l even th o u g h it is used m o re th a n ju s t o ccasio n ally , w hich will be
seen later on. Perhaps th e m o st im p o rta n t th in g to k eep in m ind is th a t one m u st “ s h o u t” the voice
th ro u g h th e in stru m en t w hile at th e sam e tim e allow ing a “ b re a th y ” lip so u n d to go through. This is
because b o th sounds (lip and voice) are fu n c tio n in g in th e sam e ch a m b e r, an d trick y balancing is
necessary, th ere fo re , to keep th e tw o so u n d s relatively equal. T h e fo llo w in g ex am p le (3 ) is useful
fo r m astering this balance.
If E xam ple 3: U nison w ith A lternating D ynam ics
 I. V O I C E A N D M U L T I P H O N I C S

When this a ltern atin g d ynam ic exercise is practiced co rrectly , one will hear th e sam e p itch w ith
only a tim b re change, w hich should be as shght as possible. P ractice letting go and reattack in g each
tim bre as it becom es so ft, in such a way th a t the fade and return o f a given tim bre can n o t be
d is c e rn e d / A n o th e r practice tech n iq u e and its variant are seen in Exam ple 4.
Ig Exam ple 4: Glissed and Slurred P itch Exchanges

This is an exchange o f th e sam e tw o pitches from lip to voice to lip to voice, done by e ith e r glissando
or ju st plain slurring. T he slurred version can be practiced fast enough to be a trill effect and should
be done occasionally. K eep in m ind, how ever, th a t these techniques are in th eir elem ental form and
th at it is q u ite possible to find them in m ore difficult param eters,
ih T he n e x t step w ould be to learn a chorale such as th at w hich appears in M ueller’s Technical Studies,
Vol. II.® M ueller states th a t if the in to n atio n is true, three- and four-note chords will sound. He
fu rth er states th a t “ such a chord certainly does n o t sound loud, b u t the player w ho can ex ecu te this
trick well is sure to greatly surprise the listener.” * T he playing o f chords is still a surprise to m ost
people, b u t p erhaps eventually it will be accepted as it properly should be - as a n o th e r idiom atic
sound. This is n o t a loud device, and the lim it a com poser should th in k o f is m f, fo r if w ritte n any
lo u d er th e voice ca n n o t keep up.
The d ifficu lty in m astering voice-lip double stops is akin to a piano stu d e n t’s first tw o -p art piece in
which th e h an d s m ust act in d ep en d en tly . The voice and lip m ust be able to go in d ifferen t d irectio n s
at th e sam e tim e, b u t, w hen first learning this, the voice will w ant to vibrate sy m p ath etically w ith the
lip. A fte r o n e overcom es this, th e use o f th e voice-lip technique is easy and is one o f th e elem en tary
steps o f m astering th e tro m b o n e.
W om en will discover th a t m any w orks have p arts w ritten to o low for th eir voices, and the w om an
player m ust try octave displacem ent o r o th e r com prom ises in o rd e r to p erfo rm som e o f them . F o r
instance, I occasionally find a piece th a t is o u t o f m y vocal range as well, b u t I have discovered th a t
reversing th e p arts (th e voice below th e lip) will generally solve th e problem . F o r these reasons, and
because th e voice used in c o n ju n ctio n w ith th e lip loses a fair am o u n t o f th e low range, com posers are
encouraged to w rite vocal p a rts th a t lie in a “ second te n o r” range (see E xam ple 5).

4. It is n o t clear from B erio’s n o ta tio n , b u t this dynam ic exchange is ex actly th e te c h n iq u e desired

on the last n o te o f his Sequenza V. A t th e very end, the bringing o f th e tro m b o n e dow n aw ay from
the lips w hile th e vocal so und co n tin u es is m arvelous as b o th an acoustical and a th eatric al gesture.
5. R o b ert M ueller, Technical Studies fo r Trom bone (New Y ork; Carl F ischer, 1924), V ol. II, p. 58.
6. Ibid.
 K r VOI C- K A N D M l i l . I I l ' H O N I C S

fvxjimpic 5; Ref«)nimcri(lc(l Voicc R;itim‘

W om en m ay com plain (hat this voicc ranne is placc«l to o low , b u t m en m ay com plain that it
high! N evertheless, the co m p o ser m ust liave so m eth in g to w ork w ith , and w hile m en can, even if they
o ften will n o t, scream a good fifth above the (I in d icated above, w om en can scrcarn a Koorl bit hiy^itf
than th at! Ilic low range is o f critical im p o rtan ce here because it is so m ew h at tjpen-ended; however
m ost tro m b o n e players w ould be q u ite ad am an t a b o u t havinK an y voicc usa»<e co n fo rm to the above
exam ple. Perhaps it w ould be best to com pose “ ossia” p arts so th a t p erfo rm ers o f e ith e r sex could
d o u b le sto p s th e way the co m p o ser in ten d ed ,

THE SC R EAM

T he voicc in its high register (fa lse tto , for ex am p le) creates vast changes, and o n e can literally scream
th ro u g h th e tro m b o n e to m ake loud sounds indeed. A stu d y o f th e d id jerid u (set A ppendix III)
show s th a t, like th e voice in general, th e scream is p a rt o f its p erfo rm an c e tra d itio n . T he aboriginals
use th e high sound to im ita te anim als and th e m iddle-range voice to p ro d u c e chords. TTiese sounds
arc n o t new , th e n , b u t are really id io m a tic to th e tro m b o n e fcf. C h a p te r Vf).
V arious vocal so u n d s, p articu larly th e scream , can effectively m im ic th e so u n d s o f electronic mujic.
A higli scream , along w ith a low -played n o te , p ro b a b ly com es closest to a “ ring m o d u la to r” effcct.
T his sou n d can be co upled w ith vow els fo r an even m o re strik in g effec t and is q u ite easy to do. To
achieve m o re c o m p le x ity , one can add a vowel m u te, such as the wa-wa o r plunger, th u s allowing
[k
tw o vow el changes sim u ltan eo u sly . T he only danger here is th a t, because o f the com plexity, the effecU
cancel each o th e r o u t; th a t is, w hen to o m any effe c ts are p erfo rm ed at th e sam e tim e, the texture
beco m es c lu ttere d .

HIG H R E G IST E R CLO SE D O U BLE STOPPING

O ne use o f d o u b le sto p s th a t should be n o te d is the use o f p layed-sung m ajo r and m in o r thirds in

th e high register. The special featu re o f these intervals is th e p ro d u c tio n o f low -register resultant or
c o m b in a tio n tones. It is u n fo rtu n a te th a t these th ird s m u st be play ed q u ite high to have the low tones
b ro u g h t u p in to th e audible range, because high d o u b le sto p p in g is fatiguing. It tires the throat and
creates an u n p leasan t back pressure, so it is n o t advisable to c o n tin u e fo r a long tim e ,’ One can also
vary th e low re su lta n t to n es by varying th e interval up high, even m oving in to seconds o r fourths.

7. W om en, how ever, m ay find th is a great deal easier th a n m en , and th e re is, to m y belief, a whol*
w orld o f d o u b le sto p s, including these close intervals, available to w om en p lay ers th a t w arrants
exten.sive investigation.
 I VOICE AND MIJLTIPHONICS ‘

W hen ap p ro ach in g sec o n d s, how ever, th e in to n a tio n “ b ea ts” em erge m ore p ro m in en tly ; in fo u rth s, a
m ore ch o rd like e ffe c t is achieved. In any case, th e sound is so com plex, it w ould no t be advisable to
use m any - if an y - o th e r effec ts at the sam e tim e.

SP LIT TO N E

Im The split to n e is a n o th e r effec t th a t clu tters the tex tu re . It is ju st w hat the nam e im plies: a split — in
this case, betv^een tw o p artia ls so th a t elem ents o f b o th partials are heard.® This is a m eans o f p ro ­
ducing m u ltip le so u n d s - a “ m u ltid iv id er” - n o t by using the voice, b u t by the lips breaking up in to
tw o em b o u ch u res. T h eo retically this can be done betw een any tw o partials, b u t on the tro m b o n e the
area b etw e en th e seco n d an d th ird is best.® T he procedure also m ay be used betw een the first and
second and b e tw e e n th e th ird and fo u rth partials, b u t b o th o f these are unstable and should only be
used w ith c a u tio n . TTie p e rfo rm e r m u st h u n t for the balance p o in t betw een the tw o partials; this can
be h eard o r, m o re p ro p e rly perhaps, felt. O ne way to learn this technique is to lip slur back and fo u rth
on th e tw o p artia ls, slow ing d o w n u n til the balance p o in t is found. This slurring, by the w ay, is
itself a usefu l device. A u stin suggests th a t for this split tone effect one should “ o v e r b l o w , " b u t this
im plies th a t th e te c h n iq u e co u ld n o t be d o n e softly. Such is n o t the case, for it can be done softly
ra th e r well. A n o th e r useful idea is to glissando the split tone, w hich can, w ith practice, becom e very
In
sm ooth.
M ixing sp lit to n es w ith vocal d o u b le stops is possible but is usually n o t desirable, for the result
lacks clarity an d is to o m u d d y and com plex. T he best m ixing com es w ith the vowels o r m utes, as
n o ted ea rlier fo r th e voice; how ever, it m u st be used w ith discretion.

BU ZZED U P A N D M U TED VOWEL HARM O NICS

W ithin th e c o n te x t o f n orm al playing, certain vowel shapes can produce m u ltip h o n ics." The first
step in p ro d u c in g a m u ltip h o n ic effec t is to play a long, low pitch, such as Bb in th e bass cle f staff.

8. T here is a n o th e r k in d o f split to n e w hereby the lip actually divides in to octaves, tw o d istin c t

pitches being h eard . A few players can d o this ra th e r easily, w hereas m ost seem to have q u ite a problem
w ith it I find m y se lf in th e la tte r category and suspect th a t it m ay be to o unstable to be depended
u p o n as a co m p o sitio n a l device. A possible su b stitu tio n is using th e voice w ith th e lip m octaves. E x­
ten d ed ex am p les a p p e a r in R oger R ey n o ld s’s " . . . From Behind the Unreasoning M ask" fa r Trombone.
Percussion, a n d Tape, re cen tly released on New World R ecords NW 237.
9 L arry A u stin in his CH ANG ES, w rites o n page 6 and 7 only a fo u rth ap a rt instead o f a fifth
ap art fo r th e seco n d a n d th ird partials. It does n o t m a tte r, really, since the effect is the sam e.
10 Ibid page 6 Jam es F u lk e rso n states th a t if one thinks o f the p itch betw een the partials and
tries to plaC th a t p itc h it will be easier. F u rth e r, he also states th a t turning th e lips o u t a little (like a
p u ck er) will also help. I c o n c u r w ith F ulk erso n , having tried his suggestions, and 1 fm d th a t these
split to n es are usefu l in a m u ch w ider range.
11. T he m e th o d fo r p ro d u c in g th e basic lip vowels th a t ar« necessary here are described in C h ap ter
II u n d e r “ B uzzed V ow els.” K eep in m ind th a t, in p roducm g buzzed vowels, no voice is used. See also
 10 I. V O I C E A N D M U L T I P H O N I C S

Over this steady n o te one changes th e vowels by changing th e oral cavity. T h e idea is to do the chan
ex trem ely slow ly so th a t various partials o f th e Bb will be em phasized. It is possible, by stopping the
change, to m ake an y one o f the partials p ro m in en t enough to be actu ally heard as a separate pitch.
Since this p itch is heard in com bination w ith th e low d ro n e n o te , a m u ltip h o n ic is created.
These m ultiphonic effects are nam ed “ V ow el H arm onics, and as such are briefly m entioned
u n d e r th a t heading in C h ap ter II. Exam ple 6 below show s th e playing range and th e available partial
spectrum .
E xam ple 6; Playing Range and Oral Shaping Partial S p ectru m Available

^ M ..h :

I consider th e low Bb to F “ b est” range as th e m ost “ju ic y ” because w hen a p layer passes through
th e spectrum quickly (the vowel effect) a very liquid sound is p ro d u ced . Passing through the spectrum
slow ly produces th e m ultiphonic effect, as no ted above. W avering back and fo rth from tw o adjacent
partials (th e vibrato effect) is also very useful, and is discussed in C h a p te r V u n d er “ Tongue or Vowel
V ib ra to .”
General Speech by R obert Erickson (see A ppendix I) uses precisely the playing range shown in
E xam ple 6 w ith em phasis on th e “ b est” o r “ju ic y ” pitches. It is n o t an accid en t (although I think it
was p ro b ab ly unconscious) th at the com poser chose this range due to its speechlike quality and its
resem blance to th e m ale voice range. It is due to the use o f these high partials th a t the piece becomes
so intriguing. General Speech will be discussed in detail in C h ap ter II; in this discussion it is the settling
d ow n on one o r a n o th er partial th a t is being exam ined.
If a Bb in the bass clef s ta ff is played, th e partials th a t can be em phasized are partials 8 through 12
(Bb, C, D, E b, and F ). If an F ju st below the bass clef sta ff is played, fo r instance, the choice in the
spectrum is partials 11 through 16 (a sharp Bb, C, a sharp Db, a flat E b, E, and F). Exam ple 7 shows
this graphically below:
lo Exam ple 7: M ultiphonic Choices on Low Bb and Low F

Ip > a r f i*l I;

“c r

th e section on the “ S pectral G lide” in R o b ert E rick so n ’s S o u n d Structure in Music (Los A ngeles:
U niversity o f California Press, 1975), pp. 72-75.
 1 VOICE AND MULTIPHONICS II

The wa-wa m u te can also b e used p r « ,„ c e a m uW phon^c effect. T he hand o p en .n g and closing
over th e stem o f th e w a-w a is co m p arab le to th e vowels shaped by the oral cavity. An effective playin*
„ „ g e is fro m Bb to F >n th e bass clef, an d th e partial spectrum available is from the D near th e to p
o f the treb le c le f S taff to th e C above
•JVC fsee Examni,>
^see tx a m p le 8). N otice uhow the behavior, although sim ilar to
the lip vow els, is in a m u ch tig h te r overall range.

E xam ple 8; Wa-wa M ute Ideal Playing Range and Partial Spectrum Available

--------------------- J 2Q ___________________________

~T7'

Show n below , in E x am p le 9 , are the possibilities o f tw o pitches w ithin the range indicated in
Exam ple 8 above.
Iq E xam ple 9; M u ltip h o n ic C hoices Using Wa-wa M ute on F and Bb
Ii
P..t;,l; 3 t r 6, 5-4 7 J , ,0
■» „ . 4 U (A

$ *

In b o th E x am p les 7 and 9 , one should n o tice how , as one plays lower, the vowel spectrum is m ore
densely p o p u la te d ; th a t is, one uses a higher set o f partials even though the partials rem ain in the same
pitch range. C o n tra st th is w ith using th e voice all by itself and altering the oral cavity, w here the partials
o f the voice being a ltered , roughly partials 3 through 10, rem ain the same and move up o r dow n as
the sung p itc h m oves u p and dow n. I suggest th a t th e reader experim ent w ith the voice to get the idea.
Superim posing th is ty p e o f a m u ltip h o n ic over the “ ring m o d u lato r” effect (see “ The Scream ”
earlier in this c h a p te r) can p ro d u ce un iq u e three- (o r m ore) note chords. This m ixing should definitely

be ex p erim en ted w ith as well.

A n o th er ex cellen t m ix to try is th e com bination o f the vowel harm onics for the low Bb in Exam ples
7 and 9. T he p ro c e d u re consists o f buzzing (norm al playing) one set o f harm onics and superim posing
the o th e r set from th e w a-w a m u te. T h e only com m on ground betw een the tw o is partial nu m b er
eight, and p erh ap s p artials nine a n d te n , so th e com bined m ultiphonic stru ctu res are interesting indeed.
It has a “ sing-song" e ffe c t w hen th e m ix is done fast (see recorded exam ples).
■Die d id jerid u (see A p p en d ix III), d ro n in g on th e sam e low F as in E xam ple 7, em phasizes partials
5 ,6 , 7, and 8 below w h a t is show n in E xam ple 7 fo r th e tro m b o n e. T hen it doubles up, em phasizing
partials 10 12 14 and 1 6 , a n d le a v in g o u t th e odd n u m b er partials ex cep t 9, Above partial 16, the
didjeridu seem s to give a full sp ec tru m . These differences m ay be caused by the special peculiarities
o f (1) playing on th e d id je rid u 's fun d am en tal, o r (2 ) w orking w ith a pipe th a t overblow s at the
 I VOICE AND m u ltiph o n ics

, Mh or 12<h, or (3) b o .h ; b u , a pU s.ic sew er pipe gives .h e sam e result. 1 ce rtain ly d o n o ,

physics o f i l all, bu t the didjeridu seems to have an expanded p artiaj range stretch m g above and b,|low
what is seen in Exam ple 7. This factor m ay explain w hy vowels (an d vow el h arm o n .cs) are o f

siderable im portance in didjeridu technique.

A UXILIAR Y DOUBLE OR SINGLE REED

One “ m ultidivider” yet to be discussed is the use o f an oboe o r bassoon reed inside the trombone, or
the substitution o f a saxophone m outhpiece for the tro m b o n e m o u th p ie c e .« In sert the double reed
into the trom bone m outhpiece and play on it ju st as one does on an o b o e o r bassoon (I rather prefer
It the bassoon reed). F or some reason, the reed sound breaks up in pecu liar ways n o t possible on oboe or
bassoon, thereby creating an interesting and distinctive resource. Sim ilarly, a sax o p h o n e mouthpiece
can be altered to fit on a trom bone; the sounds are o f the sam e genre, even th o u g h distinctive.
Composers would be wise not to ask for specific pitches o r chords from these assemblages, since in
the hands (o r in the m ouths) o f trom bonists, they norm ally lack co n tro l. T h ey are also loud and often
speak with an accent or n o t at all; practice, how ever, can usually c o n tro l this factor.*^ Extended
passages should be avoided, as using the reed is very tiring unless one has c o n d itio n ed the required
muscles; it also produces a back pressure and th ro a t fatigue sim ilar to th a t n o te d in th e above descrip­
tion o f double-stopped thirds. Some com binations w ith m utes, glissandos, vibratos, and so forth can
be considered, but basically the double and single reed can create com plex sounds w hich are excellent
for im itating electronic music. N ot to o surprisingly, it creates results and p ro b lem s sim ilar to those
found with the split tones and high double-stopped thirds.
Although a few com m ents have been m ade in this c h a p te r ab o u t com bining elem ents, the reader
should keep in mind th at this is a book about elem ents. It is n o t possible o r even desirable to exhaust
the com binations o f devices; I wish rather to encourage the e x p e rim en tatio n o f these and all other
elemental effects discussed. The voice can be com bined, perhaps, m ore easily th a n som e o f the other
effects in this book, but the split tone and double reed techniques will n o t lend them selves so easily to
this. The key words are always experimentation and discretion.

12. The m ost famous if stylized, exam ple o f this is G ordon M um m a’s use in his Hornpipe (1967),
for Cybersonic French Horn (an oboe reed m a horn utilizing elec tro n ic feedback). He has performed
M S/snTn concerts, and i t can be heard on M ainstream Records
M S/5010 i ’o fl/c Arts Union - Electronic Sound.

o f e q u ip m e n t and can produce a

lu tin ifc e " ^ slide th e d o u b le reed in and o u t o f the
to s w a l C I ^ TTie H A guiar playing to double reed use. O ne should be careful not
or take it o f f ■ arrangem ent, by co n tra st, requires th a t o n e sto p playing to pu t it on
 C^hapter II:
V^owc'ls and C>)nsonants

Vowels and co n so n a n ts im ply spccch, o f course, b u t then the relationship o f the tro m b o n e to the
voice is n o t new . In d eed , the nam es w ithin the tro m b o n e fam ily originally were soprano, alto , ten o r,
bass, and c o n tra b ass, w hereas ail the o th e r brass are nam ed by key. O f the wind in stru m en ts (and the
voicc is included in th is ca te g o ry ), only the voice can glissando as easily as the tro m b o n e. The use
o f the voice in th e tro m b o n e is significant, and, as stated in C hapter I, the voice and the vowels are
the idiom atic elem en ts em phasized in this book. V ow els and consonants best dem o n strate the body as
resonator and have a tra d itio n o f several centuries in didjeridu playing.

BUZZED VO W ELS

H istorically, vow els in th e tro m b o n e can lay claim to at least som e earlier tw en tieth -cen tu ry use. T he
m ost fam ous ex am ples w ould be in the tro m b o n e playing o f th e Spike Jones band during the forties
and fifties.' T h e sounds o b tain ed w ere sim ply u-i (oo-ee) and were m ainly em ployed as a hum o ro u s gesture
rath er th an in th e m ore com plex form s th a t will be seen la te r in this chapter. A reb irth , th en , could
be said to have o cc u rre d w ith th e com p o sitio n o f the Berio Sequenza V. Here, voice and lip play
several p aram eters (cf. C h a p te r 1), vowels are used, and at one p o in t the w ord “ w hy” is spoken aloud
w ithout th e tro m b o n e . E lsew here in the w ork there are played references to “ w h y ,” w hich breaks
down in to u-a-i (oo-ah-ee), an d , coupled w ith th e plunger (itself a “ vow el” m ute - cf. C h ap ter IX),
this m akes a very good “ w h y ” w ith th e lip (see the tw o sets o f b rackets in Exam ple 1 below ).

Ila The beginning step , o f course, is to leam to p ro d u ce these vowels, and one can o b tain an a (ah),
i (ee), e (a), o (6 o r o h ), u (o o ), and (to p aro d y the gram m ar classes) som etim es y (o5-ah-ee). These
sounds are p ro d u c ed by alterin g th e shape o f th e m o u th cavity and by changing th e placem ent o f the
tongue. T he a (ah) is p ro d u c ed in th e so-called norm al “ bel-canto” trad itio n so elem en tary to w estern
brass playing. T he o (5 o r o h ) is very close to the above, except th a t th e lips and forw ard m o u th are
pursed m ore d ram atically . T here is, th ro u g h th e in stru m en t, alm ost no practical sound difference

1 Tw o reco rd in es ha^e been released consisting o f reissues o f these early 78 discs. The Best o f
(?967r ^ L S P-3849(e) has “ C ocktails fo r T w o,” “ D er F u e h re r’s F ace ,” etc.,
and Spike Jones is Murdering the Qassics (1 9 7 1 ), RCA Red Seal LSC-3235(e) co n tam s the “ William

13
 J1 V O W E L S A N D C O N S O N A N T S
14

E xam ple I : Berio Sequenza V, S ection B, line /

Copyrighi 1968, Universal Edition.

betw een a and o, so the com poser wouJd d o well to co n sid e r th em id e n tic a l. T h e i fee) is produced by
a closed m o u th , ex trem ely pursed lips (w ith perh ap s a slight ro il o u tw a rd s), a n d a fo rw ard tongue
alm ost closing o f f the air stream on th e ro o f o f the m o u th . T he te e th sh o u ld , how ever, rem ain open
enough to retain good resonance. The u (oo) is p ro d u c e d b y a sim ilar p ro c ess to th e i; however, the
tongue is n o t so far forw ard and m ay be all th e w ay back. T he e (a ) is j u s t th e reverse o f both the i and
the u: the m o u th is m ore open and the to n g u e m ore fo rw ard , a lth o u g h n o t q u ite so tight against the
ro o f o f the m outh. The y (oo-ah-ee) is a co m b in atio n o f th ree m o re e le m e n ta ry vowels.
A nu m b er o f pieces require vowels. W ithout q u e stio n , how ever, th e m o st e x ten siv e use o f vowels so
far for tro m b o ne appears in General Speech b y R o b e rt E rickson.^ In his e a rlie r piece, RicercaredS, the
use o f vowels is lim ited b u t interesting; how ever, General Speech is v irtu ally a vow el piece. It is a
speech, p arody, o r bo th , and nearly every vowel is used, as well as co n so n a n ts. C onsonants, o f course,
are difficult to really utilize, b u t a satisfacto ry ap p ro x im a tio n o f th em can be p erfo rm ed (this will be
discussed at th e end o f the chapter).

VOWEL HARM ONICS

llb It is possible to move back and fo rth from one vowel to a n o th e r, and this m o v e m e n t can be a sort of
waver o r vibrato if desired (cf. C hapter V). When this m o v em en t is slow ed d o w n , o n e can hear different
partials o f a harm onic series, and the term “ vowel h arm o n ics” is th u s a p p ro p ria te (cf. C h ap ter I under
“ Buzzed Lip and M uted Vowel H arm onics” fo r a com plete discussion). T hese vow el harm onics figure
prom inently in the didjeridu playing trad itio n , by the way, and are w o rth y o f carefu l stu d y in that
context.

yOCAL VOWELS

He Vowels can be m ade w ith the voice alone, o f course, and th e exam ple (2 ) below show s how the vocal
vowels are in ju x tap o sitio n to the lip vowels.

J o t^ a S o H h e s e r ^ c S g s T s Tbm m y ^ P P a re n tly th e tro m b o n is t on m ost (if

recorded on DGG nT^OOS^CAvanfc^^ ^ trom bones fo r tro m b o n e vow els in French. It

 n . VOWELS AND CONSONANTS 15

E xam ple 2: Berio Sequenza V, S ection A, line 2

Copyright 1968. Universal Fdition.

One can readily see h ow to m ake th e vowel, such as u o r ua, w ith the voice (see brackets) and then
play it on th e in stru m en t. W hen playing, th e m ute is used as an aid to achieve these vowels (by m oving
from + to o). and th e results o f the tw o m ethods o f production are very similar. In this particular
case, th e head sh ould b e tu rn e d aw ay from the instrum ent and then returned quickly to play. This is
w onderful p ractice fo r firm ing u p the em bouchure, since the em bouchure m ust be form ed on the
in stru m en t so p ro m p tly .
ild Vocal vow els can also be sung in, o r through, th e instrum ent (cf. C hapter I). In Erickson’s General
Speech (A p p en d ix I), the voice is used (through th e instrum ent) to inteiject certain syllables. Usually
it is th e en syllable, as in “ reverently” (line 2), “ w he«” (line 6), “ leaven” (line 10), and “ en tire”
(lines 10-11). Also observe “o f ” and “ n atio n al” (line 11) and “in" (line 14). The enunciation o f these
sounds is very im p o rta n t in producing th e full effect, especially since they are so short (notice that
“leaven” is th e o n ly long one). T he play betw een the spoken and lip vowels becomes dram atic in line
11. Also, in E rick so n ’s Ricercare a 5^ the “ m a-m oo-m ee-m o” section im itates, or, as the solo part
says, “ echoes” b e a u tifu lly th e lip vowels preceding it (cf. C hapter I).
M uch m o re is possible w ith this effect, and it is the first step to consonants th at are, in a sense,
tonguings. T he “ m ” (an d “ n ” ) sound is really only the voice hum ; as such it has already been m entioned
in th e first ch ap ter. V ow els rarely ju s t 5/arr bu t are often begun via a consonant o r tonguing. An
attem p t will be m ade to so rt o u t th e various tonguings (or “ articulations,” if one prefers) and to p oint
o u t th a t th e v arious co n so n an ts are sim ply p art o f a tonguing continuum .

TONGUINGS
T raditional to n g u in g is a “ t u ” o r “ d u ,” depending u p o n w hether it is legato o r no t. It m ight ju st as
well be “ ta ” o r “ d a ” (o r “ to h ” o r “ d o h ” if th e p ro p e r vowel were considered), and b o th tonguing
descriptions are fo u n d o fte n in trad itio n al m ethods. The n ext step, o f course, is to double or triple
tongue. M any fam ous m eth o d s will have a “ tu -k u ” or “ tu-tu-ku” (or “ ta-ka” or “ ta-ta-ka” o r “ tu -k u -tu ”
and the lik e) to re p resen t this sound, w hich is akin to didjeridu m o u th sounds.-^

3. See page 5 o f th e score.

4 T his w hole discussion brings u p th e didjeridu (see A p p e n d ^ III) b e c au sem o u lh sounds are used
in d T d j e S e a c h i n g to rep resen t w h a t th e player is to do and w hat sounds h e b to m a k e .ju sl
as th e m o u th sounds referred to here.
 ^ II. VOWELS A N D C O N S O N A N T S

" , h . . . ,he ••dood.e” .o n g u . used in Jazz, d isco v e„ d by Car, F o « a „ a ,

n ,,l W il,nn.' The “ d o o - and “ die” elem ents are opposite to th e tu an e em eM s .h ie h
■leaded,y s.aceato. In fact, many teaehet, point o u t that, w hen p . c t .c e d slow ly, the t„ and
elem ent, must be ioud and extrem ely short.« This is no t so w ith the d o o d le, m which each e l.„ ,„ ,
i, designed to be Io n , and, so far as I can detetm ine. rately loud. What a rem arkable difference in
,„n«iiinK,. and ye, they are both sides o f the same coin] “ T u .k u ” can be som ew hat legato (though i,
would be terme.1 s,oppy by tradltionabsts), bu t the ' ‘d o o d le" is preferable. The “ doodle" to„g«_
ha, a dcHnite place alongside the “ tu-ku” double tongue and will u n d o u b ted ly increase in use.’
There I,, a, yet. no common practice o f a triple tongue version o f the " d o o d le ,” bu t when there is,
i» mighl be “ doo-dle-doo" or “ doo-dle-Iee” » rather than “ doo-doo-dle.” This contrasts with the “tu-
tu-ku” and "tu-ku-tu,” which both seem about equally hard (o r easy) to do.
Most tonguing.s are adequately explained elsewhere in various books and m ethods. To complete the
picture, however, a careful look must be taken at consonants, and the best m edium for this is, once
again, Erickson’s General Speech.

CONSONANTS

Many western consonants break down into vowel structures. TTie word “ ski,” i f it were spelled ac­
curately, would be spelled as in the Japanese "sukiyaki.” This “ su k i” is p ro nounced in Japanese in
the same m anner as westerners pronounce the word “ ski.” There is no real allow ance for the “su”
sound in English pronunciation, but it is essential th at it be taken in to consideration. In the first line
of Genera! Speech (Appendix I), for instance, in the last p art o f the w ord “ c o u n try ,” the “ try” part
is really a “teree" sound, and a vowel sound m ust be added to execute the co n so n an t desired. If all
of these extra vowels were usually indicated in music, however, th ey w ould ap p ear to o long and
performers might “sit” on all o f these spots. In line 1, fo r exam ple, at the p o in r o f “ those three,”
the “ three” being abstracted as “thuhree” im m ediately following a "zu h " fo r th e “ se” in “ those,”
creates a very different effect.

5. Phil Wilson, The Great Jazz Trom bone Stylists,” in The Instrum entalist, F ebruary 1974,
pp. 5 ^ 5 1 . Wilson uses the term “ too-dle-too-dle,” but the idea is the same. I p re fer instead the term
doodle as used by Bj]] Watrous (and others), since bo th the “ d o o ” and th e “ d ie” elem ents are
legato whereas ‘to o ” is staccato. It is accepted by m ost trom bonists th at F o n ta n a has “ the definitive
f r ' IP"’ Sloan may be quoted. G erry also has recordings o f early black trom bonists using
doodle form o f articulation, so it is no t as new an idea as it m ight at first seem.
6. This was the case with all my teachers and is also true o f various m eth o d s such as Arban’s.

me a^oD ^^orR^hPrf u®’’ inform ation regarding early legato do u b le tongue. He showed
pp 69 70 (M usikverlag Wilhelm Zim m erm an, 1902),
km,wn l o ’nTe but is discussed. If n o t the only published exam ple, it is the earliest
S n o t f s above). ever "onsulted this method

^ fhe “ doo-dle-lee” is attributed to Frank Rosolino.

 " \ OW n V W h \ ONnoN W \ s 17

' ........ .. ................................................ .. I IK.' u, l,„ U " ,> n.p,x-:^-..tca N ■■t.ih." hut
*'' ' ' ' * IvU'w ilh'v(,ui \ wrtU'uo wuli Iho "I », i l vo vvill not
"'• .................... ............ ........ ... " IM. k MP 01,1 ulo, ot1on pr.o.K-ed
'" ........... ..... . "o „., „ v ,v ,v j,„ „„ - I Im ..Mvat. often - as
" ^ ' ''' " vv'lK'x'ih’n ol\'oti>«'nants iti (he phrjse
wi^'is U' "\\ "whon" ihon
U'lU'vvovI bv Ihc "o“ in “ courage"
isv « ty^h sty \ \'M\:vw tx'IK'wvvl l'\ ''\v “ ,u Is'tb ot\iU v't‘“ scorns" XV\th a long " t r *
. vM 'U .n ^>w^w^no ot .v n so u .in ts attack s a n o te , and
,MyK V *\\vyy\

\w \*\\ \W'‘\K \W\\\ 0 ^ ' VnxUj|(.u\ to.ichotN v'»'»st;tntl\ told mo to en u n c ia te

V'\V V>'»V‘Sn^ \ M h SvM» u \\»0> U\u (Mo>\' thx' ’Mt.vf n\;uin'ul;Uo his m o u th to cx e cu te this
VU h w \ v^ws u \ \ ‘ \\' vA'(\>\'vwx'»x tV\ (»ovn,(5o o ljn t\ ui sfvcch p erto rm an ce such
V bo \l\'^vo »\ o.uv \\ho(\ v»n,> ki^v'vxv h \'« V hut Xntoncans osix'cially aro guilt> o f speech
wh\\lv \ <\o\( ih,t( I \ \ \ v » t K to ovoviito \ow ols and v.\i;isonjnts pro p eriy .
<v »\h\mtvsK h»u Ivou ta» v'avioi vuuv stiuU ing the vlulicrAlu.”
vV>o \H\MV N\vUo\ v^t vv'(\wvi\ant xv'wol sttMctutvs ;tptx\u-s u\ Jacob O rucknian’s
ty w hoiv tho v\ mb\>lM tS »s vkovI ’• In tho m stm ctio n s. this designauon “ indicates
»vMt v'U>\sU Ov'ud whivpxMN^ t\' K ' «mu'ulatv\l m to the tr\>mbv'no Inten-.ationa' P honetic
VU'*^.*bot S \( h b o l\ uwv< ,nv av in V'Ml nk. k« a s in O Vn'cn. « as in C»emian aC H ."
\ umi»U\ a n \ vvMW'uanlv thou, can w 'n\olu'\\ K ' apptvvnnatoxi. and. though it m ight be possible to
xpoU \M>I o\\M\ laxt v'\'nv\'uaut a\a»labU \ >v»t1\o\’ »t to sa> th at sonio rvvnt n»v)st be left for the imagir.a-
U\‘n sS ts\N '^ /‘ u'viuuuDi v'a«vt\»l anaK sis o t'th o m aton.il discussed above and nf\juinng
,itu 'tu i\'n to uio u 'diblo d otail. is v'uK a < vm t o f dopaituro I'his c h a p tc r can only em phasize :h a t p o in t.

Soo tho n o \t ohaptoi to i a tVill vlisvussivMt o f " I 'c n t" toties. and also lov'k up " p n \'.!e g e d " and
"fj^Not" tv'uox undoi ,<N\ssv;,w ui Kv'bin <.;ro^'t\*s .’■%«• l a r n Weed, in his le tte r o f 11
Maivh NtatON th at notos w hich I call fm ctious notes ^no:es norm ally n o t o n th e ;n-
N tiiunoiit’' \\o i\' vsvaMv'naU\ calKsl lot \u voaiiv ^ \\.val m usic w here th e r t wa> n o t r.rr.e to in sert o r
U'n\v‘\o o iw 'Kn "
10 I hi«t " « r ' w nm d is n o t unlike w hat is Known as a “ b w a th y " a tta c k , ex cep t th at it is in ra th e r ar.
ovtiv'iiio p aiam o to i <Vk' m a\ wish to k v k at th e Rono r *nd the Cage 5ii/o to see o th e r
U'O'i o t bi\M th\ a tta c k vm b iv a th \ tvMU\
11. I ho t^iM piov^' ivallN im itatiniJ the d idtcrtdu is the M h m oxvm ent o f the ^ />
U 'i ‘o» b \ IV n a ld I'tb I pifinu'tvvl this wv>r^ w ith the St, U mus M tnphon> in M arch 1 o.

1 i Soo pajio v'f the sc\mv

11 u v w ^ > « x ‘. has tvwnllv tw n "NvtxW on N « WoriJ Re,vtJs iN^' ;J4> It b xost
muvnlant to lotVn to tlw .rA<.vlutJ «-l> •('c svvtx- u- unJetvtanJ ho» vo»^s cor,jonar^ a.^
ti.nHlilotat(s) into tKo ttoniKMu'alpltaS't S«a!sv> Vr,*.>or. s X , . t - . .r .. .
I'ln .riv n orCahloim a IV v , I'’ 'J '. I'l' . v t t t r " * ' •!« ?f.sn,'n<non o.
o\MixvMvants in
 C.haptci III:
Cilissandos

Glissandos are o f basically three types.* Two, the “ norm al” and the “ bent to n e,” are “ same partial”
glissandos, and the remaining one, the “ harm onic,’" is a “ changing partial” glissando. O f the three,
only the “ norm al” is the one m ost readers will recognize, since it is the one used in Stravinsky’s
Pulcinella, Fillm ore’s Lassus Trombone, and in m any o ther works. O ther exam ples o f the “ normal”
glissando are found in both jazz and the sym phonic field, and since it is covered well in standard
orchestration books, it will be dealt with here only briefly.

NORMAL GLISSANDO

Ilia In using this glissando, one usually considers the positions o f the trom bone and also whether or not
the passage will “ lay” properly on the instrum ent; the idea is to have the trom bone gliss stay within
the lim ited augm ented fourth range and no t change partials. There are m any instances o f this augmented
fourth lim itation being violated, o f course, and as one convenient exam ple (1), the Berio Sequenza V
will be examined.
Example 1: Berio Sequenza V, Section B, line 2, bar 4 (large bar 2)

Copyright 1968, Universal Edition.

nib Notice how the com poser has covered the break in the glissando - th at is, the change o f position
on the same note - with the m ute. The change from sixth to first position is m ade at, or just after,
the p oint where the gliss crosses the “ F ” line o f the staff. T rom bone players, generally, b e c o m e a^ep
at this, especially if the passage does no t move to o fast. The slide m ust move very quickly at the

I. See also voice glissandos in C hapter I and piano string glissandos in C hapter VIII.

18
 II I . G L I S S A N D O S 19

inscant o f ch ange; an d th e slo w er ,h e overall g lis , th e m ore successful th at quick change. This effect
can be acco m p lish ed th ro u g h o u t th e range as long as th e sam e necessary change n o te appears in tw o
slide po sitio n s." Even th e - F " a tta c h m e n t can aid this possibility, b u t changing In th e low est range
will n o t w o rk as well (see a discussion o f th e fam ous low B to E glissando in the B art6k Concerto fo r
Orchestra in A p p e n d ix V ).

ben t tone

illc A b en t to n e is th e re su lt o f a p la y e r taking a given p itch and, while retaining th e sam e length o f pipe
(n o t m oving th e slide), low ering o r raising th e p itch sim ply by m aking the lip buzz low er o r higher
than th e p ip e will c o m fo rta b ly reso n ate.^ The k ey w ord here is com fortably. A ny pipe, n o m a tte r
what th e len g th , will to le ra te a n y p itc h ; how ever, fo r th e richest and generally preferred sound, a
length o f p ip e in a g re e m e n t w ith th e desired p itch is chosen, A bent to n e is the violation o f this agree­
m ent. B ent to n e s are n o t p ec u lia r to th e tro m b o n e and are com m only used in jazz, having q u ite a
lengthy tra d itio n on b o th th e tru m p e t and tro m b o n e . T he b e n t tone is related to , and o ften co u p led
w ith, th e h a lf valve e ffe c t (cf. C h a p te r V II), and is one o f the oldest “ new ” sounds on brass.'' Jazz
tru m p et p lay in g has used b o th p h e n o m e n a separately o r to g eth er fo r several decades. T rom bone
playing, o n th e o th e r h a n d , has o n ly h ad th e o p tio n o f bending tones, since jazz artists seldom use an
“ F ” a tta c h m e n t.
Phil W ilson is n o d o u b t th e jazz p lay er w ho p re sen tly perform s definitive b en t tones.® O ften
starting w ith ju s t b u zz in g , even to th e p o in t o f n o t really sealing the lips in to th e m o u th p ie ce, he
moves in to th e m o u th p ie c e w ith a co m b in a tio n o f a buzzed glissando and a b en t to n e. U sually, the
tro m b o n e p la y e r’s im ita tio n o f th is old tru m p e t style is d o n e via the b e n t tone. Phil Wilson has ju st
carried it o n e s te p f u r th e r in allo w in g th e seal b etw een m o u th and m o u th p iece to disintegrate occasion­
ally.® G en erally , b e n t to n e s can be used th ro u g h o u t th e range on th e tro m b o n e. Som e players find it

2 O n e o f th e lo n g e st glissandos ap p ears in D onald E rb ’s / n N o Strange Land. It is do n e very slow ly

and req u ires m an y ch an g es to get fro m th e to p to th e b o tto m o f th e m ore th a n tw o octave spread.
One is urg ed to c o n s u lt N o n e su c h R eco rd in g H -71223 n e a r th e end o f th e second m ovem ent and also
n o te th e c a re fu l m in o r n in th tu n in g m ain tain ed b etw e en th e tro m b o n e and th e contrabass.
3. T h ere is so m e s y m p a th e tic a c tio n o f th e th ro a t as well (cf. C h ap ter V, n o tes 4 and 5).
4 L arrv W eed in h is le tte r o f 11 M arch 1975, states th a t “ bending to n es was a necessary p a rt o f
Renaissance brass p e rfo rm a n c e d u e to fa u lty in stru m e n t co n stru c tio n , lack o f stan d ard ized p itc h and
the p ro b lem s w ith c h a m b e rc h o ir p itc h . H and sto p p in g also allow ed som e help as well as pierced finger
h o les.” (cf. C h a p te r II, n o te 9 .)
c -n. 1 f ac r pcter L ashlcv and R osw ell R u d d should also be ex am in ed . See
n A n a lvsis' T rom bone (C hicago; d ow n b e a t M usic W orkshop p u b lic a tio n s,
°m ) « 3 e d w ith .h e R o sco e M itchell S e p te t, an d R u d d , w ho
S e 7 w * h to h " ,e Z p I also has L o w n alb u m s. R e c e n « y th e w ork o f D ick G riffin , A lb ert
M angelsdorff, P aul R u th e rfo r d , a n d Eje T h e h n have com e to th e fo re fro n t.
, fViic in to his o w n sty le a fte r hearing Vic D ickenson. See W ilson’s
articte“ T ^ r G S Jazz Trom bone Stylists.” See also David B aker,/ozz S tyle s and A n d y sts: Trom bone.
 HI. (H I S S A N D O S
20

d ifficult to bend over long distances; how ever, on th e “ T attiio lu n eiit troinfm ne. a play^f |,
aid o f the h alf valve o p tio n . Most players will find hen d in n d o w n eiisior th an K«ndin>. „p ^ ** If

UA RM O N IC C .ilSSA NDO

The harm onic glissando is like a b en t tone ex cep t th a t the p e r to n n o r " b u m p s ” over severiii pnr,
This cffect is generally term ed a “ d ro p ” in jazz, but in d icates a ra th e r siH'cified use o f the In,,,
glissando and is pro b ab ly the oldest forin. It m ight sim ply look like this:
E xam ple 2: Drops

n f"
Exam ple 2b exhibits a less com m on b u t occasionally seen version o f tliis phen<m ienon, especi.illy
' on
tru m p et. Both are m eth o d s o f releasing a note and are usually ex e c u te d fast w ith a sliglit diininucnJn
O ccasionally a big band will do a long, slow d ro p with the e n tire sectio n s o f trom bones and lrumpi>i>
tog eth er; these o ften are co m binations o f b en t tones, h a lf valve, h a rm o n ic glissandos, und tionnal
glissandos.
T he reverse o f this phenom enon is the ‘‘rip,” w hich is a w ay o f attac k in g the note; it niij’iit Iwk
like one o f the follow ing;
llle Exam ple 3; Rips
J«-. Sfc: Mip (rf *»•#•••) Jrf Kip O'

•^rK) >
Exam ple 3c w ould n o t be as likely on tro m b o n e as on tm m p e t. This has also been tenned the “scoiH'“
yet this term can apply also to Exam ple 3a o r 3b. T he term “ rip ” is m ore likely to be undorsfooil.
T he confusion w ith rips and dro p s is really in th at any o r all three - bent to n es, h alf valve, or liiinnouK
glissando - m ight be used. T he term “ sm ear,” by the w ay. generally applies to the "n o n n at" gliSNiiiiilo
b u t will probably m ost o ften apply to E xam ple 3a o r 3b. T here is m u ch co n fu sio n w ith ail thcsi' Ifrniv
b u t, in any case, all o f these effects have been in use in jazz for m any years.
W hat is new ab o u t harm onic glissandos is the e x ten d e d u.se now m ade o f them and the ditlereni
form s they have taken. This increased use d ates roughly from the tim e o f the com position ol
by Jan Bark and Folke R abe, p u t together" in the early sixties. It was. for instance, a very inniu'nn.il
w ork for E rickson’s Ricercare a 5, and served as an inspiration fo r b o th I’rickson and me to work on

pp. 135-137, for the com plete w ritten o u t solo th a t Phil Wilson played in ‘• n ig h t o f the Sackbiii
from the album The United States A ir Force Presents “Serenade in (Program No.
Side A), See a fte r letter L for the buzzed glissando and b en t to n e , as well as m ultiplionies. ""
Tud-UI tongue, and m uch m ore.
7. See the discussion in C h ap ter II ab o u t “ fa k e" trigger notes used in th e Erickson (.Vh<*w /
and look up "privileged” and “ falset” tones u n d er acoustics in R obin (Gregory’s /Vic ^
8. By use o f the term “ p u t to g eth er,” reference is m ade to th e original tape version ol
Rabe overlaying the fo u r p arts (each o f them playing tw ice).
 •II. C J L I S S A N D O S 21

new tro m b o n e so u n d s in co n n c c tio n w ith o u r collaboration on the /iicercare. M any techniques are
Loiiitnon to b o th o f th ese w orks, aiul several o f them belong in the harm onic glissando category.
It one w ere to play th e h arm o n ic series in first (or any o th er) position by slurring from th e fu n d a­
m ental to th e to p register, o n e w ould be playing one o f the ex trem e versions o f the harm onic glissando:
E xam ple 4: H arm onic Series, H xtrem e V ersion No. 1 o f the H arm onic Glissando

The ex p ected form in these glissandos, how ever, is to move the slide from first position o u t to fifth o r
sixth, startin g o n th e second partial. Beginning a n d /o r ending notes do n o t need to be indicated:
ilif E xam ple 5: Usual H arm onic G lissandos

This p o sition m o v em en t affects the in to n a tio n and produces a very rough effect. This rough effec t
can be fu rth e r h eig h ten ed by realizing, as one m oves from the low er to higher register, th a t each
change is acco m p an ied by a slight dow nw ard “ same p artial” glissando, fu rth e r u p settin g the in to n a tio n
stru ctu re. If E x am ple 5d, fo r instance, is slowed dow n it will look like this:
iiig E xam ple 5d (b is): Slow V ersion o f E xam ple 5d

I ------- m --------- n r -------- z r

This slow ing d o w n need n o t co n fo rm to th e above, fo r the positions m ay be shortened o r len g th en ed

easily. T he h arm o n ic glissando is, in som e ways, m ore effective the slow er it is done, b u t m o st com ­
posers seem to p re fe r th e fast version. Also, all these harm onic glissandos can be d o n e from th e to p
dow n instead o f th e b o tto m u p , b u t th e la tte r is generally preferred. The advantage o f th e lo u d , fast,
and upw ard versions is th a t th e y are rough and dram atic.
A t th e o p p o site e n d o f th e h arm o n ic glissando is the ability to glissando harm onically on th e same

note, beginning w ith th e E above the s ta ff on up:

nih E xam ple 6: Sam e N o te G lissando, E x trem e V ersion No. 2 o f H arm onic G lissando

z 2i - : e: - i t - x - : e r L - 2 r
^ ---- ----------------- -------------------- C c ^ c l^ s shouin)
 22 III. G L I S S A N D O S

I-
Technically this would not be a glissando, Vinu/pvpr
howeve , it is included here fo r som e very obvious ®asons.
rn pe,form ing the h „ m o n ic glissando on E, one moves the slide from II ,o V ,o VII ,o V ,|
holding .he E pitch .s steadily as possible. The moving slide (length o f tubing change) will la te the
pitch dow n o , up, while the lip fights against it in order to change partials and hold the same ncte.
On any com m on slide position chart, the E appeani as th e sixth partial in position II, the seventh
partial in position V, and the eighth partial in position VII. A sim ilar situ atio n ex,sts for every note
upw ards, and, beginning with Ab above the staff, one has four (o r m ore) positions for each note, whic],
is due to the closer higher partials.
The m ore slowly any given “same note” glissando is played, the m ore one hears the “ same partial”
glissando between each “ same note” position. The faster it is played, the m ore it sounds like the
trum pet player (again, usually in jazz) who presses different valves dow n (usually very fast) while
holding the same note, very much Uke a valve trill (cf. C hapters V and V II).’ Even fast, on the trom­
bone, a “sponginess” o f pitch is caused by these same partial glissandos.
These same note glissandos form only part o f a continuum , w hich explains its inclusion in the
glissando chapter. Shortening the positions just a little, one will n o t have the continuous E, but rather
an E in II, a quarter tone higher in ##V , an F in VI, and a q u arte r tone higher F in bVII (see Example
7a). By shortening still further, one obtains an E in II, an F in #1V, a G in VI, and a Ab in VII
(exam ple 7b);

Illi Example 7: “ Alm ost” Same Note Harmonic Glissandos S hortened

7* 7 b

Shortening it further and further creates som ething like the version for Bolos and Ricercare.
On the o th er hand, if the positions are lengthened rather than shortened, one can get the E in II
and the q uarter tone below in bV. This works b etter higher, where there is a little m ore room to work:
a high Bb in I, a quarter tone below in #IV , and an A in VI (see Exam ple 8a), o r a Bb in I, an A in
IV, and an Ab in VII (see Example 8b);

lllj Exam ple 8: “ A lm ost” Same Note Harmonic Glissandos Lengthened

8h
L ^ , 3 : ---------- 3E-- — - n r
b S : -------- *

9. Double tonguing on the same note is also a similar and useful device (cf. C hapter II).
 111. G L I S S A N D O S 23

This latter idea (E xam ple 8) is m ore difficult to d o and is not as useful or as interesting; th erefo re, the
practical lim it th en becom es the “ sam e n o te ” limit.*® This is ap propriate, since the “ sam e n o te ”
harm onic gllssando is a desirable and extrem ely Interesting effect (see the use o f it in the Berio
Sequenza V). In its slow p aram eter it wil! look a little like Exam ple 5d (bis), except th at w hen the
slide returns, th e p a tte rn will reverse itself (see Exam ple 9 done on a high Bb);
Exam ple 9; Slow V ersion o f a High Bb Same N ote H arm onic G lissando

I ----- nr- —I------ m — -I----------- m --- r

(one cycle shp.i/n'j

The “ e x a c t” n o ta tio n s (E xam ples 5d (bis) and 9) are far to o com plicated to be o f real value, and are
not recom m ended ex c ep t to d em o n strate the subtle pitch changes th at take p lace ." The b eau ty o f
ail these h arm onic glissando effects, I feel, is the “ in d eterm in ate” o r “ w andering p itc h ” feeling th a t
they convey. T h ey are easy to do, and to com plicate the n o tatio n w ould m ake them m uch m ore
difficult w ith o u t receiving any appreciable benefit. Let it be concluded, then, th a t all the glissandos
represent o ne o f th e freest and least com plicated o f all trom bone techniques.

10. It m ight be wise to n o te th a t there is a sim ilar extension o f the lim it o f E xtrem e V ersion No. 1
(Exam ple 4). T his is startin g a harm onic series in third position o r low er and bringing the slide in.
Since the h arm onic series itself, let alone its extension, is no t particularly useful in the concept o f
the h arm onic glissando, a discussion o f this extension is n o t w arranted.
1 1. These n o ta tio n s m ight conceivably be useful in an extrem ely slow p aram eter fo r a special effect.
 Cliaptei IV:
M ic r o t o iie s

Chapter III was a ver>' extensive piece on microtuning, just as C hapter V will be. B oth ghssandos and
vibratos are. in fact, made up almost entirely o f some kind o f non-half-step tuning. The slide, being
unique to the trombone, makes any kind o f unusual tunings or internal structures easy because .t can
be placed anywhere. Thus the title Microtones for this chapter does no t tell the whole story, since
definite interval structures such as quarter or sixth tones are not really “ m icro” in concept. Though
this one word best describes what this chapter is about, its real title ought to be Quarter Tones, Other
Smaller than Half Step Intervals, Special Tunings, and Microtones.
The trom bone is unique in being the only buzzed lip in stalm en t th at can conveniently resonate
any pitch. The key word here is conveniently, because o th er brass can do these things, but doing so is
not convenient. Furtherm ore, if a trom bone does not have a slide but is ra th e r a valve trom bone, then
it is not really a trom bone at all, because the basic principle which sets the tro m b o n e apart from the
other brass has been rem oved.’ To me, the use o f the word “ tro m b o n e” means th at a slide is present,
so a valve trom bone is really a cylindrical bore baritone.
Jn the entire orchestra, the trom bone is one o f only a very few instrum ents th at can handle micro­
tones with real convenience, the others being the cello, the contrabass, and tym pani. Others, o f course,
can do them but it is, again, relatively /nconvenient; e.g., the harp has to pick up a tuning key, valve
and key instrum ents have to plan out their fingerings, on the violin o r viola the distance betw een half
steps is small, and so on. It is significant, too, th at all easily m icrotoned in stru m en ts are bass clef
instrum ents; Like the contrabass and cello, the trom bone has a great d istance betw een h a lf steps. This
distance is actually about three or more^ inches along the slide, w ith p le n ty o f room for pitch

I. “ The simple mechanism o f the lengthening-slide is, indeed, so co m p lete and p erfec t th at it
seems to be incapable o f further im provem ent, and it is quite arguable th at a tro m b o n e ceases to be
one when the slide mechanism is replaced by any o th e r device” (A dam Carse, Musical Wind Instru­
ments [New York. Da Capo Press, 1965], p. 251).

fa rth er a p a rt the m ore the

h e c n m /™ f ^^pect o f a tube IS lengthened ail aspects are lengthened). M ost players
become aware o f this in using an F attach m en t but, oddly enough, the variability betw een half

24
 IV M K K O Ionhs 25

, , t e r i a l at any p o in t a lo n , the way,^ Q u a rte r tones, for .nstance. w.,1 be .h o u t one and . half
inches a p a rt, w hereas six th to n es will be a b o u t an ,nch apart, F i.h th tones wHl s i .p l y ..v u le the
q u arter to n e in ha . t K re b y being ab o u t three q u arters o f an inch apart. These are not Jifr.c i.lt to
learn, especially w hen o n e realizes th a t the w hole step has been divided in to half steps for cen tu n cs.
Very co m p lex in to n a tio n stru c tu re s are accom plished w ith relative ease.

JU ST TUNING

A n um ber o f pieccs v an o u sly em ploy these phenom ena, and it w ould be well to exam ine som e o f the
n o tatio n s involved. O f th e m ore o u tstan d m g o f these so far is Ben Jo h n sto n ’s One Mar, * The use o f
m icrotones is ex ten siv e, even exhaustive. Jo h n sto n ’s idea is to convey a ju stly tem pered scalc. par­
ticularly em p h asizing th e seventh partial. The n o tatio n used is fairly clear except th at it does not
relate visually to th e slide p attern s. In m astering this w ork. I related to the traditional seven slide
positions and used such designations as bV to indicate a slightly lowered fifth position or bbV to indi­
cate a m ore th an slightly low ered fifth position. was low er yet, this tim e raising the sixth position,
and #V I was still tow er, being only a slightly raised sixth position. While not (juite as accurate as the
original d esignations, these altered p ositions w orked as a functional guide to the notation and lent
them selves b e tte r to eye-hand co o rd in a tio n . A fter this had been achieved, then, using the ear allowed
the fine tu n in g necessary to p ro d u ce as the com poser desired.
The only fru stra tin g draw b ack I n o ticed was th at after a few successive perform ances, where it was
not possible to p ra ctice in b etw een , the tuning gradually w orked its way tow ard equal tem peram ent.
Only experience can tell w h e th e r this is a syndrom e th at will m anifest itself in other situations requiring
m icrotones. 1 th in k n o t, and w ould ra th e r believe th at this problem is caused by the perform er’s mind
focusing strongly o n n o t on ly “ n o rm al” problem s, such as high range, but also thm e o f th eater and
percussion as well.
A b rie f exam ple (1 ) below will serve to indicate the problem s involved, but it is strongly recom m ended
th at th e read er co n su lt the score in its en tire ty , for its interesting notation and copious annotation', will
be m ost h elp fu l to any co m p o ser o r tro m b o n ist.

steps is o ften o verlooked on the te n o r trom bo ne. “ T he R elationship o f the Slide to P itch." C hapter
6 in G eorge M ax ted ’s b o o k Talking A b o u t the Trombone (L ondon: John Baker Ltd , pp
provides an in tere stin g discussion o f this phenom enon.
3 “ T he tro m b o n e stands alone am ongst the family o f brass instrum ents in that it is by n ature
chrom atic, and has never been any th in g else. Its tube is not limUed to a tixed length, nor to certain
fixed lengths calculated to sound sem itones apart, bu t can be adjusted to all possible leng hs w uh.n
the lim its o f its sh o rte st w hen the slide is draw n up, and its longest when ..
cylindrical p o rtio n o f its tu b e (over tw o thirds o f the w hole) can be increased by a l m o s n ^
degrees to nearly d o u b le its original length, and is absolutely straight except for one L-bond. Its
ucgrees to nearly u u u i ic b . perfect, w hether m easured by a tem pered or by
chrom aticism is co m p lete and its in to n atio n can oe pci ,
an u n tem p ered scale" (A dam C aise, M m c a l Wmd p, .5 1 y
4^ M uch is to be n o te d aboi.1 th is piece, particularly its use o f accessor,- percussion .n str^m cn ts
and th e use o f th e a te r (see C hapters V III and XI, respective y
 IV. M I C R O T O N E S
26

Hxample 1: Jo h n sto n One Man, page 6, bars 47-50

K
(D____ ( g ) ® {§)

- - 4 -------- ^--------
Ijt
r 7 r ^ ------^-------------- *”
---------^
Used by p erm ission, M edia Press, B ox 6 9 5 , C ham paign. Illinois 61820.

S f XT H TONES
Example 2, from Barney ChilAs's Music, is m uch m ore clear-cut. Involving six th to n es, th e notation is
unique and, although difficult to grasp at first, visually represents th e actu al sound.
Exam ple 2: Childs Music, page 8, line 3

© 1 9 6 6 Barney Childs. All rights reserved. R e p rin ted by perm ission o f A m erican C o m p o sers A lliance, N ew Y ork.

Each line indicates a half step (instead o f the norm al w hole step ), and this causes som e confusion. The
sixth tones are placed visually closer to the ap p ro p riate lines. A m ore easily assim ilable n o tatio n could
be used, relating to the norm al staff, bu t would u n fo rtu n a te ly take up d o u b le o r m ore space in the
music; for the purposes at hand, the above is a very elegant exam ple. As desirable as this n o tatio n is
for clarity, it has a lim ited range usage; how , for instance, can o n e express m icro to n es w ith this kind
o f clarity in a passage full o f leaps over an octave?®

QUARTER TONES AN D EIGHTH TONES

A b e tte r idea m ight be the n o tatio n seen in the T on D eLeeuw Music. In th e in stru c tio n s, he writes of
dividing the half step in to “ ca 4 com m as,” fu rth e r statin g th a t “ tw o com m as equals a q u a rte rto n e .”
The result in the music is a play betw een q u a rte r and eighth to n es, the n o ta tio n in th e piece indicating
these commas. One useful aspect o f this n o ta tio n is its relationship to the tra d itio n a l staff, and it is
therefore easier to assim ilate. Had the sym bols them selves been w ritte n clearly , th e passage would be
virtually sight readable. His sym bols, fo r exam ple, are r , m eaning a sharp raised by one com m a (an
eighth to n e), and i , m eaning a flat low ered by tw o com m as (a q u a rte r to n e ). A n exam ple (3) below
will serve to indicate the ease with w hich one can understand and p erfo rm it.

5. This m ight never be a problem . See later in this c h a p te r u n d e r “ Leaps o r sk ip s.”

 JV. m ic r o t o n e s
27
E xam p le 3: De Leeuw Music, page 4, line 1

(7 )
m
© 1 9 7 4 b y D O N E M U S -A m stetdam . All rights reserved. R eprinted by Permission of C. F. Peters C orporation,
sole selling agents for the Western Hemisphere.

m ic r o t o n e s

The m ost elegant exam ple o f the best “ m icrotones” is seen in the Robert Erickson General Speech, o n t
can observe m icro tonal playing from beginning to end {see Appendix I for the entire score). The m icro-
tonal fluidity o f speech itself is intended here, and the notation used represents this adm irably. The
notation is w ithin a trad itio n al fram ew ork, and that advantage cannot be overemphasized because it
enables a p erfo rm er to assim ilate the piece more quickly.
The true m eaning o f m icrotones is evident in this piece through the very fine gradations o f pitch
change taking place. T he last h alf o f line 7 going into the first half o f line 8 seems particularly illus­
trative (see A ppendix I). N otice how the pitch creeps up, drops back, and then creeps up again. It
is this m ovem ent coupled w ith traditional pitches that give the work a sort o f “ sing-song” effect, a
type of “ sprechstim m e,” w hich is appropriate since hum an speech provided the material for the piece.
Microtonal gradations are in evidence during the vibratos, glissandos, “ fake” trigger, and half valve;
see the ap p ropriate ch ap ters (V, III, II, and VII) for further inform ation.

LEAPS OR SKIPS

For a w orkable n o ta tio n involving leaps (all the o ther works cited have a very limited range), one
should consult L arry A ustin’s CHANGES,^ in which he uses partially fllled-in notes to indicate q u arte r
tones ( * u p and ^ dow n). This is w orkable for the purpose he has assigned, but how would one
notate eighth o r six th tones? I prefer the De Leeuw system even though it leaves a question as to how
sixth tones m ight be indicated. Also, I assume th at any m icrotonal passage will generally be o f lim ited
range and large skips will b e avoided. Skipping w ith m icrotones conveys simply an ou t o f tune feeling,
whereas it is th e ju x ta p o sitio n o f adjacent half and quarter steps, for instance, th at m akes the use o f
m icrotones interesting. A n o tatio n such as Barney Childs uses, if it were expanded to a traditional staff
(using lots o f paper), or such as Robert Erickson uses, would provide the most useful all-encom-
passlng n o tatio n while at the same time retaining the relaliomhip to the traditional staff. It is possible,
Ihen, to perforra virtually any kind o f microtonal passage. -n.e examples above demonstrate that even
the notation need not be a limiting factor if thought through clearly.

6- See page 7 (and elsew here) in the score.

 IV m i c r o t o n e s
.'S

K t \ I K U t K \ /7<>N
I M ., uonUHMu- „ o ,n b o n e h k o in s tru m e n ts ) in a r e v e rb e ra n t r o o m , o r ev e n in to a p ia n o w .th j,,
N o A o a . oiu' oan p io v lu a ' all k in J s o f m ic ro to n a l h a r m o n ie s t h a t a re o f m t e r e s t (se e m y Jen

u,xm J H.Ku-fv <n A ppciuliv IH ’ H u ' use o f th ese is a isc u ss e d a t le n g th in C h a p t e r X, a lth o u g h one of
n,oso s p ..,a l c l t . . t s aoriunvi th e re fro m is really m ic ro to n a l. T h a t e f f e c t is th e ro llin g o f th e bell on
w*
,hc i>..uu> stn n ^ s, a soun.l th a t is vcr> so ft a n d . it sh o u ld b e sa id , e th e r e a l. T h e s o u n d a p p e a rs in
i\ >. KuMU'k's / n v / ’i .v o . " usinj; the sy m b o l .L IU U U U JU LL . O th e r u se s o f th e b e ll o n th e p ia n o strings
.ippcai m Thaptov \ \ \ \ and m O liveros’s Theater Piece a t th e v ery b e g in n in g (se e r e c o r d e d exam ples).

n o m rR

Hu'rv aie tw o w avs o f achicvini; th e O o p p le r eft'ect. O n e is to tw irl th e i n s t r u m e n t a r o u n d w ith th e

pla\ I'l s ta tio i\a r \. such as is d o n e at th e very e n d o f th e O liv e ro s T h ea ter Piece w h e n a g a rd e n hose is
IV. s\\iin>i in .1 oirolo o w r the head ^see rc c o rd c d e x a m p le s). T h e o t h e r m e th o d is t o h a v e in s tr u m e n t and
iva pl;t\ci ro ta te as one unit tsoe th e DiJieridervish p a rt o f Ten G rand H osery in A p p e n d ix II).
In I'onclusion, the tro m b o n e is th e m ic ro to n a l b rass in s tr u m e n t p a r e x c e lle n c e . V ir tu a lly a n y kind
ot pitv it s tru c tu re can be set u p fo r use w ith a su rp risin g lack o f lim ita tio n s . H a v in g a c o m p le te ly
variable pipe len.cth co n v e n ie n tly at h a n d is sim ila r to th e a b ility o f a c e llo o r c o n tr a b a s s to v a ry th e
stn n n lenjjth. V rom bone and c o n tra b a ss in p a rtic u la r seem t o w o rk w e ll to g e t h e r , ju d g in g fro m th e
appcarancc o f several rv'cent c o m p o sitio n s fo r th is c o m b m a tio n . T h e m ic r o to n a l p r o p e r tie s o f th e
tro m b o n e um d o th e r in stru m e n ts as w ell, fo r th a t m a tte r ) h av e b a r e ly b e e n ta p p e d .

7. Also see C h a p te r X, n o te 11. fo r a b rie f d isc u ssio n o f iriy S ta n d in g Waves.

N. See bar 2 . on page 13 o f th e score.
 Chapter V:
Vibratos and I rills

The tro m b o n e p ro d u c e s v ib ra to in a t least th ree ways, as well as in o th e r ways th a t are m ore o r less
vibratolike in th e ir fu n c tio n . A m ong th e la tte r are th e trill and the shake, which will be discussed at the
end o f th e c h a p te r. O f th e p rim a ry vibratos, th e variables o f frequency, am plitude, and tim bre, m ost
instrum ents have a ch o ice o f o n ly tw o , o r choose to use elem ents o f only two. Strings, fo r instance, use
elements o f freq u en c y and slight tim b re changes. F lautists and som e double reed playere use m ostly
an am p h tu d e variable.
The tro m b o n ist seldom ch ooses to use a variable am plitude vibrato - the fam iliar “ diaphragm ” o r
“gut” v ib rato - alth o u g h it is read ily available. The tw o variable tim bre vibratos are accom plished by
changing to n g u e sh apes o r b y m o v em en ts o f th e jaw . The form er has n o com m on nam e and is rarely
used, b u t th e la tte r is k n o w n as e ith e r th e “ lip ” o r th e “ja w ” vibrato and is used quite frequently. Also
often used is th e fre q u e n c y variable k n o w n co m m o n ly as th e “ slide” vibrato. In jazz it is q u ite possible
to find the slide an d lip (o r ja w ) v ib ra to interm ingled o r exchanged. Here are the three prim ary
vibratos, w ith po ssib le n o ta tio n s, in th e ir norm al (fast and narrow ) param eters:
Va Exam ple 1; T h e T h re e P rim ary V ib rato s, N orm al P aram eters

u i.
la : SliJe Vvvvvvvvvvvw

I t : L i p (Jaw)

Jc: Diaphragm C M ruw w w vxrL

s l /d e v i b r a t o

The slide v ib rato varies th e p itc h b y th e m ovem ent o f the slide,* and is heard m ost often m jazz.
Example 1a suggests a p o ssib le n o ta tio n fo r use in a song o r a ballad. Tl.ere is a large choice, how ever,

T T T ------: ----------------- J m nre than once by people w ho have ap p aren tly studied
th l i co rn ere d a f te r le c tu r predom inantly an am plitude variable
he shde v ib rato in fro n t o f an oscilloscope no d o u b t, to the fact th a t in
and not as m u ch o f a p itch variable as o n e n o t change significantly b u t ra th e r becom es
the norm al slide v ib ra to p a ra m e te r th e ® the tonal center. W hatever th e p o in t
a ‘b e n t” to n e (an d th e re b y loses a m p litu d e ) on each sjde o t the tonai

29
 V V VI HK A r o s A N D I R I I . I . S

»n I'Wi l\ \ .inJ \pooil In vijiiuljinl iMojiortiotiiil no(;itiotiiil dcviccs, one ce n tim eter will equal
ot inno I'lio .ihovi' o\i» ii|'lo 1 1a), (lion, woulil show nbout fo u r vibrato cycles per second
Hu' ov.Mnplo 1 M bolow \lu'\vs wliiit tniKiil 1x’ tionc when varyiii)! this vibrato:
\»> ( Slitlv' VibiiUo, W m ablo Spcod a n d /o r W idth

I— —I---- 1------1----- r " - r --- T----- 1----- r— —I

(WiJtr)

Hus v oiiM bo w ritten on a stalT witli pitctics indicated (p aren th etically ) if desired, bu t one could also
vunpiv asMnno (hat (ho posidon o f the vibrato on the s ta ff would be the pitch:
IAiuuplo Slide V it'ra(o. Mon' Detlnito Pitch Indication

r > r Jw t ' C v

H\c ipiestion at this point, then, becontcs: "W hen does a slide vibrato cease to be a vibrato and become
a jilissando *" The answer is sim ply that (lie tw o can merge o r divide at any tim e (cf. C hapter III),
since the slide vibrato is a ulissando. \ special use o f this glissando vibrato is seen in the Erickson
K ii'm ,itr li whetv (he note is attacked loudly and a quick dim inuendo executed during a fast,
wide vibrato. What is actually done might look like the following exam ple (4):
\\t Fxaniple 4: Slide V ibrato, Fast and Wide w ith Diminishing W idth

A nother use is the "v ib rato " betw een the first and seventh positions in the beginning o f Bolos by Rabe
and Hark, a now classic exam ple o f how the slide vibrato merges in and o u t o f glissandos. Shortly after
tl>e bi'Hinning o f the piece, a wa-wa m ute is “ vibratoing" at the sam e tim e (see pp. 35-36 b elo w l

o f view, any trom bonist who tries to play a slide vibrato w ith an am plitude variable m entality is in
(txMible! I'lie point o f departua* should be one o f varying the p itch; one m ust be able to blend into the
norm al ulissando. It is perhaps significant that the slide vibrato can stop by use o f the horizontal
line and becom e confused w ith the “ g u t" vibrato (see Exam ple 12).
In Andrew Im brie’s Thrrc Skclchcx, there is a slide vibrato requested for the “ d o lce” section at the
beitiiuiiitiii o f the third m ovem ent. In the louder sections it seems easy to m ake th e slide vibrato
Urotesque. In (he sof(er sections it is difficult to even hear the vibrato. In o th e r w ords, the softer one
plays, (ho m ore c)ne m ust overdo the slide vibrato action; conversely, the lo u d er one plays, the less
slide action is desirable. Iliis all probably has to d o w ith the am plitude factor in the slide vibrato,
since Ihe “ rate o f ciTectiveness" o f this so-called pitch variable is apparently changed by the
at which It is played.
2, See paut*s 10. and I I o f the score.
 V V I H K A I O S A N D r R II t S II

lirofi fAWVniHATO

iTie lip ‘’f *' in iiwKc to the ulidc vihrato, 7^11% in cxccutcd w ith an crn b o u ch u rc vari-
jrion m ovrm cnl of e ith e r Ihc lip, (aw. o r boKi However, the term “jaw " vibrato b c\t <lcstribe% the
^ ,io n a »liKhI m ovem cnl of tfie jaw th at chanKo^ the tim bre \tru c tu rc of the note ever \o slif{htly.
vibrato i» the be^t o n e tjn the tro m b o n e for the purpose o f ‘‘m oving” the v ju n d th ro u g h the per-
formmK 'p a te ’ I he n o ta tio n o f the n o rm al” jaw vibrato (fast and narrow ) can be seen in F.xam ple
|b but i* varied hkc the slide vibrato w here, in the case o f J-.xampie 5, the e x tre m e m ove­
ment can alm ost pinch tfie to n e o il, or open it tf>o wide, som ething hke " b e n t" t o n e s / C o m p are
J xampie S to I xam ples 2 and w here the slow versions o f the slide vibrato bccam e >«)issandos:

v« hxample 5 I.ip or Jaw V ib rato , V ariable Speed a n d /o r Width

Mixmtf the slide and jaw is the easiest way to com bine vibratos The slide mij{hl be norm al and th e
jaw normal except for beinj? a bit slow er H xam ple
vf hxam ple 6 C o m b in a tio n Slide and Jaw V ibratos, Normal F xcept for Slow er Jaw

^ ^ « * I _ i

3 I rem em ber the cla n n e tist Rcfonald Kell, in a clinic j?iven iliirinx Ihc m id-fifties in San F ran cisco ,
cKaritjnn his v ib rato v) slow ly th at the sound would seem to leave the clarinet, m ove ac rm s the ro o m ,
and then return afuiin When d o n e norm ally (faster) the result would be as though the e n tire ro o m
spat^ was the v ju n d C larinetists generally seem to be m ore adept at moving sound aro u n d th an o th e r
instrum entalists W hether Kell and o th e r clan n e tists em ploy the jaw vibrato o r the diaphraRm v ib rato
'w both IS not entirely clear
I have m entir,ned the Jaw as being the thing th at one should think ab o u t in perform inK this v ib rato .
In Thf T rom honhi't H andhook by Reginald Fink (A thens, O hio; Accura Music, 1977), p. 113, he
^akes quite a case for paying a tte n tio n to Ihc lips rather than the Jaw! I would like to th in k th a t this
*’braio IS m uch m ore m y sterio u s than e ith e r Fink o r I have credited it, therefore, b o th o f o u r a tte m p ts
»o explain this vibratf) m ay well be oversim plified. To confuse the issue fu rth er. I subscribe to the
'hfofy ex pounded by f-.dward K leinham m er (heard in a clinic) that the Jaw vibrato is an ex cellen t
'one cenfennit device In any case, all o f these fa c to n , and probably m uch m ore, c o n trib u te to w hy
fhe jaw <r„ )|p^ v ib rato is v ) inlerestm K.
^ rh e “ n an n y -g o at" v ibrato (a ssw ia te d with a certain style o f playing th at som e band soloists
'^ '1 d u n r.r the tu rn o f the c e n tu ry ) i» a com bination o f “ja w " vibrato and " b e n t" tones. T he “ b e n t
Vibrato" s<rcms to be a th ro a t actio n , and therefore the term “ th ro a t" v ib rato is n o t inappro-
Pr.are H-Avevcr the “ b u /z " o f the lips has to changc, and it i^ difficult to tell which is m ore im p o rta n t
''h a p tr r ^ u iid rr “ Fknt T o n es" and n ote .3). Alv), be carcful not to confuse this v ib rato w ith th e
■■"i'ural throat v ib ra to " that Fink m entions in The Trom honiu'x /fanJhonk He states th at “ if you
» natural fhr^rat v ibrato you should cu ltivate it rather than a tte m p t to develop a lip v ib ra to "
'P I I 4 j
 V VIBRATOS AND T R IL L S
32
......... ,h o v e ) d e s ig n a te d b y “ p lu s ” m a rk s ( + ) , th e ja w vibrato
With th e su p erim p o sed v ib ra to s .xa

peaks high and low o n ce each seco n c

T .e a-sumns c o ^ .n a .io n , . » w,.H ™ore

m uch im ag in atio n to see w h at can h a p p e n w hen in csc

(E x am p le 7):
E xam ple 7; C o m b in a tio n Slide an d Jaw V ib ra to s, B o th V a rie d
Vg

----------------- 1.

T his is o -ly th e hcginning, how ever. T h ere are o th e r v ib ra to s y e t to d iscu ss, a n d m o s t can b e used In

m ultiple co m b inations.

TONGUE OR VOWEL V IB R A TO

This next v ib rato is seldom used as a v ib rato , an d , w hile n o t c o n sid e re d o n e o f th e prim a ry vibratos,
it is easy to d o and is also a n o th e r tim b re variab le; th e re fo re , it w a rra n ts m e n tio n a t th is tim e. It is the
“ to n g u e” o r “ vow el” v ib rato , since th e to n g u e is its p rim a ry fo rm u la to r. R e fe re n c e sh o u ld be m ade to
C h ap ter II on Vowels, since this sound requ ires a change in vow els b y th e use o f th e to n g u e : a-i
(ah-ee). T he i-a m ight be i-(y)a (e e -[y ]a h ). See th e e x a m p le (8 ) b e lo w fo r a n o ta tio n o f th e “ n o rm al”
tongue vibrato;
Vh Exam ple 8 : Tongue o r V ow el V ib rato , N orm al P a ra m e te r
* ‘ ‘ *

a / a i A i a i a i a i a j A t € i A i a t a i A / M / « ./

This vibrato is n o t only easy to do, it can also be varied easily. W hat a c tu a lly h a p p e n s is a change in the
partial stru ctu re o f the given pitch (cf. C h ap ter I):
ViExam ple 9. Tongue o r Vow el V ib ra to , V ariable S peed a n d /o r W idth

'------- '-----------------J--------------- 1-------- 1-------- 1—___ I_____ ■

a /a /a /- A - I • < y ) - * ----- - V—

The tongue or vowel vibrato is difficult to d o along w ith a jaw v ib ra to b ec au se th e ja w v ib ra to also

harbors some sym pathetic tongue m ovem ents as well. C onversely, w hen a to n g u e v ib ra to is used, it also
has sym pathetic jaw m ovem ents. T rying to do th em at d iffe re n t ra te s to g e th e r will n o t w o rk properly;
however, eith er can be com bined w ith the slide v ib rato (an d also th e d iap h ra g m v ib ra to , y e t to be dis­
cussed). Even though the tongue and jaw vibratos c a n n o t be d o n e to g e th e r, th e y can b e exchanged or
traded o ff (see Exam ple 10):*
 V. vibratos and TKII.I.s
11
Exam ple 10: T o n g u e a n d Jaw V ib ra to s, F.xchanging from O ne lo ihc O .h cr

d ia p h r a g m o r g u t v ib r a t o

The diaphragm o r g u t v ib ra to is n o t as co m m o n ly used as th e slide o , jaw vihrato. an.l, if ,.,c d on h r a « ,

„ w ould p ro b a b ly b e used o n th e h o rn o r Iru m p e t, alth o u g h it generally is nu t desire,I on these in .lru -
raents either.* I t Is an a m p litu d e variable an d , because o f Its ability lo be changed suddenly from loud
to so ft 10 lo u d , i t has b e e n given a “ sq u arew av e" n o la tio n . This sudden change o r ■■bumpiness" m ay
be w hat Iceeps it fro m g en eral use. T his b u m p y characteristic, how ever, is well represented by tlie n o ta ­
tion, and w hile th e “ n o rm a l" p a ra m e te r is seen In E xam ple Ic, Us variables m ight be as in H xam ple 1 1:
Vk Exam ple 11: D iap h rag m o r G u t V ib ra to , V ariable Speed an d /o r Width
> -i- . J I I I------- 1— 1 I I_____I_____I_____I_____,_____,_____ , 1 i

y (Mttm.')

If )

A b e tte r an d m o re flex ib le n o ta tio n m ight include diagonals (while retaining horizo n tals so as to
avoid co n fu sio n w ith th e slide - see E xam ple 12). T he slide v ibrato, how ever, could also sto p via the
use o f a h o riz o n ta l line (see n o te 1 above);
VI E xam ple 12: D iap h rag m o r G u t V ib ra to , D iagonals Indicating C rescendo o r D im inuendo

ii A - I— I

(f)n n r u

(P)
Just as th e slide v ib ra to b ec o m e s c o n fu sed w ith glissandos, th e gut v ibrato is som etim es co n fu sed w ith
norm al d y n a m ic changes. S o m e th in g like th e above exam ple (1 2 ) m ight be used in c o m b in a tio n w ith
the slide v ib ra to a n d th e jaw v ib ra to as in th e follow ing exam ple (1 3 ).
'^"1 E xam ple 13: Slide, Ja w , a n d D iaphragm V ib ra to s in C om bination

on th E ric k so n ’s G eneral Speech so u n T

on th e tro m b o n e . T h e usage is as m u ch a th eatric al ge
 V VIBRAIOS ANP 1 LS

„ ,v( th is p o in t o n e 's in iag in ;» tio n m u s t t a k e o v e r to discover whjr

n . . .. o„vd .n > - ir ^ c h o .h er .o u „ d s a,

" ; I r t ^ r !ih n ,.o , .KM . . . n y vibn.,0* a, . . . .nc, wU. in d « c . appoar under o , h « chap.e,
,^ c ^r.v.Jor -l..1m ,ion o f w,.a> a vibrato I. (or n„gh. be) n m st he c o n sid er e d ;,. is s,mp.y a
.„ o « o .'o r « n .„ io n o f one o f .h .ec .>asio func.ions in music: fre.,uenoy. am plitude, and timbre. Rhythm
« m « to be the onl> clement that cannot be -vibratoed": l.o » ev e r . n o tice the rhythn.ic c W « in a.1
t ie evamrlos. For the ^ .le o f a.m p.eteness, then, the fol.ow in s phenom ena are descn b ed (remember,
the v'r ^o\vcI vibr.jto h.»s alR'.uiy been liiscussedV

TRllL A S n S H A K F

ITie trill ar.d d u k e .ire b o th t'n.'miency variables. a n J as such d ese rv e m e n tio n a lo n g w ith v ib rato
Nrv'duse ot‘ th e cKve relationshir- Basically, a trill is a ra p id c h a n g e o f p itc h . M o st o rc h e s tra tio n books
m ention trills enousih so th at th e y will be dism issed here e.xcept to re c o m m e n d t h a t (1 ) lip trills
smaller th an a m 4.ior second be avoided an d (>) th e p o sitio n s o f th e tr o m b o n e be c h e c k e d to see that
the pitches desired are w ithin a position o f each o th e r. E .xtrem ely w'ide trills c a n b e c o m e h arm o n ic
jdissandv^ and should be th o u g h t o f as such (cf. C h a p te r III), W ide trills o v e r a f o u r th o r fifth are
iwnenilly the only choices in th e low er register and th e re fo re are n o t u su a lly d e sire d . Hovvever. a good
take trill o t a m^^ior second in th e m iddle to lo w er re g ister can b e a c c o m p lish e d b y sin g in g th e required
pitch aboNe the played (.buzzed) p itch (cf. C h a p te r I).”
The shake is a n o th e r m eth o d (m o re co m m o n to th e tn im p e t b u t still u sed o c c a sio n a lly o n th e trom ­
bone) to o b tain trills. It is done ju s t as th e term im plies: so m e sh a k e th e h e a d , o th e r s sh ak e th e instru­
m ent, and still o th ers shake b o th . These ac tio n s can be ob serv ed f r e q u e n tly a m o n g ja z z p lay ers. I
teel th at a properly e.xecuied variable-by-buzzing trill is far s u p e rio r to th e sh a k e . J a z z u se o f th e shake,
how eve,. especially » ith th e occasional co u p .in g o f b e n t to n e s a n d o th e r d e ric e s , o f te n ca n b e im por­
tan t. The m il. how ever, is a m eth o d th a t can usually be m o re ea sily c o n tro lle d a n d v arie d - assuming
the perto rm er is adept at it.*

7. \ o t e the tro m b o n e parts in bars 4 3 -^ 4 78-79 AQ a a i .

and see how. as fake trills, thev lit in nicelv w ith n . A n d re w I m b n e s Tftree S ketch es,
recorded on New World R econis (NW '*54) te x tu re o f th e piece. T liis w o rk is

Ricercarvd,^ on A couTtk m u ltip le layere, o n e sh o u ld h e a r th e E rick so n

M assachusetts ^ <A coustic R esearch , 10 A m e ric a n D rive, N orw ood,
 V VIBRATOS AND TRILLS ,5
trem o lo s

There are fo u r usable tre m o lo s on th e trom bone: the doodle t n n .... h- u

,he »a-w a m „ .e . T h e d o o d le tongue (cf. C h ap ter II w I h " ‘™'

4„ced » ith a strin g in s ttu m e n l. T h e fast bow action on strings p r o v i d 'e T f '" r '°
j • * j inngs provides for the same sound w hether
^ „ i n g up o , d o w n . ,u s as t e d o o d le tongue can do. The d ia p h ra g . ,o , „ e . o , o Is not J u e
, good an ,m .ta t,o n o .h e s n n g tre m o lo due to its u „ e ,e n dynam ics, b u t is nevertheless Interesting.
This diaphragm trem o lo is h k e th e diaphragm vibrato (m entioned eariier in this chapter) only it is
aone very fast. W hen p erfo rm ed this fast, it seems to be a th ro at action rather than totally dia-
phragmatic; how ever, if th e voice is allow ed to vibrate sym pathetically on the same pitch it seems
easier to do. T he “ F ” valve can be used effectively for a trem olo and perhaps is the most interesting.
It is similar to th e d o o d le to n g u e trem o lo except th at it is m ore easily varied and can be very harsh.
To perform th e valve tre m o lo , th e valve is moved quickly back and forth, much as trum pet players
might move th e ir valves. W hen th e valve slide is taken off, the valve m ovem ent produces a stark
timbre change even o n a unison. D one slowly, this effect can approxim ate a vibrato in feel, although
technically, p erhaps, it is closer to a trill. I have labeled it a “ valve trem olo” ; a full explanation
appears in C h ap ter V II, T he wa-wa m u te trem olo is like the m ute vibrato (as explained later in this
chapter) ex c ep t th a t tw o fingers a lte rn a te o ff and on the stem o f the m ute very fast.’®

VOICE V IB R A T O S

The voice, b y itself th ro u g h th e in stru m e n t - o r away from the instrum ent for th at m atter - can also
vibrato b y use o f th e ja w , gu t, o r tongue. T hrough the instrum ent, these voice vibratos create nice
timbre changes an d can b e slipped in and ou t o f easily. Inhaling and exhaling rapidly can produce a
vibrato effect. It is m u ch m o re d ifficu lt to do the same thing while playing, but inhaling sounds can be

done (cf. C h ap ter V I).

MUTE V IB R A T O S

Still o th e r v ib rato s can b e p ro d u c ed by m utes, the plunger and the wa-wa m utes accom plishing this best.
Both are “ v o w el” m u te s - th a t is. th eir characterisric sound is determ ined by the u-a (oo-ah) sound.
This sound isp ro d u c ed o n th e wa-wa b y m ovem ent o f the hand over the m ute stem and on the plunger
. . . * ( T ^ a o t e r IX under “ M ute Harmonics and C hapter I
by open and close m o tio n s o f th e m u te itself (cf. P
----------------------------------- ^ „ o n v v e a r s used t r e m o lo s o n the sam e n o t e by rapid valve

9. Jazz tru m p e t p lay ers have fo r m an y years trom bone appears in

m otion. O ne o f th e e a rliest, if n o t ^ ^ o S ^ L ’th e second m ovem ent four bars after cue #16. It is
Barney C hilds’s First Brass Q uintet (1 ^ 5 4 ), J . ® trem olo in which the pitch is changed by
not a fast tre m o lo in th is in stan ce, b u t ra th e r a m easurea
a q u arter to n e . , Trombone and Orchestra, at the very
10. An example o f this appears in Finger Tremolo," and so far as 1 know this
end of the 2 n d m ovement. I suggested the term
is the first use o f th e effec t.
 16 V V IB K A J O S A N /> / K J J I . S

u n d e r "Uu//,r<\ I j p an d M u ted V ow cJ Ifa rm o n k N ” ;. K apid in o lio n tUcclivcly conv ey * tin-,

vibr.'ifo. f'w o kinrls of vow el v ih n ito can p ro c e e d s in iu lla n e o u ily , th e to n ;;u e v ib ra to a n d ofic i,f
m u te vihrato<i, besiilcs, th e m u te v ib ra to can b e e x e c u te d a t t/ie sam e tim e as tlie th re e p n iin tty
O verall, it is b e st n o t to use to o m a n y v ib ra to s at o n c c . A ll o f th e v ib ra to s d iscu sse d h e re vvo/t
w hen p roceedinK tw o at a tim e , w ith p e rh a p s an o c c a sio n a l d ip in to th re e a t a tim e, J h c in te rc ji
in th e ch a n g e o f v ib ra to types, an d su ch ch a n g es can a c h ic v c a tr e m e n d o u s rariKe a n d v ariatio n .
 Chapter VI:
Other Body Sounds

now the reader sh ould realize th a t all sounds discussed so far are generally sounds from the body,
ch ap ter co n cluded w ith a m iscellany o f various trills or trill substitutes, and the re­
maining chapters will m ove aw ay from the instrum ent (the body) and into the resonator (the trom ­
bone) and beyond. C ertain b o d y sounds rem ain th a t do n o t fit into the other chapter categories, and
itT fittin g th at this c h a p te r be th e “ m iscellanea” chapter, since it can be reached from either end o f

the book at ab out th e sam e tim e.

BUZZED LIP
T hebuzK d lip pro d u ces th e p itch and th erefo re is the m ost elem entaiy form o f the instrum ent. One
fine example o f lip buzzing- is in th e Oliveros n e a .e r Piece, to be discussed later on. As noted earl.er,
it is not necessarily th e m egaphone effect th a t m akes a trom bonist want to use ‘
effect is only one p a rt o f its fu n c tio n . R ather, it is th e resonating quahties and the ab l.ty focus
sound that sim plify buzzing.’ T h erefo re, th e tro m b o n e will be in use for the m atenal discussed

the rest o f this chapter.

- l . S e e C h a p t e r s 5 and M e g a rd in g use ..e w

2. Glenn Bridges, in a le tte r o f 12 A ugust 19 J4 , sta prom ote this for hp
do this now, th at I k now of. A lthough th ere no . „ cnme teachers were prom oting this idea o f
development. When did it start? A t th e tu rn o f th e centuiy^^ ^ distributing a cor-
buzzing. However, Wm. E by o f B uffalo, N.Y. ^ a s j h e i9 1 7 . He created a big controversy
respondence course for all cu p m o u th p ie ce p r o m in e n t co m et and trom bone players
throughout th e brass w orld. H e (E b y ) was ab e g distributing his course, bu t
to endorse his ads, etc. I was o f course aro u n d a t th e tim ^ study w ith J o s e g i L.
I never went for it to any degree, fo r I In fact Mr. Clarke used to H uber was
Huber who was a very s u c c e s s fu l p upil o f gh on w hat he taught them ab o u t breath
the only pupil th a t h e ever h ad th a t really follow ed th ro ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ _ see B ibliography 1,
control, etc. N ote th e q u o te in th e H uber ^ this idea o f buzzing p u t to o m uch o
t was the thinking o f Mr. C larke and plays a brass instrum ent or wind ins rumem^
the lips and n o t enough o n w ind control, w c o n tr o l will make t h ^ f u ’rhi»rt’<! brother)
the lips are form ed right at th e sta rt, ProP«;[ ^ [ e r from E m est Clarke (H erbert s brother)
argument could go on forever. I rem em b er receivi g
37
 38 VI. O T H E R B O D Y S O U N D S

TONGUF.-BUZZ

via While it is generally understood that the lips vibrate to produce the prim ary pitch source, this vibrati
can be altered by a “ tongue-buzz.” In didjeridu playing (see A ppendix III), the tongue sometimes Is "
inserted between the lips to become part o f the buzzing surface; the tongue becomes a substitute
lower lip. This reduces resonance som ewhat and creates a m uffled effect. When the normal buzzed lip
sound is returned, it can thum p. A lternating the tw o sounds can create percussive effects.^

SLAPTONGUE, FLUTTER, AND DOUBLE PEDAL

The slaptongue is apparently usable only in its continuous version. In R obert Erickson’s Ricercare d 5
I state that “ the continuous slaptongue is similar to a flutter tongue except th at it is much louder and
m ore blatant. It is done by allowing the tongue to actually come betw een the lips and do the flutter.”^
A nother similar sound that I once called a “ horse” sound rem inds one o f w hat a horse does when it
breathes out quickly with a rattle or flutter - perhaps causing its lips to vibrate. Although the term is
vib cum bersome, “ tongue-m outh flu tter” is a more proper name. In Ernst K renek’s Five Pieces,^ I state
that one is to “ make this sound by putting the m outhpiece all the way into the m outh (behind the
teeth) with the tongue flapping in the m outhpiece (similar to a fluttertongue w ithout pitch).” * Pitch
can change with this tongue flap by moving the slide. What actually changes is the “ rate o f tongue
flaps,” which slow down as the tube length is increased. This sense o f pitch is increased even more by
adding the “ F ” attachm ent, which o f course adds that m uch m ore tubing. The function o f this
Vic “ tongue-m outh flutter” can be like “ double pedals” ; that is, an octave lower than the normal pedals.
To try this, one needs only to play a series of, say, D’s starting in the m iddle or high range and playing
all D’s downwards, Near the end comes the “ trigger” D and then pedal D. Follow this by suddenly
putting the m outhpiece in the m outh as described above and do the “horse” or “ tongue-mouth flutter”
sound (with trigger engaged and slide positioned for D). It will sound like a double pedal D.

back in the 1920s, in which he said buzzing is old fashioned, so the idea m ust have been around a long
time. Ernest claimed there were other exercises - such as slurring to develop the lip structure without
buzzing, if lips are brought together tightly.”
3. A marvelous bit o f theater is the tongue-buzz done with the tongue as far out o f the mouth
(and m outhpiece) as possible. Although alternating in and ou t is not convenient with the tongue in
that aperture, the attem pt to do so is a worthwhile gesture.
4. See page 2 o f the score. When trying to give a name to this phenom enon in 1966, E rickson came
up with the term “ continuous garbage,” which was used in early versions o f the score; it certainly is
an apt description o f the sound. I am no t convinced th at my term “ slaptongue” is completely
descriptive o f what takes place, bu t it is close. The single reed slaptongue, after which this is named,
is one isolated “ slap” and, so far as I know, is not available in a continuous version. It is nevertheless
the effect o f a continuous slaptongue th at is conveyed on a trom bone.
5. See the instruction page.
6 . A fluttertongue w ithout pitch is just as the name implies. A norm al flutter is p r o d u c e d (an
“ r” trill, or whatever), but no actual buzzing o f the lips takes place. However, there is pitch to a
certain degree, because if one listens closely one can hear it change when the slide is m o v e d .
 O T H E R b o d y SOL'Nd s

^ i l e the m o u th p iece is engaged insioe th e m o u th behind th

“whooshing” sou n d h ke th a t o f je t planes. This can be f ^
change can be used if desired. T h .s high, scream ed sound irb e L n " " " '''
„ „ p t th at the to n g u e does n o t n a p b u , ra th e r continues to almo^^ M I '"f'
B„te bit o f air to pass through at a high velocity is wha, ca„,e, thi h* ' ' '* '
air is cut off, th e h ig h er th e so u n d . phenom enon *he

t r a d it io n a l F LU TTE R TO N G U E

perhaps a b rief w ord sh o u ld b e said ab o u t the traditional fluttertongue It k proK .b!/ ^

of all the so-called “ n e w ” devices an d , if n o t the oldest, has at Ica.t had the i
,t has had wide use m ja z z , ap p a ren tly ever since jazz was born. While tcach.r,. . t
workshops over th e p ast few years, I have tim e and again heard such com m ent. « ' ‘K .th.r y v ,
you can’t,” o r “ It is im possible to teach ; one is either able to do the nuttertoni?u^ or v, ,t
The people w ho say th ese things are som e o f the m ost respected names ir, the trom^^/r,««otV! I
not going to be o f m u ch h elp h ere eith er, except to say (happily) th at apparer.tly m'Af „
the principles o f how th e y them selves perform the fluttertongue. Some .ay they uv. 4 y/r,^^> '
(and specify fro n t o r b a c k ), o th e rs say th ey use a th ro at action, and still o th er, wy the-/
One (or m ore) o f th ese versions is like th e “ growl” (cf. note 11 below, and the informattor.
“Throat Clearing” later in th is ch a p te r).
The flu tterto n g u e is easily used in m o st registers and dynam ic ranges. The only real
is in the pedal n o te range. T he co m p o ser, in particular, should keep in mind that any
a fluttertongue; th a t is, th e v ib ratio n s p er second are few enough th at nontromb<>ni.». often *
plain pedal n o te as being flu tte rto n g u e d . G enerally, a com poser writes a fluttertorir-Jt *o i
louder or m ore rau co u s so und. N e ith er o f these things happens when the flu tterto r.^u ' n iv/'. or
notes; indeed, th e e ffe c t will b e to actu ally reduce the very loudness and raucousne^s *ith f /t ' H
notes are already blessed. F o r exam ples o f this problem , see the scores of Sequenza V by U c .a r .', b rrv .
and Ton De L eeuw ’s Music. F o r th e flu tterto n g u ed pedals contained in these works, or any o th tr
works for th a t m a tte r, m y re c o m m en d atio n is to ignore the fluttertongue com pletely and a.=.x v . i of
the plain pedal n o te s as m u c h am p litu d e and crassness as possible.

VOICE

’ I- Although th e TOice h a s b een discussed extensively in C hapters I, II, and V, much h a , t e n ;«tl
* o u l it. F or in s u n c e , th e voice can sim ply spealc through t h e in s tr u m e n t and the a u d ie n ^ . ,n u r^ e t-

------------------------------- j viilftriouslv funny. T hi. a 'to r .p t n :n

7.1 find th e a tte m p t to p erfo rm th e flu tte rto n y a e p ^ dedicated. I am therefore v /m t
‘he best spirit o f th e clow n C ro c k , to w hom B eno ^^equenz
^"decided a b o u t w h at to d o w ith th e flu tte rto n g u e p y even funnier than the « m p k
'gnore and play th e flu tte rto n g u e at th e sam e tim e. This contl.ci
"uttertongue a tte m p t a n d , p erh ap s, all the m ore tragi
 40 VI . O T H E R B O D Y S O U N D S

stand everything th at is said; it is a very useful lecture device. It is like using ii incKiiphdtir
to the fam ous R udy Vallee use for a certain kind o f voice projection (not to im-nlion tinil)rt. ( h
theatrical gesture), the use o f the voice through a trom bone docs not nccessnrily irtcKn Duti (i,,.
is louder. Presum ably, the extensive length o f small tubing before the throat o f Ihc be!) keep* j|
being am plified very much, for on the tuba the m egaphone am plification cffect In (initc pr(}n<„,f,,.p,|
Besides singing, then, discussed in C hapter I, speech can move from any kind o f low KrowHtiK |„ ||||^|
screaming. A siren sound with the voice is easy to do - why not hit the bell with u rinj( or (he itunifii
piece to sound Hke a fire truck bel! (cf. C hapter VIII)? Shouting can perhaps be more clo<|ucnl|y tcrtnpi
V lf “quarreling,” as in Example I below from Erickson’s Ricercare a 5 :
Example 1; Erickson Ricercare a 5, page 4

'" I

la: End o f to p system I b: Middle o f bottom system

C opyright 1978 by Seesaw Music C orp., 1966 B roadw ay, New York, N.Y. AU righti reserved. Reprinted by

N otice th at the second exam ple ( l b ) is followed by a scream, and notice also the notations “ talk atttl
p lay ” and “ baby cry.” This is perhaps am ong the finest exam ples o f a no tatio n th at c o m m u n ic a te s to
the eye a genuine feeling for w hat one is actually to do - or, at least, what one should convey. ‘‘It
looks like w hat it sounds like” is one way o f describing the best notation,
v ig One favorite sound is the ( d o g ) bark, which apparently first appears in the Cage Solo. It also is usc<l
in K renek’s Five Pieces, and m any say it is heard in the m iddle section o f the Theater Picce by
vih Pauline Oliveros where vocal anim al sounds predominate.® Much m ore can be done with these tech-

8. In the Oliveros Theater Piece it is hard to distinguish particular sounds; therefore, this section
m ust be heard to be believed (it is included in the recordings in the back o f the book). When Ms.
Oliveros m ade the accom panying tape for this w ork, she took live sounds th at I had made and pn
them in close jux taposition. It was soon realized th a t it w ould be possible to do m ost, if not all. ^
 VI. O T H E R B ODY S O U N D S 41

. ,es, and it is interesting to see th eir developm ent, as it depends on com poser-perform er imagi-
"'lion These vocal anim al sounds are n o t difficult, and they have a long tradition in didjeridu playing
Appendix n o .
0 „e more vocal sound rem ains, and th a t is th e tight th ro a t voice, which is a retching sound o r an
vli awfully good copy o f it. N eely B ruce, on th e Hnal page o f his Grand Duo, directs the tro m b o n ist to

-play many obnoxious noises, as com plex as possible, w ith interesting rhythm s.” In perform ing this
work, I find this retching sound necessary, com bined w ith scream ed double stops and o th er ap p ro p riate

material-

eso ph ag eal s p e e c h a n d T IB E TA N CH ANT

Next to the voice, tw o o th e r secondary p itch sources hold prom ise for the trom bone; neither has been
exam ined in depth, how ever, due to m y partial o r to tal failure in their m astery. One is esophageal
Vlj
speech, often term ed the “ belch” m ethod o f speaking, which h a s interesting im plications when played
through an am plified tro m b o n e (cf. C h ap ter X). The new equipm ent used by those who have had their
larynx removed m ay o ffer som e prom ise as well. The o th er secondary pitch source th at w arrants in ­
vestigation is T ibetan style chanting (o r singing) through the trom bone.’ It will be o f interest to see if
and how these things can be developed. I have had considerable experience w ith esophageal speech
(even though m uch dissatisfaction w ith the results) but very little with chanting. Experim ental trom bonists,
rise to the occasion; These research projects are “ crying o u t” for the right talent!

CLOSED SOUNDS

Esophageal speech is closely related to sounds which 1 term ed, some years back, “ closed” sounds. These
vik are all varieties o f tight, pinched sound, as the term “ closed” would imply. “ Stom ach tro u b le,” the
first of these sounds, is perform ed by pinching the lips so alm ost no air gets through the in stru m en t,
all air coming from the th ro a t. T here is enough variation o f this technique to allow a sense o f high and
low, even though this is only a very raw form o f pitch.
VII The same technique can be used to produce a high "w histle,” “ squeak,” or “ squeal.” This, again,
is dependent upon squeezing th e sound through tightly pinched lips w ith air from the throat. A ctually,
for both the “stom ach tro u b le ” and th e “ squeal,” air can com e from the diaphragm too, b u t it is
much harder to control. O nce one learns to do this, it is not difficult to reverse the air flow to inhale
these sounds; indeed, m an y tro m b o n ists m ay find this far easier to do and preferable to exhaling.

^’is sort of ju x tap o sitioning “ live,” and th a t is the way the solo p art has always been done. 1 was
p tn ic te d by the com poser to stu d y th e gibbon (the small apelike anim al) in w orking everything o u t.
g" ®sense, the piece (o r at least th a t section o f it) could be done “ live” w ith three players. A m ore
ensive discussion o f this w ork m ay be found in C hapter XI.
Tib^: ^'"■ther in fo rm atio n one should listen to A nthology R ecords (A ST-4005) The Music o f
13S uT Rituals (1 9 7 0 ). It is available by mail from A nthology R ecord and T ape C orp.,
the ’ Y ork, NY 10036, and is well w orth consulting n o t only for sound b u t also for
extensive notes accom panying the disc.
 42 VI . O T H E R B O D Y S O U N D S

Vim The “ kissing” or "sm acking” sound is also an inhaled sound, surprisingly like the others,
difference being that it is one short burst rather than a stretched sound. This is the oldest o f these
sounds, and was very popular in early jazz playing, especially on the tru m p et. It is perhaps easiest to
track historically on the Spike Jones recordings o f the forties and fitties. One in particular, Rossini’s
William Tell Overture, is endow ed w ith a particularly good exam ple (on the tru m p et) o f the kiss
which is then followed by a "horse w hinny" (a half valve, bent tone etfc c t) near the beginning of the
cut ju st before the horse race announcer begins his patter.*® A n o th er variation o f this kissing sound
vin can be with the tip o f the tongue, very high and soft, similar to the “ clicking” that will be mentioned
shortly.

TH RO AT SOUNDS

V Io Related to closed sounds are th ro at sounds or. m ore specifically, the “ th ro at clearing” sound. Just as
its name implies, it is a rasping so u n d “ in the back o f the m o u th against the palate, as one makes
VIp before spitting. In fact, a very realistic “ spit” can be sim ulated by this “ spit preparation” or “ throat
clearing” followed by the aforem entioned “ high w hooshing” w ith, perhaps, one “ flap” of the tongue
(see recorded examples).
All o f this is not to be confused w ith the real th ro at clearing sound, which is the “ ahem .” This is
Vlq perhaps best described by a “ uh — uh-uh-uh — ” but m ost people would know w hat was desired
ju st by the word “ ahem ” (see Erickson’s General Speech, line 16, in A ppendix I). Some even use this
“ ahem ” as a form o f growl, but the “ growl” per se is not discussed in this book, due to the aura and
confusion th at su n o u n d s it. In General Speech, just after the “ ahem ,” a cough is required. Later on,
coughing w ith hand over bell is needed.

10. Cf. C hapter II, note 1.

11. The “ th ro at clearing” in the Krenek Five Pieces (b o tto m o f page 11) is intended to be without
buzz, whereas in the Bolos by Bark and Rabe it is w ritten th a t the “ G erm an ‘ach-laut’ (throat
clearing) should be articulated with tone p roduction (grow l).” By “ to n e p ro d u c tio n ” the composers
m ean buzz, o r norm al playing. Bringing up the word “ grow l” at this p o in t is wise, for while the growl
often m eans th at which is in the Bolos, it also m eans som etim es to use the voice in sym pathy with
the buzzed (norm al) tone. See Gregory, The Trombone, p. 144. Be aw are th at there is much con­
fusion ab o u t the growl, due to the differing ways in which it has been done in the past. It is a very
old idea in jazz, dating from the earliest New Orleans Jazz. David Baker states th a t “ Charles Inis
b. 1899 . . . d. 1939 . . . founder o f the growl, played very ‘junglistic’ voice on the trom bone -
growled gruffly and suggestively on his horn, using a large b o ttlecap for a m u te ” (Jazz Styles and
Analysis: Trombone, p. 72). “ T ricky” Sam N anton, w ith Duke E llington, was probably the most
fam ous growl player (cf. C hapter IX, note 5). Which type o f growl cam e first is hard to say, althoug
it should be kept in mind th at the growl by the “ ach” is the best sounding b u t the m ost tiring and
hard on the th ro at. The sym pathetic voice type is less taxing b u t m ore difficult to really perform,
however, b o th types are heard frequently, as is an o th er version done via a fluttertongue. To add to
the confusion, see the discussion on “ ahem ” later in this chapter.
12. Cf. note 1 1 above.
 VI O l H F R BOOY S O U N D S 43

. I VP r n t CKS

^ “ velar click” is the m ost famous, o f course; sim ply

\l' ttK- **"■' ‘"haling (see General Speech, line
I'lll'l!
, l>c i nt o tlK- “ kiss variation m entioned earlier. A “ continuous velar” version,
4,
,,,lo » » '’'■‘''‘' y tongue to one side o f the m o u th (see

lUok-i. thucks. and liissinjj sounds appear in the Druckm an Animus 1. They are ra th e r well
plum'd ii' inJ^fuctions to r the piecc, and a b rief review o f them will suffice here (also see
this “ velar click.” expressed symbolically by a and indicating “ a
inid I I " **''•' trom bone. . . My failure prevents its being heard on
lUf KVOtnpiX'y*"*^ rcconU how ever, in studying the tape part o f Animus I one should get th e idea. It
, s l i n o sound indeed, and is the loudest o f this type.
•Vnothcr phenom enon is one I term "n o n p itch e d pedal tones.” They are no t entirely n o « p itch ed ,
VII
iK'wever, for a hint o f the p itch is heard n\uch as one hears it upon slapping the m outhpiece w ith the
p.ilni U't- Chapter Vl l U o r the a fo a 'tn e n tio n e d nonpitched flutter. Therefore, the n o tatio n fo r this (in
rxaniple 2 below) is q u ite rcpi^'sentative;
b'xample 2: D nickm an .-iHJWJKi /. page 5, beginning b o tto m system

» ♦' i < ■ < < < < «

©Copyright 1968 by MCA Music, A division of MCA Inc., New York. N.Y. Used by permission. AU rights reserved.

A nonpitched pedal to n e is p erfo rm ed sim ply b y blow ing through the in stru m en t w ith th e to n g u e
entering the m o u th p iece to in te rru p t th e air flow suddenly. T he change in p itch com es b y m oving th e
slide.

AIR SOUNDS

One can sim ply blow air th ro u g h th e in stru m e n t m aking n o sound o th e r th a n th e ru sh in g o f th e air.
Various o th er kin d s o f b re a th so u n d s can be included in this category, such as th e “ dog p a n t,” a so u n d

13. However, I have b een a s to u n d e d on m o re th a n one occasion by the a m p h tu d e achieved b y th e

composer, and I find it a m u ch d ee p er th ro a te d so u n d , extrem ely lo u d , and w o rth y o f a b e tte r
description.
 VI. O T H E R B O D Y S O U N D S
44

w h ich o fte n c re a te s a “ w h is tlin g a lte r n a te ly w ith b lo w in g p a t t e r n . C h a n g e s in th e m o u th shane n

p ro d u c e all s o rts o f h issing s o u n d s to o n u m e ro u s to e la b o r a te u p o n . S u ffic e it to say th a t these sountj
are re p le te w ith a rich tim b re v a ria tio n , as seen in th e r e c o rd e d e x a m p le s .

I NHA LED SO U N D S

A ir, o f c o u rse , ca n b e in h a le d ste a d ily . O n e c a n c h o o s e to h av e j u s t th e a ir, th e v o ice, o r the buzzedIjp

so u n d s. T h e B erio S e q u en za V d e m o n s tra te s h o w to b re a th e th r o u g h o u t m u c h o f th e ‘B” section by
viw in h alin g v o cally . B esides b ein g a m e th o d o f p ro d u c in g s o u n d a n d g e ttin g a ir, i t is also a m arvelous

th e a tric a l g estu re .
Vix T h e in h aled b u z z m ak es o n e realize t h a t i t is n o t th e p u sh in g o f air th ro u g h th e in stru m e n t that
allo w s o n e to p la y , b u t ra th e r the se ttin g o f air in m o tio n in th e in str u m e n t. T h e lo u d n e ss o f sound
is th e sam e w h e th e r in h alin g o r ex h alin g . T h is Is n o less tru e o f th e v o ice, a n d th e re a d e r should try
th is w hile re a d in g th ese pages. B rea th e o u t ea sily w h ile m a k in g so u n d w ith th e voice, th e n inhale
easily allo w in g th e voice to so u n d again; th e lo u d n e s s is th e sam e. In b u z z in g , th e n , th e trom bone is
o n ly an e x te n s io n o f th e b o d y . T h is e x te n s io n fa c to r, h o w e v e r, is basic to th e s tu d y o f th e trombone,
and c e rta in ly by n o w th e re a d e r has grasp ed its m ean in g . ( F o r f u r th e r “ e x te n s io n s ,” see C h ap ter X.)

C IR C U L A R B R E A TH ING

A n o th e r w ay o f o b ta in in g a ir is th e m e th o d k n o w n v ario u sly as c irc u la r, c o n tin u o u s , o r ro ta ry breath­

i n g . T h e te rm “ c irc u la r” is th e m o st p o p u la r, a n d so m e w h a t d e sc rip tiv e , so it is used here. It is a
m e th o d o f p lay in g c o n tin u o u s ly w hile b re a th in g in o cc asio n ally . A s o n e p la y s n o rm a lly , som e o f the
air is allo w ed to c o lle c t in slig h tly p u ffe d cheeks. W hen th e p e r fo m e r is n e a rly o u t o f air, th e cheeks
and tongue rep lace th e lungs fo r a second in ex p e llin g a ir th ro u g h th e lips w h ile a ir is tak en in through
th e nose. T h e cycle is c o m p le te u p o n th e re s u m p tio n o f n o rm a l p lay in g . B eginners sh o u ld try this with
a straw an d a glass o f w a te r u n til th e b u b b le s are b lo w n s te a d ily fo r te n m in u te s o r m o re - and until
o n e has q u it in a d v e rte n tly d rin k in g th e w ater!
This b re a th in g can be d o n e g en tly w ith n o “ b u m p s ” o r w ith a g o o d slap o f th e d iaphragm to give
it a rh y th m ic b e a t (cf. C h a p te r V III). O n th e o n e h a n d , it is s o rt o f a “ n o n -to n g iie ” a tta c k w ith the dia­
p h rag m , y e t it is n o t a “ b re a th y ” a tta c k e ith e r (cf. C h a p te r II); on th e o th e r h a n d , it is a rhythm ic
device. J u s t h o w o ne should categ o rize c irc u lar b re a th in g is p e rh a p s a b it d iffic u lt, b u t I feel that the
so u n d c h a rac te ristic o f this w hole device is th e c o n tin u o u s so u n d an d th e re fo re belongs in this chapter
o f m iscellany. P erh aps th e m o st fam o u s p e rfo rm e r using this device is tr u m p e te r R afael Mendez.'® The

14. T his is n o t to be co n fu sed w ith th e bagpipe te c h n iq u e . In this case, th e a ir bag is k e p t filled with
stan d ard b re ath in g , an d th e elb o w pressing against th e bag a c tiv a te s th e reed r a th e r th a n the players
d irec t air. M any years ago, o n e tro m b o n ist was k n o w n to have im ita te d th e bag p ip e, p ro b a b ly by
circu lar b reath in g . H ow ever, this p ro b a b ly in clu d ed vow el changes as well (cf. C h a p te r XI, note 7).
I
15. See David B aker’s co m m en ts regarding fa m o u s ja z z a rtis ts w h o have used th is device, and also ■
his rem ark s a b o u t co m posers w ho w rite m usical lines th a t are to o lo n g (C ontem porary T e c h n iq u e s] |
the Trom bone [N ew Y ork; C harles C olin, 1 9 7 4 ], p. 2 1 9 ).
 V I, O T H E R B ODY S O U N D S 45

.iiniiiue is highly idiom atic to the trom bone and forms the basis o f the centuries-old
***' lition is n o t so m eth in g to be taken lightly. The reader is encouraged to consult A ppendix
,lHlJ'^''‘'‘‘_‘' ‘‘‘,jeridu for fu rth e r in lo rm atio n .
Ill on '
 Chapter VII:
Slide and Bell Disassembly

Vila T he tro m bone, o f course, is an extension o f the body, and in th at capacity acts as a resonator, just as
we have seen the body itself act as a resonator. These resonators can change, and, while consideration
was given earlier to body cavity alterations {as in C hapter II to m ake vowels and consonants), changes
in the trom bone itself will now be discussed.

MOUTHPIECE

Vllb Several exam ples o f using the m outhpiece by itself as a resonator or as an instrum ent appear in trom­
bone literature. The first o f tw o m ethods is buzzing through the m outhpiece, the example (1) below
from Donald E rb ’s . . . and then, toward the e n d . . . using buzzing in the m outhpiece not only “live”
but also electronically altered in the accom panying parts. In essence, there are five mouthpiece players
playing at once, and it is a bit like so m any chirping or flatulent birds, depending upon whether the
players are single- o r fluttertonguing. In the Bolos piece, Bark and Rabe suggest to “ converse” but be
vile “ peaceful.” The instructions describe this sym bol [> ^ as a “ Quasi parlando; playing on mouthpiece

alone. ‘Vocalize’ parlando by working w ith hands in front o f m outhpiece” (see Example 2 later in
this chapter). In this piece, the term “ vocalize” does not m ean to use the voice, but rather to simulate
(via buzzing) the rising and falling and vowel changing o f a norm al speaking voice.
T he second use o f the m outhpiece alone is whistling on it, as one would do over a bottle. In Ernst

K renek's Five Pieces,^ the perform er is directed to “ take m outhpiece o u t o f trom bone, cover big end
w ith palm o f hand, and . . . whistle over small en d .”

1. See the bottom o f page 14 o f the score.

46
 V M . S I IO I- A N D B K L I . D I S A S S E M B L Y
47

1• ‘Th . ■<^^<1 '^^vv«rr/ the end . . . . pa^e 5. top two systems

"5

h -------------
* • 1 h ------------------------------------------------------------1
. . . . 1

~ ------------------------ — 1

V M . f I* * 1 ? . ? _______________ «
^ • , l . . . ‘J f ■ —
-------------------------------------- r : : : ^ ---------- ^

.... P * ! ^ 1

.................................. - ~ l

© 1974 Donald Erb. Ujed by pemiission of the publisher, Merion Music, Inc.

SLIDE SFXT/O N

'^ild With the m outhpiece on the slide section alone, the resultant sound is like th at o f the garden hose
ftf. r-hapter X), and it can be achieved w hether or no t the bell section is attached. In the following
example (2), the second player, w ith the ‘'O u te r slide o ff,” is directed to “ Play as pathetically as
P^miblc.”
 v u .s u n B A N P
48

Si.r fUi luki

m t k in f I
UnUr^rMiM ZUk ruuk
tiiUHdtr. “
............
w
CVMf«(«*
OuUr »u<. f f- Ml
pMtkU wtlMut *11*|« • r.«u*i»»
2u, w«j!
rOTttUy*”^ -------
l»»l C««*v»ri*

U,i,r>r«Wj p „ „ ,u l huraatlK f In ia o iitf -tH a tim im tu tn t i t^

i k t H m d t M t n k l H — UlMimtit / l i w M l i t
! HuXil--------
I Cani ^t r **
t>=^/
ItaUrkmk., • MartMM* liatMtlly
i ______________________ 3 > » t n i i < « h i l w u * * — «W<»C«U Mrntim
t »t w»uw

R e p ro d u c e d hy permission from K d ilio n Wilhelm H anien Stotlcholm AH, Sweden.

V ile In Krenek’s Five Pieces,^ the p erfo rm er is d irec ted to “ ta k e re g u la r siide^ o f f a n d engage o n top tube
only,” which allows pitches to be varied b y th e use o f th e slide. A n o th e r p o i n t to k e e p in m ind is that
the trom bone itself can serve as a garden hose b y th is m e th o d . In o t h e r w o rd s , it ca n be a b o u t nine
feet long w ithout a bell and w ith the slide fully stre tc h e d . T h is is th e sam e as a Bb g a rd e n hose which,
o f course, has no bell either.
V llf \tiBolos, one o f the players creates a “ vacuum sm a c k ” to e n d th e p iece. T h is is e x p la in e d in the
score (Example 2) and is accom plished q u ite easily.^ T ak in g th e o u t e r slid e by itse lf, o n e can blow
over the edge, as over a b ottle, to get soft, w histling e ffe c ts (see re c o rd e d e x a m p le s ). In te re stin g dif-
vilg ferences depend upon w hether the o th er tu b e is covered o r n o t.

Finally, in this category o f slide-alone sounds, th e slide an d m o u th p ie c e a rc en g ag ed to g e th e r noniially

vilb and placed on the lips as .isual, bu t w ith th e th u m b covering th e b o tto m tu b e a t th e p o in t w here it
would usually the bell section. Sim ply m oving th e slide b ack a n d f o r th c re a te s s u c tio n and pressure
alternately inside the m outh cavity to cause all
so rts o f ra th e r “ b a th r o o m y ” s o u n d s to em erge. No
are weU wrr^re involved, and th e so u n d s are n o t very lo u d ; h o w e v er, the results
rou e see recorded exam ples). S om e so u n d s are “ in sid e ” th e m o u th if the seal of

2. Seepage 10 o f the score.

slide^(the v iw T s liS " 4 g T e T n '^ a n e ith e r th e tu n in g s lid t o r the valve

th e “ v acuum sm ack.”
ment were verv old ™ th a t problem device has b ee n p erfo rm ed on
problem, then a oerfn P itted and r o ccu r. G ra n te d , if the instru-
’ " " be a fool to tiy s u c ^ a th in -w alled slide tu b es were a
 V H . S L I D E A N D BELL DISASSEMBLY
m o U th p K « an d lip is g o o d . W hen it is n o t c o m p le ts lv seal,rt .
^ the edges. B o th h av e v alu e. ’ d ifferent sounds cotne o u t

lE U S E C T IO N

W i n g on th e b ell s e c tio n b y its e lf gives th e sh o fa ,-lik e e fte c , o f a ram ’s horn o r conch shell Som e
payers p refer t o use t e n r o u th p .e c c th e sm all e n d , b u t it is usually n o t necessary. Also he un ng
can be d rsengaged w « h o u t c h a n g in g th e overall e ffe c t. O f real in tere st, how ever, are .h e d i f f Z t
uses of the bell s e c tio n w h ile it is still o n th e in s tru m e n t.

The Cage Solo is p e r h a p s th e e a rlie st tro m b o n e w o rk to call fo r a startlin g array o f d ifferen t sounds.
Hus w ork w as c o m p o se d m 1 9 5 7 -5 8 w ith th e assistance o f jazz tro m b o n ist F rank R ehak w ho “ was
excellent and t h a t 's w h y ( t h e l tr o m b o n e p a rt is in te re stin g .’" F o u r so u n d s from this work ap p ly to
this chapter: p la y in g ( 1 ) w ith th e s p it valve o p e n , (2) w ith th e tu n in g slide o ff, (3) w ith o u t bell into
jar, and (4 ) w ith th e m o u th p ie c e in th e b ell. T h is last p re su m a b ly involves rem oving th e m o u th p iece
from the in s tru m e n t a n d tu rn in g th e b ell a ro u n d so th a t th e p erfo rm er plays on the m o u th p iece
facing right in to th e b e ll. H o w e v e r, th is in s tru c tio n could also m ean to rem ove th e bell section and
insert the m o u th p ie c e , as d e s c rib e d a b o v e , fo r th e ra m ’s h o rn effect. Item three (3), playing w ith o u t bell
into jar, p re su m a b ly m e a n s to re m o v e th e slide a n d p u t th e to p tu b e in to ajar.*
Playing n o rm a lly w ith th e tu n in g sh d e o f f is a little like th e above K renek exam ple o f the slide
engaged o n th e t o p tu b e o n ly . T h e a d v a n ta g e o f th e tu n in g slide disassem bly is th a t, because o f the
normal slide still in u se , th e tu b e le n g th can be e x te n d e d . T he resu lt is th ere fo re easier to co n tro l,
because it is a lm o s t a fu ll-le n g th tro m b o n e w ith o u t b e ll.’’ T im e m u st be allow ed, even m ore th a n in
the K renek Five Pieces, fo r re m o v in g a n d re p la cin g th e tu n in g slide, however.®

„ 9
T ” A TTA C H M E N T O R “T R IG G E R

By far th e m o st e ffe c tiv e d e v ic e w ith th e b e ll se c tio n is achieved w ith an “ F a tta c h m e n t in stru m e n t.

This is b ecau se th e o p t i o n o f t h e valve slid e b ein g rem o v ed is con v en ien tly at h an d w hile at th e sam e

5. Jo h n C age k in d ly p ro v id e d th is in fo rm a tio n in a le tte r o n 2 4 Ju ly 1 9 7 4 .1 th e n asked F ran k

Rehak to re la te h is s to r y o f th is p iece . R e h a k ’s s to ry , alo n g w ith o th e r in fo rm atio n o n th e Solo, is
in A ppendix IV.
6 .1 also fo u n d t h a t p u t t in g w a te r in th e j a r is a nice e ffe c t, b u t th a t is a n o th e r sto ry (cf. C h ap ter
VIII).
7. Putting the core o f a toilet paper roll into the bell is another useful way of effectively cutting
off m ost o f th e b e ll r e s o n a n c e (c f. C h a p te r IX ). ^

the R b t o “ 8 h t t o m y a t t e n ti o n a ’ re P 'o ^ u c e d
f te » :n r S r « r a ‘n ( N « “ 1 9 7 7 ^ u r i n g th e In te rn a tio n a , T ro m b o n e W o rk sh o p , b y

''" 'W n g th e tu n in g s lid e a n d p la y in g o v e r “ valve” i" an y referen ce to the

.tp„ • T h e w o rd " tr ig g e r ” c a n b e a ss u m e d to b e syn " a tta c h m e n t u n it ra th e r th a n ju st
/ attachment, although “ trigger” often refers to th e e n tire
Valvia
 VM S L I D E A N D B E L L D I S A S S E M B L Y
w

....................
n u llin g the valve slide is to be seen in K re n e k ’sfr^'^/lr'^^^^-
VII, When th f val,e slk l. is rem oved." th e pitch can go th ro u g h e ith e r th e bell o r the attachm enl lub«,
depending upon w hether o r n o t the valve is engaged, and this o p tio n ,s available thro u g h o u t .he
o r .he instrum en., I fin,, heard o f .his device as .h e “c u iv re ," because o f th e so u n d passing « | a „ « „
gen.ly through the valve pipe and .hen suddenly being allow ed .o go th ro u g h .h e bell, crea.ing .
mcndous accent ” I. can be heightened enorm ously by .h e use o f .h e diaphragm .o give .he aeeen.
or “cuivre” more power and bite. This is a fine sound for any instrum ent with a big bell, such as hom
or tuba, and is heartily recommended.

VALVE TREMOLO
The term “cuivre,” however, tells only part o f the story, since it is only a small part o f the total picture.
Vllk 1 find that the term “valve trem olo” provides the best overall description, due to its relationship
with vibrato and trills (cf. Chapter V). To perform this effect, replace the valve slide with only one
tube engaged so that the base pitch is a little lower, rather than leaving it o ff entirely. This makes the
pipe length about the same as the normal trom bone, allowing for the possibility o f the same pitch,
or nearly so, throughout the entire range on both sides o f the instrum ent. TTiis “ valve trem olo”
conveys the same pitch but with a timbre change. One can, for that m atter, gain a similar effect with
the valve slide engaged as normally, but the two pipe lengths are very different, causing different
tuning; Both sounds come through the bell with little timbre difference. I feel that, although there
may be a place for the valve slide to be com pletely on or com pletely off, the device is more successful
with the single tube engaged.
The slowing down o f this tremolo effect is much like the problem encountered when slowing down
vibratos - it becomes something else. The valve trem olo was m entioned in C hapter V, since it can
simulate either a vibrato or a trill, depending upon how the trigger is handled. It is much like the

10. See bar 5 on page 10 o f the score. See also C hapter VIII under “ vacuum .”
11. See bars 8 and 9 on page 8 o f the score.
12. I first heard this in the early sixties when hornist-com poser Douglas Leedy d e m o n s tra te d it.
occasion represented one o f the few times that I learned som ething ab o u t new sounds from a
player. As I concluded in working out the chapter on brasses for R ay Wilding- W hite’s forthcoming
book on Twentieth-Century Techniques (Holt, Rinehart, & W inston), m ost new developm ents have
Z I 's o f interest that, while the tru m p et and ho m have b ^ n
nair S t r o m b o n e and tuba, it is on precisely the l a ^ r
Sons S t w e.ter7m ^ ^eal ab o u t the s o -ca ile d hmita
significant enoulh T assumed to be applicable to the low er brass. It
BlTck oe^Dle . begmmngs o f the trend away from this thinking have come from
Black people - the jazz art.sts on the one hand, and the didjeridu artists on the other.

)
 V II. S L ID E A N D rct i tx
a n d BELL DISASSEMBLY

“pi:i,^icato trem o lo ” d esc rib ed in T u re tz k y ’s The Contemporary ContmH

the, name for use w ith th e tro m b o n e .'^ W hen th e m ovem ent is •
,molo’’; how ever, w h e n v ary in g th e m o v em en t, th e trem o ln
tj-eniolo u

be said about th e valve tre m o lo d u rin g th e rem ain d er o f this c h a p U r ^

VIII The trig g e r, w h e n m o v e d o n l y p a r t w a y ( h a l f v alv e e f f e c t) a n H th l ^ .K ^ .

change som ew hat in k e e p in g w ith th e ja w v ib ra to and indeed can h ^

3*; Hmm*! vnvnvnv^

ikt i . / -------

5c; S f t e J WtH, A ttfn h * ^ - - - 7 r _______________ ______

or

Such an effect is well w o rth ca refu l stu d y b y an y o n e, and a com poser would certainly w ant to spend
time with a p e rfo rm e r g e ttin g a c q u a in te d w ith it.
If there are any e ffe c ts t h a t can be said to rep resen t a real change over the last five hundred years,
they would be th e valve effects. A lm o st every sound discussed in this book could just as well have
been done at any tim e d u rin g th e life o f th e tro m b o n e. B ut the addition o f the “ F ” valve represents
the first change in th ese five h u n d re d y e a r s . H o w e v e r , it is n o t a basic change, for if the trom -

13. B ertram T u re tz k y , The C ontem porary Contrabass (Los Angeles: University o f C alifornia Press,
1974), pp. 7 and 8. H earin g th is so u n d p erfo rm ed by Mr. T uretzky during the late sixties m ade me
realize th at it w ould b e p o ssib le an d , in d eed , q u ite easy to sim ulate on the trom bone. This is, by the
only one o f m a n y tro m b o n e -c o n tra b a ss sounds, and m uch betw een the tw o instrum ents is
compatible and deserving o f f u r th e r ex p lo ra tio n . P articularly, D onald Erb has carried w ork in this
regard well p ast th e b e g in n in g stages in his In N o Strange Land (recorded by Mr. T uretzky and m yself
on Nonesuch H -7 1 223).
' “ . U r r y W eed, in a l e t t e r d a t e d ! ! M a rc h 1975, » r i t e s : “ |I n l 1839, Karl T ra tte h Q u eiK er per-
fom ed th e David C oncertino O p. 4 o n an F A tta c h m e n t t r o m b o n e being developed by S attler. C rooks
attach m en ts to lo w e r th e p itc h w ere k n o w n as early as 1619 (P raeto n u s p.ctures w oodcuts w ith
m his Syntagm a M usicum V ol. II), b u t th e a tta c h m e n ts (K rum bogel and Pollettes) w ere for
* » 8 e s ,0 o th e r k ™ s.T O e p lay er co u ld n o t vary fro m key to k ey Y ' ^ ' g t r o ° n T a r S d e
tm " ''t u r n s seem t o b e a c o m m o n fe atu re o f valves ° triis e rs - later

>>' fu rth er re se a rc h e d .”
 I

52 VII. S L I D E A N D B E L L D I S A S S E M B L Y

bone were to change basically, after all, it would cease to exist. TTie valve trom bone,'* ac j
»a|Q ea*]'
is really not a trom bone at all but rather a cylindrical bore baritone horn. Eliminating the slide
away one o f its basic elements. TTie addition o f a “ F ” attach m en t is ju st th at — an addition to
existing phenom enon. TTie result is a double trom bone, only one part o f which can be played at
The valve trem olo, an accidental by-product o f adding this valve to the trom bone (see Appendix
unique and worthy o f note, and is the first m ajor acoustical possibility change since the trornbon ^
originally designed. It is significant that one m ust dism antle the instrum ent somewhat to savor t

15. This is piston valves instead o f a slide. See Gregory, The Trombone, for further discussion f
the valve trom bone. According to David Baker, Jazz Styles and Analysis: Trombone, p. 54 ;
Gowans n 9 0 3 -l9 5 4 ) invented a com bination slide and valve trom bone which he called a ‘valide '
One might assume this to have happened during the thirties or forties. More recently, various Holto
Company advertisements show a picture o f “ The M. F. ‘Superbone.’ ” These ads also state that this"
instrum ent “ is a com bination valve/slide trom bone originally developed for Maynard Ferguson It ^
was his idea, really, to develop a valve trom bone capable o f playing tones w ithout adding a fourth
valve. Holton . . . took this idea and added a few concepts o f their own [and] . . . developed a trom­
bone that could be played with both valves and slide sim ultaneously. This means you can change kev
ca.sily w ithout changing fingering, by depressing the valves and using the slide.” (See down beat, I!
April 1974, p. 25, for a sample ad.) This may hold prom ise for m icrotonal playing and quick key
shifting, but it does not necessarily replace the “ F ” attachm ent. One also w onders if an “ F” attachment
can be used with the slide/valve arrangem ent; it no do u b t has been tried.
 C :h ;i|) lc i V I I I :
P cK U ssivc D e v i c e s ;iikI A ((issoties

now it should be obvious th a t b o th the Krickson Htcercarc i '>anri the Rabr/lJ;irk Huht'-. :irr.
tant trom bone ensem ble w orks. It is rccom m cncied that they be ^ludiwl in rlcpth for rrciny r w o tit
besides the incredible a m o u n t o f m aterial suitable for “ trom bone pcrciiMion."

TWO MOUTHPIECES
„„ m first item exam ined in th is c h a p te r m ight have heen indude,I in the ,.,e .,.,.„ .,h ,„ lc r 7 1....... ..
effect used in m arked by a W . in which the instruction p « e direct, ,1» p e , . h e . .
two m outhpieces against each o th e r ” T h „ requires the m r,uthpiece to he removed .he .rond-one
(a disassembly) and an au x iliary m o u th p ie ce (a percussion beater, to 1* taken up .see l.xa.nple

Chapter VII).

PALM ON MOUTHPIECE

^ s o in . 0, 0. is a d ire c .i.e to •'b eat m ou th p iece w ith palm

« . ,n th e R o b ert E tickson Ricercare . 5. it is described as a .............. .. '
palm of the hand on th e face o f th e m ou th p iece ' ™ .,:„uld t,e
Both the “ sm ack" and th e “ p o p " are indicative o f some basic

taken into co n sid eration.

♦ riM thi4 cffcct, hK 'ft
1. see m y a n n o t a t i o n o n page 2 " J ' ^ e ' S t h p i e c e in the receive, »'
the d a n g e rs i n v o l v e d . T h e m ain risk IS t ^ . t “ p u l l e r ” w h i c h i n s t r u m e n t r e p a i r M or« , ),j
to make removal im possible w ith o u t a J " f ; t h e r than allowing .t to be \
caution is, th en , to tig h tly nee d.d
way. This m akes rem oval possible been ob seijcd where to,j'A^r'i
very hard to ju st pu/I it o u t. O nly one c thinned out where tonvd<;rabl':
This was because th e m o u th p ie c e through the mecal. |
't, the acid o f this person actu a lly ^ ^ e n d th at before \ , ^avc, meidcnfally found
expenence w ith p ro b lem s o f this sort [ ^ X c e t e r walls are ^ot m o a .h p .....
over the in stru m en t to m ake sure tha have djvcovennj' Mcrlinc silver. ">/
^ wlution for those w ith to o m uch acid, silver plate. Bet jr-
placed on the grip area ra th e r th an th e U5U
acid even had eaten th ro u g h ch ro m e pla
 VI I I PERCUSSIVE DEVICES AND A C CESSO R IES

v .„ , m .n o u lh p icce can b e h i. by ,h e h a n d in .w o w ays, leav in g .h e pa,™ .h e

,he paIn, „ / / -he . c u .h p i e c e i n .a n .l y , T . e e ffe c , o f .h e o ™ e . .s o a <W p .p e , a n .
la ,. er is o f a n p i p e T h is d is .in c tio n w ould a c c o u n . fo r .h e w o rd s sm a c k a n d " p o p ,..

im ply q ..i.e d iffe re n . sounds. B oth o f th e above p ieces d o n o . re q u ire c n .,c a l a .Ie n .io n ,h „

thing, because a variety o f tim b re is desired.

VI.,d Pitch variation is also possible b y th e use o f e ith e r th e slide o r th e tn g g e r o r, fo r th a t m atter, bo.h „
does require th a t th e tro m b o n e slide be rested o n th e flo o r, th e p o s .t.o n ch a n g es bem g executed by
raising and low ering th e in stru m e n t. T he d is tin c tio n s a n d v a ria tio n s m e n tio n e d ab o v e do not warrant
a full discussion, since they are to o su b tle fo r general a p p lic a tio n . T h e y are m e n tio n e d only to make
com posers and tro m b o n ists aw are o f p ossibilities th a t co u ld c o n c e iv a b ly m a tte r a great deal in certain

specialized situations.

BELL EDGE H ITTING

Vllle One m ore effect from Bolos rem ains to be m e n tio n e d : th a t in w h ich th e p e r fo rm e r is to “ beat edge
o f bell w ith th im ble, finger ring o r so m eth in g sim ila r.” It is re p re s e n te d b y ^ , an o th er clear nota-
tional sym bol for the sounds so ch a rac te ristic o f this w o rk . T h e b e st p a r t a b o u t th e ring on the fin?er
is th a t it is han dy to beat o r tap w hile playing o r vocalizing. I have even used th e m o u th p ie ce as a
b eater in such situ atio n s, b u t this is n o t to be en c o u rag e d unless o n e has available an auxiliary mouth­
piece o f little value.

VACUUM

O th er percussive effects can be achieved by pulling o u t o r p u sh in g in th e valve slide to m ake a “ pop”

(w hen pulling o u t) o r a so rt o f “ th u c k ” (w hen p u sh in g in). B o th v ersio n s are d o n e w hile not engaging
the valve, b u t during th e pushing-in version, th e valve is engaged a t th e last in s ta n t. T his works particu-
lariy well on long valve slides (such as on th e tu b a ), so it is w o rth e x p e rim e n tin g w ith on all the brasses
R elated to this, o f course, is the “ vacuum sm ack ” d o n e w ith th e m ain slide. See C h a p te r VII for further
details on “ v acuum ” sounds.

M UTES

One m u te used percussively occu rs in th e B erio S e q u e m a V. T h e " G le n M iller T u x e d o P lunger" mal!

.s ra ttle d in th e bell, and th e n o ta tio n used fo r th is is ■ . M utes g e n e ra lly ca n n o t be used pc-'
cussively, although th a t m ay be hard to believe w h e n w itn essin g o n e fallin g o u t o f an in stru m en t onto
the f l o o r - a n o t to o in fre q u en t o ccu rren ce.^ O n m e ta l m u te s , a lin g e r rin g , co in , o r p e r c u s s i o n s tic k
m ight be used effectively.^
 VI , I . p e r c u s s i v e d e v i c e s a n d a cc e sso rie s
55

^ f “ “ “ f p ^ ' u ^ o n sticks. An i„ « ,„ c |io „ .ailed "Rikitiki"*

d e " 'f t V f ■ '' ^ '- V -

M,ies and ea-lV - > ■ « o f he R.k,..k, is ,o ai,„w ,he plas.ic handle
Vlllf are. of Ihe trom bone. T he p .tc h and th e rate o f bounce o f this can he varied considerably hy how

lai i***“ me uric

beautiful ding.” ' This stick has a ru b b e r m iddle core, som ething like a soft mallet stick, allowing one
,0 play anywhere on the bell and achieve a variety o f interesting timbres. The reverse end o f such a stick
,jso ideal for perform ing the beginning o f the fifth m ovem ent o f Krenek’s Five Pieces and is also the
stick intended for the percussion p art in Barney C hilds’s Music. In the Ricercare, there is also call for
a snare drum brush, w hich is very nice when used on the bell. Much use is made of “ delicate percussion”
vlllg
or "delicate single dings” w hich “ can be hitting the tip o f the m outhpiece, bell rim, etc., with the ‘wrong
end’ of the above m en tioned stick (s).” ^

Vlllh Another beater th at w arrants a tte n tio n is the “ superball” beater, which is made simply by drilling a
hole in the ball and inserting a stick. The effects th at can be achieved are mostly “ rubbing” sounds simi­
lar to the tam bourine roll done w ith the thum b. A nother aspect o f “ beaters” is the trom bone slide
itself. Whether a ru b b er tip is on the end o r n o t, the knob on the end o f the slide can be used to sound
various instrum ents, p articularly a gong o r tam -tam . The piano frame (with pedal down) is good too.
One should not do this to o heavily, o f course, for it m ight damage the slide, but the sound can be quite
good and the visual effect is astonishing. All kinds o f o th er m aterials are certainly worth experimenting
with, but at least th e essentials have been presented here.

CIRCULAR BREA THING BEA T E R S

villi Circular breathing, discussed in C h ap ter VI and A ppendix III, provides yet another set o f “ drum beaters.
The diaphragm can be used to slap th e n o te o u t. The tongue, tongue-buzz,’ and voice also act more like
dmm beaters in the c o n te x t o f circular breathing. This assumes a droning note, usually o f low pitch,
which these “ beaters” in te rru p t o r alter. A n o th er “ beater,” allowing w ater to collect in the bottom of
the slide, thereby p ro d u cin g a “ bu b b le blow ing” effect, can proceed sim ultaneously with the circular
breathing drum m ing; how ever, it need n o t be confined exclusively to that. It can be used at any time
and can be brought in an d o u t o f use sim ply by raising the instrum ent level, thereby allowing the water

m u l e s t o s e t h e r in a p p r o p r i a t e r h y t h m s . I fe e l t h a t it
‘he sound factor th a t m akes this o f in te re st. In any case, it is easy to damage m utes
excess.
See page 3 o f th e score (see also “ R ik itik i” instructions on the same page).
page 5 o f th e Ricercare.
See page 3 o f th e Ricercare.
See C hapter VI fo r an ex p la n a tio n o f th e “ tongue-buzz.”
 56 VI I I . P E R C U S S I V E D E V I C E S A N D A C C E S S O R I E S

to sp re a d o u t e v e n ly a lo n g t h e slide tu b es . T h is “ b u b b l e b l o w in g ” a n d th e resulting “ po ps”

are quite
s u b s ta n ti a l ( f u r t h e r “ w a t e r ” s o u n d s will be t a k e n u p la t e r in this c h a p te r ) .

l-X T R A Pf-RCU SSIO N

T h is s e c t io n o f th e c h a p t e r deals w ith w h a t I h av e t e r m e d “ e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r ” p ercussio n Most of th'

has little t o d o w ith th e t r o m b o n e p e r se, b u t it is p o ssib le w h ile p la y in g p ra c tic a lly any instrume
T h e sim p listic use o f reg u lar f o o t ta p s in Elegy fo r M ippy II fo r Solo Trombone ( 1950) by Leonard
B ern stein , o r t h e m o r e c o m p l e x a n d h u m o r o u s f o o t w o r k a lo n g w ith d r o p p e d m u te s in Consecuen:
fo r Trom bone Solo, O p. 1 7 ( 1 9 6 6 ) b y C arlos R o q u e A lsina are c e r t a in l y percussive devices to be noted
S pe cializ ed use, h o w e v e r , h a s b een m a d e o f “ e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r ” p e rc u s s io n b y Ben Jo h n s to n in One Man
fo r Trom bonist and Percussion Cnote th e use o f th e w o rd “ t r o m b o n / j / ” ). It is a tr em endously complex
p iec e re q u i r in g a fail n u m b e r o f a d d itio n a l p erc u s sio n in s tr u m e n ts . T h e sco re itself is a compendium of
t h o u g h t f o r a t r o m b o n i s t in c o p in g w ith u n u s u a l tu n i n g (cf. C h a p t e r IV ) a n d m a n y o t h e r problems, but
it also s h o w s h o w t o h a n d le e x t r a n e o u s e q u i p m e n t a n d th e a t r i c a l c o n s i d e r a t io n s (cf. Chapter XI). The
e n ti r e .score i.s well w o r t h s t u d y fo r several reasons. E x a m p l e 1 in C h a p t e r IV c o n ta in s w hat is perhaps
th e m o s t d r a m a t i c use o f pe rcu s sio n , since it involves th e b e t t e r p a r t o f a d r u m trap set. This excerpt
f r o m t h e th i r d m o v e m e n t re q u ire s th e rem ov al o f th e rig h t h a n d fr o m th e tr o m b o n e slide from time to
t i m e in o r d e r t o p la y th e c y m b a l.
E x a m p l e I beJow , fro m b a rs 15 a nd 16 in th e first m o v e m e n t , is p e r f o r m e d w ith the tambourine,
s t r a p p e d to th e rig h t leg, e i t h e r k ic k e d w ith th e left f o o t (first b a r) o r v ib r a te d w ith the right leg (second
huT). N o t i c e t h e h a r m o n i c glissando, trill, c o m p l e x i n t o n a t i o n , a n d b o d y tu r n in g going on at the same
tim e (circle d R o m a n n u m e r a l s m e a n " F ” a t t a c h m e n t p o sitio n s).
E x a m p l e I : J o h n s t o n One Man, page 4, b ars 15 a n d 16

■to tW —

lU

Lted by pe/m inion. Media Prejs. Box 895, Champaign, Illinois 61820.
 vill. PERCUSSIVE DEVICES AND ACCESSORIES

eX3niP’^’ below, trom bars 23 and 24, is trom the second movem ent Notice how the fH-rlonner
-rbaUnce on one foot while circling the o th e r foot to the side. U te r on, the sici.ch boils and ta.n-tatn

% ram pl« 2: Johnston One ^tan. page 5. bars 23 and 24

S ••i'U IS ' i , t :.t V sfr m8

— V-
’I'M i ' *-1 M vw

L’std hy pfrmission. M«lu Press, Box S'*?, (,'hinipaiiin. Ill'.ni'n M S'O

scraping

\TIli The bell of the trom bone can be scraped on several different m aterials w ithout hurting it at all.* Scrap­
ing on wood, such as a floor o r wall, is very good, the best being a w ooden riser. This is no doubt duo
to the air space under the riser acting like a sounding box. Glass or chalkboanis a rt tine, also. Sheet
metal can be very good, particularly if it is in the form o f duct pipes. ,\lso metal and very usel'ul are
both piano strings (pedal dow n) and gong (or tam -tam ).
Simply scrape the edge o f the bell along the surface chosen to produce the desired sounds, holding
the bell at an angle to co ntrol the preferred pitches. D ifferent pitches are obtained, depending upon
whether the bell is pushed or pulled and at what angle the bell is held. This will vary extensively with
the instalment used; tru m pet, horn, o r tuba will each give quite different responses. When scraped on
'lirt
piano strings, all produce startling glissando effects. Because o f the “ give" o f the piano strings, it is
possible to “h it” the bell on the strings lightly. Rolling the bell on the strings can give a nice ethereal
effect made up o f m icrotones (cf. C hapter IV). O ther resonators can include gongs and tyinpani. Also,
^lo\\ing the trom bone at these instrum ents can produce all sorts o f harmonics and o th er ettects. Large
and bottles can som etim es be o f value (cf. C hapter VII). and the most useful o f all these is most
‘‘I'ely a bucket o f water.

done discovered, fm allv, a small flat spot on the bell rim where most of the scraping has been
(rath years to achieve this, there would be at least seventy years o f scraping
done before m iich dam age could be noticed. This would assume that the scraping was
about tlifferent places on the bell rim. The point here is to simply say that one need not w orry
exercised of w ithout a curled edge. Discretion should always be
'''hen executing an effect such as this.
 Vlll PERCUSSIVE DEVICES AND ACCESSORIES

U'A TFR

viili 1 have fomul that a bucket or wastebasket of water set upon a chair or table just to the left
1'ornier is most satisfactory. This is a tricky setup because one m ust be able to get the bell in
the water easily.’ Some of the sounds available include getting the bell; (1) square and close
touchinn, b u t not on or in the water) to obtain a high shimmery effect; (2) partially in the wate
angle so as to get the watcrgong effect o f pitch change obtained by dipping in and out of the wat^^
(3) all the way in so bubbles are produced. A nother variation (on 3) is to inhale air through the ‘
ment while the bell is submerged, so that some water is taken into the bell, then to play out with
force A soft sound is heard glissandoing down as the w ater leaves the bell, then an explosive bubbli
retch, or continuous bubbling if desired. Raising the dripping instrum ent out o f the bucket is a wonder
ful climax.
Two kinds o f water sounds have been m entioned before; (1) water collecting in the slide (earlier in
this chaptcr under “ Circular Breathing Beaters” ); and (2) w ater in a ja r with the disconnected slide tube
inserted (cf. Chapter VII). The final w ater sound to be m entioned comes from a trombone in a swim­
ming pool."' The trom bone is perhaps the only instrum ent that can successfully be taken into a pool
without damage, and this, perhaps more than anything else, attests to the simplicity of trombone design.
There is simply nothing on a trom bone to be hurt by w ater; other brass instrum ents have pads in the
valves that would need to be dried out or replaced, and the w ater would affect the valve oil. Most
trom bonists, indeed, use water already (in conjunction with cold cream or something similar) in their
slide lubrication.

KAZOO

Still another resonator requires special m ention; the kazoo m em brane." Normally designed for hum­
ming, some buzzed lip kazoos were encountered in 1969-70. They were designed and executed by Kay
Aiko Sato and Ronald Heglin and were made of ceramic. The possibilities for trom bone (and other
I
brass) are incredible; the m embranes are not unlike the aluminum pie plates in the bell (cf. Chapter
Musical dictionaries refer to “ Bigotphones” designed by the Frenchm an Bigot in 1880.'^ These kazoos

9. With a trum pet, o f course, it is very easy. The tuba and horn player have to exercise more care
and agility in getting the bell close to water.
10. Perhaps it is the gesture more than the: isound, bu t I clearly rem em ber the sound
iking ((as well as I could) around the pool at the Oa
Water Music on a trom bone while breast stroking
(California) Sym phony Party in 1964. The sound was highly distinctive.
11. Related to this is the use o f an electric fan. David Baker, Contemporary
Trombone, p. 303, suggests th at one can “ play into a fan set at different speeds.” This will no
be o f a “ buzzy” quality but will cause the pitch to fluctuate. j
12. There were gatherings o f “ Bigotphonists" in Paris in 1910, apparently indicating a ^ i es
interest, according to The Oxford Companion to Music, 10th Ed. (London; in
Press, 1970), p. 108. Inform ation about Bigot and his bigotphones is earnestly s o lic ite d ,
for a centennial celebration in 1980 in honor o f this great Frenchm an, then in time fo ra c
gathering in Paris o f “ Bigotphonists” in 2010.
 Vlll IM R C ' I I S S I V E H E V I C E S A N D A C C E S S O R I E S 59

I'liulc to rcscinblo tru n ip o ts and trom bones, etc. But there is no reference to th eir being
.(I in'if'*'” '''’*'’' * iiKiltcr. there is no reference to them being hum m ed, as is norm al w ith
•llu* “ lUi/./’* section in C h ap ter IX on Mutes).

'* piano fram e or rolled on the strings. It can also be used as

p e r c u s s io n is t might use a m etal bar on piano strings to produce howls and squeals, etc. It is b e tte r to
I,those things with an auxiliary m outhpiece, however, since a good one might be damaged. Keep in m ind
that in words o f Lou H arrison and others, any sound is idiom atic as long as it does n o t h u rt or
lestroy instrum ents. Care, then, should be taken o f the piano used in executing these sounds. T h e p ro b ­
lem of b e a ti n g on or with a tro m b o n e is no different from th at concerning a string player in producing
col '’owing. Som etim es secondary instrum ents m ust be considered for use, and the conscientious
brass player should n o t feel guilty if he o r she m ust use auxiliary m outhpieces, trom bones, o r o th er
cquipmi:nt. After all, th at is w hat the bulk o f this chapter has been about.
 Chapter IX:
Mutes

T h e d a y s o f m a r k i n g j u s t “ m u t e ” in t h e s c o r e a re , o r s h o u l d b e , o v e r . T h e r e is n o e x c u s e fo r this kind of
c a s u a ln e s s a b o u t m u t e s a n d m u t e t i m b r e , f o r m o s t m u t e s h a v e b e e n a r o u n d a l o n g ti m e n o w , and much
h a s b e e n w r i t t e n a b o u t t h e m . T h e s t a n d a r d m u t e s a re a d e q u a t e l y c o v e r e d in t h e b o o k s b y Fink, Gregory,
K l e i n h a m m e r , a n d W ic k , ‘ n o t t o m e n t i o n m a n y o r c h e s t r a t i o n b o o k s a n d s o m e i n s t r u c t io n a l methods.
V ir t u a ll y ail t h e m u t e s e x c e p t t h e s t r a i g h t m u t e h a v e c o m e t o u s b y w a y o f j a z z , a n d o n e can imagine the
t u r n - o f - t h e - c e n t u r y e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n b y ja z z t r o m b o n i s t s . A n y t h i n g , it s e e m s , w a s t r i e d - m o s t notably
glass tu m b le r s ,^ s u g a r tin s , b o t t l e s , t o i l e t p l u n g e r s , a n d t h e lik e .^ T h e p l u n g e r h a s since b e c o m e a stan­
d a r d m u t e , as h a v e t h e c u p , c le a r - t o n e , h a t , w a -w a , a n d o t h e r s c o n c e i v e d i n j a z z t o p r o d u c e a unique
ti m b r e . R a t h e r t h a n d e t a i l th e t r a d i t i o n a l u s e s o f t h e v a r i o u s m u t e s , t h i s c h a p t e r will d e a l mainly with
s p e c ia liz e d a n d / o r u n u s u a l u ses o f t h e m . H o w e v e r , k e e p in m i n d t h a t n o w o r d s o r r e c o r d e d examples
c a n s u p p l a n t t h e e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n t h a t c o m p o s e r a n d p e r f o r m e r s h o u l d e x e r c i s e in o r d e r to learn about
v a r i o u s t i m b r e c h o ic e s. N o real d i f f ic u l ti e s will b e e n c o u n t e r e d b y a n y c o m p o s e r as lo n g as th e basic
f u n c t i o n o f m u t e s - t h a t o f d a m p i n g o r a l t e r i n g t o n e q u a l i t y - is u n d e r s t o o d , a n d as lo n g as he or she
realizes t h a t , in d e a lin g w i t h m u t e s , t h e r e is m u c h s u b t l e v a r i a t i o n e v e n in t h e u se o f o n e m u te , let alone
a g r o u p o f th e m .

1. F i n k , The T ro m b o n ist’s H andbook, p p . 4 9 - 5 3 ; G r e g o r y , The T rom bone, p p . 5 2 -5 4 ; Klein­

h a m m e r , TTie A r t o f Trom bone Playing, p p . 1 2 -1 4 ; W ick , T rom bone Technique, p p . I'i-'IS.
2. B e r t r a m T u r e t z k y , in D e c e m b e r 1 9 7 4 , re c a l le d t h a t h e “ sa w a n d h e a r d J a c k T e a g a rd e n in
H a r t f o r d ( C o n n . ) in t h e 1 9 5 0 s p la y i n g ( p r o b a b l y ) St. Jam es Infirm ary Blues. [ H e ] d id so m e serious
a n d ex p re s siv e p la y i n g w i t h t h e t r o m b o n e [ a p p a r e n t l y p a r t i a l l y d i s a s s e m b l e d ] a n d a w h isk ey glass-
It c o u l d b e p r e s u m e d t o h a v e b e e n t h e s lid e s e c t i o n a l o n e w i t h t h e glass h e l d o v e r t h e pip e, o r el®^
h e ld o v e r t h e p ip e w h e r e t h e t u n i n g slid e w o u l d n o r m a l l y b e. S e e a ls o B a k e r ’s c o m m e n t on Charles
Irvis in C h a p t e r V I, n o t e 11, ab o v e .
3. G e r r y S lo a n p o i n t e d o u t t o m e t h a t m u c h m a t e r i a l c a n b e n o t e d in t h e a r t ic l e “ M u te d Brass
b y K e i t h N ic h o ls , in S to ryville N o . 3 0 ( A u g u s t - S e p t e m b e r , 1 9 7 0 ) , p p . 2 0 3 - 2 0 6 . N ic h o ls p o in ts oui
o n e o f t h e p r i m a r y u se s o f t h e m u t e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e s t r a i g h t m u t e , w a s t o c o p e w ith t h e fact t a
e a rl y r e c o r d i n g t e c h n i q u e s w e r e g e n e ra lly u n a b l e t o d e a l w i t h t h e o p e n h o r n s o u n d d u e t o the amp
tu d e . T h e w h o l e s t y le t r e n d o f c o m m e r c i a l b a n d s u s i n g c o n t i n u a l m u t i n g m a y h a v e h a d its ongi
d e a li n g w i t h t h i s r e c o r d i n g p r o b l e m .

60
 I X. M U T E S 61

jjtle d iffe re n c e s in one m u te can be absolutely astounding. To convey the idea, the m ute m ost
^ to arouse this kind o f curiosity will be discussed, and th a t is the wa-wa, otherw ise know n as the
likely com pany th a t m an u factu res them . It is called a wa-wa from its ability to m ake th at
ah) vowel sound discussed in C h ap ter II ; the uauaua th at is so fam iliar can be seen in m ore detail
^ vibrato. T he left hand is placed over the stem for the ‘ u ’ and opened up for the
this generally assum ing th a t the stem o f the m ute is pushed in all the way (although this can be
^ with it pulled o u t any distance: see recorded exam ples). The term “ stem o u t” does no t m ean to
the stem (though this can also be done), b u t rath er to pull the stem to its full length.** Fink
remove
describes the wa-wa m u te stem as being w ith and w ith o u t the “ cookie c u tte r,” depending upon w hat

era the music is from. T he earlier th e m usic, the m ore likely the “ cookie c u tte r” is left on the stem o f
the mute. Since 1950 this seem s n o t to be th e case, according to Fink. However, in co n tem p o rary avant
garde music it is the ua effect th a t is desired, and this w ould m ean th at the “ cookie c u tte r” is left
on the stem, even since 1950, at least fo r the so-called avant garde style.

BUZZ
Each mute is practically a separate in stru m en t, and perhaps the wa-wa is the best vehicle to em phasize
this point. When, in 1964, I first en c o u n tered the Cage Solo, 1 was confronted with the term “ b u zz”
iXe mute. The “ buzziest” sound th a t was to be found was the wa-wa m ute held backw ards gently against
the bell, which produced a terrific rattling. Sim ilar effects, since discovered, can be achieved w ith
aluminum pie plates held over th e bell. T hey can even be controlled by p utting a finger in various
places on the plate - like p roducing harm onics on cym bals - and these “ harm onics” can be changed
quickly by putting d iffe ren t fingers dow n. Q uite a variation can be achieved by using d ifferen t sizes
of plates (see the n e x t section on “ P lunger” and also the section on “ K azoo” in C hapter V III). F o r
that matter, one can sim ply buzz w ith the lips through the wa-wa.®

4. A muting problem had to be solved w ith the T on De Leeuw Music. With ab o u t ten days to learn
the piece for its prem iere (5 Ju n e 1974 at P eabody College fo r Teachers in Nashville, T ennessee,
™ring the fourth annual In te rn a tio n a l T ro m b o n e W orkshop), and no tim e for questions to th e com ­
poser, an answer had to be found for, am ong o th e r things, the directive o f “ sharp m u te ” on page 6 o f
ne score. Two hours o f th o u g h t and ex p e rim en tatio n determ ined (w rongly, perhaps) th a t (1) by
e composer’s use o f th e term “ sh a rp ” he m ean t “ edgy” o r “ harsh” o r “ b rittle ” o r any c o m b in a tio n
e that (2) the wa-wa w ith m axim ally ex tended stem w ould best convey this. This is an
direT tro m b o n ist m u st be co n stan tly ready to experim ent; w rong o r in co m p lete m u te
to th grossest oversights o f com position, seem to be the norm . This is d ue, n o d o u b t,
in an^ sensitivity to m ute tim bre differences u n til very re c e n tly ; b u t
y I Was h ap p y to have received even as m uch inform ation in th at score as I did.
ings^' C hapter V III, n o te 11, regarding use o f an electric fan. Also, in listening to jug band record-
showed^ buzzing over th e to p o f jugs, the jug serving sim ply as a reso n ato r. G erry Sloan
holes in '"^"ous p ictu res o f D ickie Wells using his “ p ep p e r-p o t” m ute - a straight m u te w ith m any
fMjR 8 , , e?"® the o n e on th e album by Dickie Wells All Stars called Bone Four-in-Hand
" « ) shows him using it (p o ssib ly ) inserted backw ards. This w ould be sim ilar to th e wa-wa
 IX. MU r t : s
f.;

ri iw c i K
........................................ ........................... . “ “ ' ' 7 “ ' ; ’’; " ™ ; '»
........ ..................... ... ".'I II..- ............... ^ T " ’' i'
...... I,, .................. ,,i mk- «< ° ^ ‘y
............. . ............ n.,1 w.,rk very woll w b.n this hole is m .de, although a
,,,„ ,„,|y .................... . il ..|.. The i-.l«r«sl with th . h o k is in pressinB the center o f the plmset
,, I., ,„l.. III.- lu-ll ;»|..»iW c. I hi. tc,|.iite. > rebtivcly iiew plunger, since old ones get stiff and do„„,
(Irx . s wHI. T l.r l.r ilu -r in it is pressed, the m o r e p r o m i n e n t an<l “ b u 7 .z y ” t h e h ig h p a r t ia l s become. The
pluHKer. i,ke th e w;. w;., p r o . l i i c e s i i : i f o . ^ a h ) w h e n o p e n e d a n d c lo s e d . T h e m a i n a d v a n ta g e s o f the
,,hn.»:et m u le over all the o th e r s are its lo w c o s t a n d t h e a v a il a b il it y o f t h e o p e n h o m o p t i o n constantly
.11 hand. H u- m u le r e l e r r t d t o h ere is th e c o n v e n t i o n a l to i le t p l u n g e r ; h o w e v e r , f o r t h e Berio Sequenza
l\ Alsina's (hn.uriiniza, an d o t h e r w o rk s o f sim ila r d i f f i c u l t y , it is w ise t o u s e t h e “ G ie n Miller Tuxedo
Plunder" m u l e ’ o r llie " w o w w o w ” m u l e .'' T h e se are e le g a n t f o r m s o f t h e r u b b e r p l u n g e r and the
liiiiiiiK is easier to con tro l, These m u te s, by th e w a y , m a y als o b e u s e d p e r c u s s i v e l y fcf. C h a p t e r VIII).’
IX* Hierc is a com bined liu/./. and ua accom plished by p la c in g a tn in ip e t stra igh t m u te as far in to the bel!

as if will Ko an d th en m an ip u la tin g a p lu n g e r o v e r i t . " ’ T h e c o n v e n i e n t o p e n h o r n o p t i o n is n o t available

will) this c o m liin a tio n , b u t it nev ertheless is a v e ry i m p o r t a n t a n d u n i q u e d e v ic e (see r e c o r d e d examples).

used b a ckw ard s as cited above. H ow ever, it m a y be m o r e t h a n lik e ly t h a t h e h a s it h a n d y f o r a quick

insertion tlic n o rm a l way. Sloan also b r o u g h t to m y a t t e n t i o n D u k e E l l i n g t o n ’s c o m m e n t in hisMu5/c
/,v Mv AT/vrrm (N ew Y ork; D o u b le d a y , IV 73 ) p. 108: “ B e f o r e T r i c k y j o i n e d u s, C h a r le s Irvis (cf.
( tiapter VI, n o te 1 1 1 , w h o was k n o w n as C h arlie Plug, w as o u r o rig in a l t r o m b o n e p l a y e r d o w n in the
K e n tu c k y f hih. I|e was called Plug b ec au se o f t h e d e v ic e he u s e d o n h is h o r n . In t h o s e d a y s th e y
m a n u f a c lu r e d a kind o f m u t e design ed t o m a k e t h e t r o m b o n e s o u n d lik e a s a x o p h o n e . T h e sax was
still rcKanleil as new then . ( harlie h ad d r o p p e d th is d e v ic e a n d b r o k e n it, s o h e u s e d w h a t w as left of
it, rolling il a ro u n d th e bell o f his tr o m b o n e . He c o u l d n ’t use it t h e w a y it w a s i n t e n d e d , b ecau se of
the p a n br<^ken off, hu t h e ’d gel this e n tire ly d i f f e r e n t , l e c h e r o u s , l o w t o n e , a n d n o o n e h a s ever done
It since. You m ight say th a t th e r e was really a lost a r t . ”
6. T lianks (o U uddy Baker.
7. M a n u fa c tu re d by H u m e s an d Berg.
8. M a n u fa c tu re d by H a rm o n .

was i n S e f u i i l T n ^ / ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ‘‘^‘^ertain f r o m t h e c o m p o s e r j u s t w h i c h mute

n il.b e r p lu n g er m u t e wUh t h u m r i I ^ u® m c o r r e c t o r , a t t h e v e r y le a s t, i n c o m p l e t e . 1 used a
tw o y ears n % S ; , a r o u n d t h e e d g e f o r t h e “ r a t t l i n g ” (c f. C h a p t e r V I I I ) f o r about

» often used w illi ;I sh<> rLn ed\\T om ^ o n ^ Trombone, p. 3 1 2 , states that “ the plunger
from a ro u n d the tw enties. I d isc ov ered thi« t n iu te .” I e stim a te th a t th is c o m b in a tio n u se dates
whal Pee-wec Muni was u p to o n his 7H R FM ^C anit T r " w h e n t r y i n g t o d e te r m i n e
/o Kt-M Cdpitol Records release o f Sugar Blues.
 IX M un s f ,,

^ . .i lU'rby ''T niiuuiliu'turod couiilorpurlN ol llh ir oi iiicliil u I no I iiin U u * (»|irn liotti

|0 " '" " V ^'“ nvonlonllv In' iiii)milr.l on u slutul. imkI
1 hiiuls ;tn,' iH'Ciloil to tnnnipuliilo it; lunvrvoi. whrn a stiiiid is tisc'il, || is intur i||l||< till l<>

^ •"*"* •'•'"1^ •*) niiilt'-i IhlH

(iirnsoiit. ish a a i fo ra ti\>mhotnst to inunipiiliitc !>y htiiul iinywnv (IIiun It dncN tiol iipiu'ni
" '" '‘‘‘I'^l^rrttochaptcrV" HaviiiM tho left hnml frt't' to inniiipuhitc' tiu' " V " iilliidiiiinit utn l.r nl hm-iiI
" 1. ..iitci' situi»tions have a r i s i ’U in whioli the li'lt hmul was tnnnlpiilatiii^ n wa wn oi pliiuKci wliilr ul
i.jf '
triiiRcr n o to s w ero CJilloil fo r. T h is is un oasy m ista k f to m iikr, anil n>iinn)>t‘iH -(hotild h r
i h f s a n i f ^
,« irto fth is a 'la tiv c ly tu'w p ro b k 'm .

felt , b v c k f t , a n d h a n d

Asomewliat simihir ciTect to t h e hut can h e iichievetl hy plaoint! a piccc o f felt over t h e h e l l DriipitiK ii
c h a m o is over tlie bell, o r even usinn th e c c n te r from an oUl felt h a t. cun acliieve n unelul daiiipiiiK e lle c t
,Xi iimdi like the velvetone o r " b u c k e t " m u te (w h ich is o fte n ilubhed a "can-o'-ranN ").” I'vcn the haixl
over the bell can u p p ro x in u ite th is, h u t it is hiirtl to net th e haiul in th e hell far enonnh to Kel a c o n ip le lc ly
covered s o u n d and still play! F in k has good d esc rip tio n s c o m p le te w ith p h o to n ra p h s o f w hat to d o w ith

the hand. His m ention o f th e term " q u a s i h o r n .’* ii ty p ical directive founil in ja /z or •.Indio icore^i, In d i­
cates the effect desired.

Hie d.imping effect m ay bo h o tte r acliieved hy use o f a to ile t p ap e r core inserted in to the hell. Hcritsma

uses this e f feet, w hich is th e first use so far as I k n o w , in his lilafanf lly p n th c sfs fo r T rom hnnv atul Per-
aisskm (1977), In the sccond m o v e m e n t, he w a n te d an ex tre m e ly st)ft and d elicate Hounil, and he likeil
the idea o f t h e covered effec t th a t th e to ile t p a p e r co re ttave to th e tro m b o n e tone. Herusma (u rtlie r

heightened the in terest by th e o ccasio n al use o f the pUinKcr ulonn w ith the to ilet p ap e r core.

A toilet paper core in serted in to th e bell p ro d u c es th e e ffe c t o f a c u t-o ff hell, m uch like tlie so und
•hat the very early tro m b o n e s (sa c k b u ts) m u st have hud. F o r this reas<ni, I have fo u n d it wise to une this
'■evice when playing w ith o th e r in s tru m e n ts o f th e six te e n th ce n tu ry . (Ira n te d , it w ould be p re fera b le
^se a sixteenth-century tro m b o n e , o r a c o p y o f o n e , b u t these are n o t alw ays o b ta in a b le . Hic u<e ot
toilet paper core is ch e ap , in s ta n t, an d n o t visually d istu rb in g , w ith o n ly a sm all a m o u n t o f p ec u lia r
donation to deal w ith - n o m o re so, a c tu a lly , th a n th a t w hich w ould be e n c o u n te re d w ith an old

C ham ber Muaic / / / (1 9 7 1 ), in th e " I t ’s been a lonn, lonR tim e ” (iic to n d )

batijs ex ten sive use o f th e h a t m u te . T h is piece, w hich is rcn ectlv e o f tlie rnutcil d a n c c
Wori^^il ^ show s th is m u te to b e a visual as well as an aco u stical sy m b o l o f th a t era, 'lliis
j ' ®oon be released o n C o lu m b ia R ccords.

away P jy ig er can im ita te th e b u c k e t m u te If th e side o f the plu n n er is b e n t In a little a n d h rid

^^ula V i^ ^ slight angle. A fm e b u c k e t m u te is now m ade by Je rry F'Inch (I’.f), Hox ^>.31,
a n d is called th e " F in c h ” m u te . It is stu rd y . litthtw eiK ht, an d can be inulallcd
N l tracing c a u tio n c d to sp ecify In stru m e n t m ake and m o d el an d nubm it a
to receivc th e p ro p e r si/.e.
 64 I X. M U T E S

instrum ent. F or that m atter, the use o f any m ute creates tuning problem s th at any expe
player is used to solving.

CUP

Unless one is firm ly ensconced in dance and studio work o r playing in pops orchestras an ’
in a cup m ute for trom bone m ay no t be necessarily w orthw hile. The cup, while a standard
is perhaps the m ost finicky o f all the trom bone m utes, m ostly because ju st any cup does not
any trom bone. A lthough supposedly a standard, the cup m ute provides m ore complications
wa-wa, b u t, fortunately, contem porary com posers find the latter m ore to their liking. The cup sim i
does n ot have the convenience or the wide range o f effects,
rxj Cup m utes generally have an open, half open, or “ tight cu p ” (closed) option. “Tight cup” is a di
rective o ften found in dance band music, and it is presum ed th at the m ute was made to fit tight and
no o th e r way unless tw o m utes were carried around.'^ The tight cup effect, however, can perhaps
be ju st as easily done on a “ whisper” mute,*^ a m ute m ade for practicing and one more likely to fit
different bells. Also, a m ic-a-m ute‘® can be considered, but it is shaped like the cup and has the same
fitting problem . It can also be im itated by a bucket o r felt.
In a piece calling for several trom bones with cup m utes, problem s result even assuming that all
players have these m utes (w hich they m ight not). The cups never fit the same way in the different
sized bells, and any approxim ation would be a m ajor undertaking. One com pany'* is now making mute;
w ith adjustable (sliding) cups, b u t those cups th at are m ore com m only available are made of many dif­
feren t m aterials. In contrast, wa-wa m utes are alm ost all m etal and, if they need to be adapted fora
bigger bell size, need only a larger cork. There is no risk o f sound change. It is hoped that, with the
retu rn o f the sliding cup m ute, the beautiful sound variation possible with cup m utes can become part
o f th e m ute nucleus - or, at least, a recom m ended accessory to it.

13. It is m y good fo rtu n e to be blessed w ith an old cup m ute especially m ade by the late Frank
DePoIis o f Philadelphia in ab o u t 1956 on w hich the cup p art can slide along the s t r a i g h t shank.
sum ably it was designed to adjust to different bell sizes, b u t I found the option o f “ tight” or ope
cup to be possible in an instant (see recorded exam ples).

14. A ctually this is a “ W hispa-m ute” m ade b y C harlie S p iv a k . This is one to e x p e rim e n t w ith for
ex tre m ely q u iet sounds.
15. M anufactured b y H um es and Berg.
16. See n o te 13 above.
 I X. M U T E S 65

the directive “ m u te ” is alw ays assum ed to be a straight m ute; bu t since these m utes are
many different straights o f fibre, m etal, w ood, etc., are advised in order to adjust to
^Q^iposer requests. A tro m b o n ist, th en , should ow n a plunger (o r several plungers),
several straight m utes as a basic nucleus. Even in contem porary music, ninety percent
^(va-wa, will call for m utes am ong these four. The expensive m utes am ong them are the
d all the s tra ig h t m utes; how ever, one w ould be expected to ow n straight m utes anyw ay for
ii/a-W3 « , playing.
. _‘XT*u-he right^ straight m u te can be really. ;__ ___4._A A
im portant. i nton
II/ -W
L_ebern,
- r_
for_
nv- kind 0
con ceived o f the tro m b o n e as being no o th e r way b u t w ith a straight m ute; one need only
instance
u' ,.,nrks However, realizing w hat a sensitive m an Webern was w ith regard to tim bre, I
examine rus wuiiv:>.
j wndi. sound from all th e straig h ts available he really w a n te d .’’
The four mutes m entioned — th e straig h t, plunger, felt, and wa-wa - are a recom m ended nucleus bc-
of their consistency; th a t is, if a co m p o ser asks fo r any one o f these four, there is usually no
question in the mind o f either th e co m p o ser or th e p erfo rm er as to the sound desired. When it com cs
to cups bucket, hat, clear-tone (so lo -to n e), etc., m ore confusion exists, even though som e m u tes may
be consistent enough or som e o f th em m ay be used extensively in certain circles ’, but only the nucleus
mutes are used in all circles while a t the same tim e rem aining consistent. It m ay seem surprising to som e
people for me to recom m end the wa-wa here, b u t even this m ute appears in sym phonic m usic as early
as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.^^ T he key w ord is consistency; certainly any active p erfo rm er will
have available other m utes besides this recom m ended nucleus, depending upon individual needs.

MUTE EFFECTIVENESS

Muting on the trom bone generally does n o t w ork nearly so well as it does on the tru m p et. On th e tru m p e t
the bell is closer to the b o d y , and th e m u tes them selves are sm aller, lighter, and cheaper. T hey are for
the most part consistent. T ru m p e t bells d o n o t vary to such a degree th a t m ute fitting is a p ro b lem ;
therefore, much m ore v ariety can be ex p e cted from virtually an y tru m p e t player. C onversely, d o n o t
expect this same kind o f flex ib ility from th e tro m b o n ist, as it is ju st n o t possible. It is possible to com e
'^•ose, with the exceptional player, b u t it is n o t, n o r is it ever likely to be, th e norm as it is on tru m p e t,
ft'impet player can even e n te rta in th e lu x u rio u s n o tio n o f o b tain in g a high-quality m u te , such as the
°Pper rather than th e alu m inum w a-w a, w hereas th e expense w ould be proh ib itiv e fo r a tro m b o n ist
if quality m utes did exist, w hich fo r th e m o st p a rt th ey d o n o t. F o r a tro m b o n ist to a p p ro a c h the

p ro je c t, ju s t w aiting fo r som eone, is to find o u t th e m ute{s) used on

Not Only h o r p e rfo rm a n c e s o f his w orks in w hich he e ith e r c o n d u c te d o r a tte n d e d ,
jg ^ players w ould be e n lig h ten ed b y th e resu lts o f such a stu d y .
but actu ally co m m issio n ed b y an d in ten d ed fo r Paul W hitem an’s d an ce o rc h e stra in
Since becom e v irtu ally a sta n d a rd w ork in the sy m p h o n ic rep erto ire.
 t>t, I X. M U I E S

lli'\il> ility o f ii I n i i n p i 't p l a y e r iv)iariiiinj m u t i n y , lie o r s h e m u s t h a v e a c a r e f u l l y f itte d

l o s t l y nuiU ".. S lu n i M t h e t r o m b o t i i s t s w ite li i n s t n i m c n t s , o r s w i t c h t o b a s s t r o m b o n e
the entir •
imi'it be ilone over again.
Reasonable tlexibilily can be achieved with careful practice, and the most important th'
place nuites where ti\e left hand can easily reach them . There w ill always be o c c a s io n s when

remove a nnito while still playing.’’ This situation requires careful attention to the position of
i n s t r u m e n t : r i g h t h a n d o n t h e slid e w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g p o o d b a l a n c e o f the instrument T h ■
* ne ^nstrurnent
may be held with the right hand alone in first through fourth positions while sustaining a note
changing nuites. Although these tricks are certainly not encouraged, trom bonists should neverthele
know them. *

M irn : HARMONICS

One special category o f mute souiids remains, and that is what I have termed “ mute harmonics.” These
are o f two types. The first is a breakdown o f the wa-wa vibrato to u - a - - u — a— done so slowly

that different m ultiphonics emerge depending upon which partial o f the harmonic series is present (cf.
Chapters 1 and V ).“ When this is clearly understood, it is possible to “ vibrato” the tone between the
different partials (the examples recorded give the idea). A similar sound can be produced vocally while

subtly altering the m outh cavity and tongue placement. Composers doing so will have a better chance
to com e to terms with this idea w ithout wasting a lot o f perform er time, so the practice is heartily
recommended for all concerned.
The second o f these m ute harmonics involves blowing over the top o f straight or cup mutes much
IXk as one would blow over a beer or soft drink bottle. Some variation is found among mutes (and among
blowers), so it is best not to specify definite pitches but to realize that there is a relatively soft funda­
mental located somewhere in the middle o f the staff. There are also two (or more) very loud overtones,

the first at about two and one half octaves and the second just a little over three octaves. Both must be

used with discretion. This is practical only for trum pet or trom bone, the trum pet ones being consider
ably higher; the horn and tuba m ute openings are too large. O f course, each mute must be examined
individually, and the reader is encouraged to experim ent further regarding all aspects of these sometii"
baffling and m ysterious extensions called mutes.

19. A now classic example o f the way it might have been done in the past is seen in bar
third o f the Berg Three Orchestra Pieces Op. 6 (1929), Vienna, Universal Edition, 1954, w
second trom bonist is directed to “ remove third trom bonist’s m ute.” He o r she must j°jg^ature
do this while the third continues playing. There are several examples in the contemporary *
players removing o r inserting m utes while playing. , .
20. There is a hint o f this on the plunger, bu t it is not very clear; it is a device that is margi
enough on the wa-wa, let alone anything else.
21. F or interesting com m entary on m uting by jazz artists, one is encouraged MeTna^'
“ The Talking Trom bone in Jazz” by Gerald Sloan, which appears in XYiq Journal o f the
Trombone Association, Vol. VI (January, 1978), pp. 12-15.
 C hapter X:
M eans of E xtension

TTiere are four m eth o d s b y w hich o n e can e x te n d th e tro m b o n e in to the su rro u n d in g en v iro n m e n t.
Three principal ones will be ta k e n u p in th is c h a p te r: (1 ) p ian o resonance, (2) electronic e q u ip m e n t,
and (3) perform ance space itself. A fo u rth w ay, b y w ater, has already been discussed in C h a p te r V III
a lo n g with other seco n d ary w ays, su ch as re so n atin g gongs, ty m p an i, etc., w hich are m ore o r less p e r­
cussive by nature. T he garden h o se is y e t a n o th e r m eans o f e x ten sio n , th e difference in this case being
that the body is ex ten d ed ra th e r th a n th e tro m b o n e . T h e first o f th ese, pian o resonance (along w ith the
garden hose), has alw ays h ad a special m ean in g fo r m e, since I have alw ays w anted to m ove th e tro m b o n e
sound through th e p e rfo rm an c e space w ith o u t th e assistance o f electronics. T his dream was finally
realized in 1972 at th e U niversity o f Illin o is’ K ra n n e rt C e n te r w ith th e p erform ance o f m y m ixed m edia
ballet Ten Grand Hosery ( “ T en G ra n d ” refers to pianos, w hereas “ H osery” should be obvious). T his
woric has great m eaning fo r th is c h a p te r as w ell as th e n e x t o n th e a te r (see A ppendix II).

PIANO RESONANCE

Xa The fact that each brass in s tru m e n t is a se p a ra te e n tity can be n o m ore ap p a re n t th a n w hen w o rk in g
with a piano as a re so n ato r; th a t is, w ith th e rig h t-h an d pedal held in place in a norm al m a n n e r b y th e
foot or by a pedal b lo c k .' E ach in s tru m e n t th a t m ig h t be used fo r blow ing in to th e p ian o will give a
different sound; th e re fo re , th e p ia n o ceases to b e a p ia n o and beco m es an ex ten sio n o f th e re so n atin g
pipe blown into it. T he full range o f th e tro m b o n e w orks w ell, th o u g h th e m iddle to high range is
particularly favorable.
One of the b est w ays to b lo w in to th e p ia n o is to p la y lo u d w ith a d im in u e n d o . T h e feeling is as
the strings o f th e p ia n o are c resce n d o in g in th e ir reso n an ce to “ tak e o v er” th e so u n d fro m th e

mig|[: t pedal b lo ck co u ld b e a c lo th e sp in in serted u n d e r th e b ack o f th e p ed al. O th e r m ateria ls

These e f ? w h a te v e r is u se d , care sh o u ld be ta k e n n o t to jam o r fo rce th e m ech an ism ,
that one are b est o n a g ra n d p ia n o , b u t m u c h can b e d o n e w ith an u p rig h t as well. It is im p era tiv e
mation w ith this. B arn e y C h ild s co n v ey ed to m e, in 1966, th e fascin atin g b it o f in fo r-
loudness depresses b o th th e rig h t-h an d p e d a l and th e m id d le (su stain in g ) p ed al, d u ra tio n an d
p e rc e p tib ly . T h is is im p o r ta n t fo r p ro b le m s su ch as th e bell rolling in th e K re n ek
Which is e x tre m e ly q u ie t.

67
 68 X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N

trom bone. If done carefully and thoughtfully, one is n o t sure which instrum ent is makin
any given point; in o th e r words, the technique o f “ playing in and o u t o f the sound” e ^
piano is desirable here. It is also interesting to “ play in and o u t o f the tuning” or pitch ^
the piano; th a t is, it is possible to play one note to set up a resonance and then nlav
S6cond to
but a q u arter tone (o r some o th er tone) away from it. Playing the second tone more softly c
balance w ith the sound th at is com ing out o f the piano, and the tw o can be heard equally Gli
away slowly, again getting softer from the first established no te, will set up very prominent
beats (see later in this chapter for suggested exercises in this regard).
One fine exam ple o f harm onic glissandos on the same note (cf. C hapter III) into the resonating
piano appears at the end o f the second m ovem ent o f the Im brie Three Sketches. It adds a whole ne
dim ension to the trom bone-piano relationship, bringing ab o u t a clim actic m om ent that would other
wise be rather routine. The bridge into the third m ovem ent is this resonance, and as it dies away the
piano starts the aria. O ther works m aking use o f this resonance include Neely Bruce’s Grand Duo
R o b ert S uderburg’s Chamber Music III, and o f course K renek’s Five Pieces.
As was m entioned before, several percussive devices such as hitting and scraping are possible in a
piano. Scraping, rolling, or hitting the bell or m outhpiece are all appropriate sounds from this category
(cf. C h ap ter V III) because these m eans create resonances th at will “ move o u t into the room.” A succes­
sion o f tones can be played in to the piano, and together they can create chords. The performer will
do well to experim ent a great deal to find o u t how best to m ake this resonance work.*

ELECTRO NICS

T he reason fo r m y in terest in new sounds was due, in part, to hearing the sounds o f electronic music;
th ey acted as a catalyst. D uring the early sixties, I found th a t som e electronic sounds were repugnant
and I w anted to find o u t why. I concluded th a t (1) the sounds were u nnatural (synthetic) and that (2)
I could im itate a great m any o f them on the trom bone. M ost im p o rtan t, I felt I could do them a bit
b e tte r; th a t is to say, m y ow n tro m b o n e im itations o f electronic m usic were less than perfect. I finely
believe th a t it is th e little im perfections th a t m ake musical sound, or sound in general, so interesting-
C onversely, m uch electronic sound is to o “p e rfe c t.”
T h ere are notable exceptions, b u t even these bring hom e th e p o in t. T hree w orks for tro m b o n e and
tap e com e to m ind: CH ANG ES by L arry A ustin, A nim us I b y Jac o b D ruckm an, and D o n ald Erb s
. . , a n d then, toward the e n d . . . . T he first tw o consist o f tro m b o n e sound sources woven into, a tap
.t*
w hich includes synthesized sounds as well. The results are at least good pieces, even if the pe ®
so u n d fa c to r is there. T he E rb piece is to tally d iffe ren t in its tap e co n cep tio n , appearing as a
p erfo rm an c e” ra th e r th a n a sy n th etic tape. As I recorded th e source m aterial, th e c o m p o se r perf®

2. A resonating p ian o w orks well w ith a garden hose, and it can be tu ck ed right in un
strings. G arden hoses will b e exam ined fu rth e r in C h ap ter XI on th e a te r (see also Appen '
r
X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N 69

■I o s i n g r e g i s t r a t i o n s as th e w o rk p ro g ressed . T lie first " ta k e s ” w ere o fte n “ re h e a rsa ls,"

, - t 5ik es” h ad to b e iiiade u n til th e p ro p e r “ p e rfo rm a n c e " was achieved T he resull

■ ^ tir illv if n o t p ra c tic a lly , c o u ld be p e rfo n n e d “ live" by five tro m b o n is ts, fo u r
Ji’ I i t theorei'^-**"^’
j,y s y n t h e s i z e r s - a real e l e c t r o n i c c h a m b e r piece. It has the s p o n ta n e ity so lacking

b ecau se th is w o rk is in p a rt in s tm m e n ta l ra th e r th an solely e lec tro n ic.

^ I -tronic m u s i t ,
coiTifi ^ . t-nt* su ch as P au lin e O liv e ro s’s Theater Piece o r R o b e rt E ric k so n ’s Ricercare a 5,
1" * -rks using tap e, m.
ded so u nd th a t tu rn e d o u t t o he p o ssib le “ live.” In d e ed , it was fo u n d th a t th e
jffsinip'y jQ p r a c t i c a l “ liv e” th a t p e rfo rm a n c e s o f Ricercare are p re ferred th a t w ay. A ta p e
^ s u b s t i t u t e fo r s o m e th in g th a t m ig h t so u n d b e t t e r acco m p lish ed by a n o th e r
pftenis Q t h e r m eth o d m ig h t, h o w e v er, b e p ro h ib itiv e ly co stly o r p ro b lem a tica l. U sually th e audi-

^ethod. t a c o u stic a l c o m p ro m is e , o r a s y n th e tic d iet o f pure elec tro n ic s w h ich can

rse * With these th o u g h ts in m in d , c o n s id e ra tio n o f th e e q u ip m e n t will be b r i e f . T im e d o cs

Ijeeveti d i s c u s s i o n , sin ce o b so le sc e n c e is c o n sta n tly at h an d . T he s o u n d s th a t w ork best

^ot m o re im p o rta n t fo r c o n s id e ra tio n th a n m erely th e e q u ip m e n t.

1 vers are c o n te n t w ith a n o rm a l p ic k u p sy stem . Ja z z tro m b o n is t U rbie G reen, how ever.

Most pi^y
a c o m m o n l y available m o u th p ie c e p ic k u p to w h ich can be ad d ed o ctav e dividers, fu z / to n e s , an d

soon' and S w e d i s h jazz a rtist Eje T h e lin uses a m ik e p ic k u p fasten ed to th e bell* (n o t a c o n ta c t

m icrophone), which fu n c tio n s like a n o rm a l m ic ro p h o n e . T he adv an tag e o f b o th o f these o v er th e

normal m i c r o p h o n e is th a t th e p e rfo rm e r can m ove a ro u n d w hile playing. T he m o u th p ie c e p ic k u p re­

quires a h o le drilled in th e side o f th e m o u th p ie c e fo r th e p ic k u p to be in se rte d ; an au x iliary m o u th p ie c e

is best for this purpose. T he ad v a n ta g e is th e e x c lu sio n o f fe ed b ac k an d th e re fo re th e c o m p a ra tiv e

ease with which e x tra n eo u s so u n d m o d ific a tio n s (fu zz, e tc .) m ay b e added. T he so u n d s o b ta in e d d o

not seem particularly sig n ifican t w h e n c o m p a re d w ith th e “ b o d y ” so u n d s th a t can be a m p lifie d , and

therefore may not be w o rth th e e x p e n d itu re . I w o u ld re c o m m e n d w aitin g fo r fu tu re d e v e lo p m e n ts

before mshing o u t to p u rc h ase devices;* th e tim e will be b e tte r sp e n t ex a m in in g w h a t s o u n d s g en erally

wll work best into am p lificatio n sy stem s.

•is the M oog S y n th e siz e r a t th e C leveland In s titu te o f M usic.

Tudo . com m ents d o n o t ap p ly to su ch p e o p le as David B eh rm an , G o rd o n M u m m a, o r David
"*2nce ^o ^isn iad e e le c tro n ic b o x e s a re in a n d o f th em selv es c o m p o s itio n s a n d re q u ire p e rfo r-
*onnan ‘^o^’n ien ts w o u ld n o t a p p ly to T e rry R iley e ith e r, since his ta p e d e la y m u sic is so per-
°^®nted. S im ilarly, w h e n L o re n R u sh uses a ta p e re c o rd e r, it b ec o m e s an in s tru m e n t fo r
‘•le OHveros sh o u ld b e m e n tio n e d h e re also as o n e w h o h as b e e n k n o w n to seek o u t
^gment of sy n th esizers a n d use th ese im p e rfe c tio n s co m p o sitio n a lly . A m o n g a c e rta in
or both artists, a t le a st, th e tre n d is to w a rd m o re creativ e c irc u itry , p e rfo rm a n c e o rie n ta -

g by Caldironi Meazzi, o f Milan.

® d a te d 11 M arch 1 9 7 5 , sta te s th a t “ to d a y , e le c tro m a g n e tic slides and
are t i f *"®^™"^ents a n d e le c tro n ic a lly a m p lifie d in s tru m e n ts w ith re a d ju sta b le to n a l
"e c u rre n t in te re s t.” (C f. C h a p te r V II, n o te s 14 an d 15.)
 70 X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N

RECOMMENDED SOUNDS FOR AMPLIFICA TION

By far the single best category o f sounds to amplify are those discussed in Chapter V I (O th er
Sounds). Practically everything from that chapter can be used successfully; however, “ closed” i ^
esophageal speech, and related material are the areas most open to senous research. These relative’
quiet and unusual sounds, when amplified, seem to become new effects rather than just being loudtj-
No doubt this is partly due to the sound emanating through the speaker instead o f the tromt)o„j
partly due to the fact that the speaker would usually be at a different location than the trombonm
When louder sounds are amplified, one will hear them through the trom bone as well as the speak“t
There is, however, something very special about amplified stom ach, belching, and retching sounds
Without amplification these sounds seem matter-of-fact; when amplified, they seem to take or. a
grotesque quality that is very moving indeed, bringing about a dimension I like to think of as “:h»
trom bone.” Because these sounds for the most part are not too loud by themselves, little sound com« *
from the trombone when they are amplified (see under “ Musical Ventriloquism ” in Chapter XI}. Tric>.
Xb fore, it is very easy to convey a feeling that an electronic tape is being played; that is, the sound car.
seem synthetic, especially if the performer does not make much visual m otion at the tin e. A rscc^d^-‘
example demonstrates this clearly; it conveys a “ musique concrete” feeling ~ the altering of non-
synthetic sound sources. The sounds certainly will not be accepted as a trom bone’s, even though these
same sounds are all idiomatic - the key word - to the trom bone.
Consult the “ Amplification and Electronic Effects” chapter (7), w ritten by Arnold Lazaras. in
Turetzky’s The Contemporary Contrabass. ’ Much useful inform ation is contained therein, ever tho=j^.
it is designed for a different instrument. The intent of this short section on electronics is to leave the
reader with a few notions o f what to do with am plification once the electronic hookup has been otiare:

PERFORMANCE SPA CE RESONANCE

Performance space is part o f the trom bone, and, like trom bones and players, every space is different.
TTiese spaces are extensions o f the trom bone, just as the trom bone is an extension o f the body ■*ithir
which the vocal or lip buzzed sound functions. The perform er must “ play” the space just as much as one
would the trom bone or body cavity. The trom bone has perhaps more control over its acoustical en­
vironment than any other instrum ent because o f its dynamic range and directional quality. It is. like
the trum pet, an instrum ent that can be literally “ aim ed,” and this allows for trem endous control of
acoustics. Performance space resonance can allow for imaginative thinking in term s of the creative
process; it also can cause trem endous problems if this resonance is not clearly understood.
Xc The awareness o f resonance is best begun in a room with a long reverberation time. A cath e d ral
will serve this purpose, or a cement stairwell. Whatever the place, first practice chords.* Star: the

7 . Bertram Turetzky. The Contemporary Contrabass (Los Angeles; University o f California Pre«-
1974), pp. 84-99. This chapter contains an excellent bibliography.
8. Here the term “ chords” does not mean “ m ultiphonics” (which are also useful) but rather
of normal (buzzed) tones.
•y

X MEANS OF EXTENSION 7,

nd long, and progress by stepped-down dynamics and length to the last note, which is
not« example (1) follows o f what might be played:
D ynam ics and Length in Chord Building
-----------------
k

m f tnp p

hould be an echoed sound o f all the pitches in equal balance and perfect intonation. The
^^^mistake will be heard immediately and will bother the player in a way that cannot be dupli-
chord construction can be done throughout the range, and chords of up to eight, ten, or
notes can be considered. It is wise to start at the top and work down, as well as the up
gven more
d in the e x a m p le . Next, try the chord again, but start in the middle range and go in either
nitpmate directions. This is one o f the best ways to learn to blow true’ and to train the
direction or aiieinai
listen Do not get carried away with the beautiful sound quality that this resonance may produce;
onant room is generally complimentary to the sound. Practice also in “dead” rooms to learn how
^ work with resonance, to make a “dead” room seem at least slightly resonant. This is not a method of
\)!&\cstudy material but rather o f basic acoustical material, if a distinction needs to be made.
The question of using the performance space creatively is an area worthy of development, not unlike
the piano resonance where chords can also be set up. Indeed, it is possible to practice the exercises
mentioned (see Example 1) into a piano with its pedal down and gain much insight into the technique
and into the ear, although a resonant room is actually better. A tape delay system can also be useful
for this purpose (cf. note 4 above). One should also play outdoors to study resonance; particularly
recommended are canyon and mountain landscapes. There is something very special about playing the
trombone outside, and it must be a feeling that didjeridu players take for granted; Resonance is very
important to aboriginals even though they are outside (see Appendix III). The trick in using this reso­
nance creatively is to learn to “play into one’s own sound,” *® or to build, construct, play around with,
4nd improvise against the resonance in order to become completely familiar with the trombone and
■ts new environment, while at the same time creating ideas for com position.” The key word, again, is
^Perimentation. No amount o f material in this chapter can substitute for that kind o f activity.

"true” means blowing with a properly centered tone. The point, in this case, is that
" ear clearly what is wrong if one will listen to the echo carefully.
^Pic interesting to examine a flute recording, Paul Horn Inside the Taj Mahal (1968,
lar attend 26466), which gives a taste o f what can be done with a 28-second echo. Pay particu-
'^oice-troinK vocal material for its marvelous microtonal fluctuations, keeping in mind the
t h i c T ^ relationship discussed in Chapter II. Also see the more recent recording Paw/ Horn

............................, was on a
1 Xurt Lunnmgham and Dance Company. While I was working with David Behrman
at the Pope’s Palace in Avignon, a “Great Abbey” (built during the time o f Clement
72 X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N

VI in ab o u t 1360) was discovered just beyond o u r perform ance space, which overlook h
below where the dancers and the audience were located. With the kind assistance o f Jnh a
sound technician, I n o t only perform ed from this “ G reat A bbey” bu t I also made several
ings in this chapel dealing w ith its 14-second echo. The trom bone sounded beautiful in
perhaps due to the irregular surface o f the sandstone, and m uch com positional material w'*
I have titled these w orks and sketches Standing Waves to reflect the actual acoustic proceM
place. Tw o o f these tapes have been recently released on 1750 Arch Records (S- 1775 ) Stu
in the Great A bbey o f O em ent VI. The com positions have been titled “ Standing Waves -
“ Didjeridervish — 1976.” " ’ and
 C^liaptcr XI:
T h ea trica l Im p licatio n s

on an n ro ach th e th e a tric a l im p lica tio n s o f the tro m b o n e : even w hen it is

. -*ruiTicnts can tiyi
fj# other inf m oves a t least th re e in ch es fo r on ly a h a lf step. Musical sight-sound relation-
plgyed j^Qj-e obvious th a n in th e tro m b o n e glissando; everyone know s this visual cliche.
jj,jp is . ex ten d th e th ro a t as well as th e arm , th e tro m b o n e is a m uch m ore logical
- ifistrunicnt
” than o th e r in stru m e n ts. It is u n iq u e am o n g in stru m en ts, and is the only in stru m e n t
jy extender tna
' ator o f b o d y so u n d s) having a co m p le te ly variable re so n a to r length. This has im plica-
Tthe body (rcsonai
b o t h acoustically a n d visually; th e la tte r is d e a lt w ith in this f in a l ch a p te r,

garden HOSE

Various references have been m ade th ro u g h o u t th is b o o k to g ard en hose in stru m en ts. As sta te d b e fo re ,

Bj a garden hose fitted w ith a tro m b o n e m o u th p ie c e is really a tro m b o n e o f nonadjustable len g th , ju s t as

the trombone may be considered an adjustable-X^ngXh g ard en hose. T h e first c o m p o s itio n ' th a t ever
considered this idea was P auline O liv ero s’s T heater Piece fo r T rom bone Player and Tape (n o te use o f
the word “player”). N o tro m b o n e p e r se is u sed in th is w o rk b u t ra th e r th e aco u stical a n d visual
abstractions of it; how ever, th is does n o t m a k e it an y less a tro m b o n e piece. If th is piece w ere to be
for a player of another brass in s tru m e n t, it w o u ld be necessary to use d iffe re n t size hoses and m o u th ­
pieces, which would m ake it an e n tire ly d iffe re n t v e n tu re . T h e hoses are sim p ly re so n a to rs a n d , as su ch ,
are no different from any brass o f sim ilar le n g th a n d b o re.
These hoses in the Oliveros w o rk w e re o rig in a lly “ w o v e n ” in to tw o sc u lp tu re s b y th e c h o re o g ra p h e r
^ St Harris. One, a “ candle tr u m p e t,” h as fu n n e l bells o n th e en d w here ca n d le s are p la c e d . A n
form ’’ite'T elatio nship b e tw e e n sig h t a n d s o u n d is achieved b ecau se th e b re a th o f th e p er-
^'^^'^^^J^control the a m o u n t a n d ty p e o f lig h t th a t th e ca n d le gives. T h e o th e r s c u lp tu re , a “ s p rin k le r

for^me g a rd e n h o se so lo o f e x te n d e d le n g th w as b y R o b e rt H u g h es,
of?^’ PP-12-15 Th A nagnorisis, a b a lle t fo r so lo d a n c e r, tro m b o n e , a n d p e rc u s sio n
and!?!"*'®" th e d a n M ^ l'l b ro u g h t u p th e in te re s tin g p ro b le m o f w a n tin g to p la y a b o u t n in e fe et
any ^ splint arrange^*^^^*^ n ee d ed a b o u t f ifty fe et! Q u ite a large h o le w as c u t a t th e n in e f o o t p o in t
observing vuXm*?/ ^®vised, w ra p p e d in m a tc h in g ta p e , so th a t it w o u ld n o t b e n d a n d so th a t
th in k th e e n tire h o se w as s o u n d in g .

73
 74 XI . T H E A T R I C A L I M F’ L 1C A H O N S

h o rn ,” ^ allow s fo r lawn sprinklers to ro tate , spew ing lo r th baby pow iler, stnokc, or wlntev
m ight have been loaded in them .^ M any vocal sounds im itating anim als are used (cf. C hapter
My m ixed m edia ballet en title d Ten Grand Hosery was inspired largely through niy collab
Pauhne Oliveros and E lizabeth Harris on th e Theater Piece, and I will alw ays be in d eb ted to th -
sustaining pedals o f ten pianos are blocked (cf. C hapter X), the idea being to “ send sound through
from one p ian o to another. T he same score calls fo r didjeridu (see A ppendix III), or yn abstraction
it, to be used in the pianos (fo r the resonance). A t one p o in t, th e p erfo rm er is expcctcd to dervish
while playing th e didjeridu. Also em ployed is a “ scu lp to rch e stra” - th at is, sculptured instruments
in stru m en tal scu lp tures (fo r a detailed description o f this w ork see A ppendix II).

M U SICAL VENTRILOQ UISM

T he n o tio n th a t th e sound o f the in stru m en t always em anates from (o r near) the perform er is ques­
tio n ed in Ten Grand Hosery. U sually, sound com es from the perform er, though a n o ta b le exception is
th e pipe organ; the pipes m ay be som e distance from the player. This idea o f the sound leaving the
p erfo rm e r is very easily do n e w ith garden hoses, as is seen above, bu t it is also possible to reverse the
process w ith a tro m b o n e in conjunction w ith a hose and an auxiliary rem ote player. I remember the
K u ltu rk v a rte tte n (a tro m b o n e q u a rte t com posed o f F olke R abe, Jan Bark, R uno Ericksson, and Jorgen
Jo h an n so n ) d u rin g th e ir perform ance w ith m e in C openhagen in 1968. O ne player on stage held a trom­
bo n e th a t played w h e th e r he had it to his lips o r n o t, A clear hose hidden from view had been affixed
to th e “ F ” a tta c h m e n t slide tube, and the player had only to engage th e valve to have the offstage
p e rfo rm e r’s sound com e through.** The tro m b o n e w ould appear to play by itself - a grand sight indeed!*
(See also u n d e r “ R ecom m ended Sounds for A m plification” in C h ap ter X for fu rth e r information on
“ m usical v en trilo q u ism .” )

2. This is in no way to be confused w ith the “ trin k ler.” See G erard H offnung, The Hoffnung
S y m p h o n y Orchestra (L o n d o n : D ennis D obson, 1955), p. 38.
3. A very old idea is to blow cigarette sm oke th ro u g h an in stru m en t while playing. Special
lighting can m ake it lo o k as th o u g h th e in stru m en t is on fire, presum ably a “ h o t tu n e ” being played.
4 .1 can n o w ap p reciate th e fru stratio n o f th e offstage player. R ecently (sum m er, 1975) I had the
o p p o rtu n ity to p erfo rm on th e “ d id jere u n io n ,” a didjeridu-like in stru m en t designed by Phil Carlsen.
It is a scu lp tu re in stru m e n t m ade o f PVC pipe, and th ree people can play it at once. The acoustical
re su lt is very w orth w hile even th o u g h th e changes th a t one p erfo rm e r’s b reathing does to another ar
ab so lu tely baffling.
5. H arold B etters’s R eprise recording (N o. 6 2 0 8 ) O ut o f Sight and Sound contains notes
th e reco rd in g sessions: . . th e h o m seems on occasion to know w hat to d o w ith o u t being told,
u s give y o u an in stan ce: It seem s th a t during th e final set o f one exh au stin g late-hours
and ragged-out B etters neglected to lift his tro m b o n e in to playing position fo r the n ext tune. ^
w eary H arold co uld m anage to do was p u c k e r up. A nd lying right th ere in his lap, th at old trom
ju s t to o k o f f a-w ailin’ all b y itself.”
 XI . T H E A T R I C A L I M P L I C A T I O N S 75

r c O S S a O U S N E S S AN D HUMOR

atrical trom bone probably goes back no fu rth e r than New Orleans jazz, m instrel shows, an d /o r
'""lie It is “ tailgaters” o f the early 1900s
had to play tailgate o f the wagon in order to have room for the slide. Real theatrical
'‘'^^^'^usness for trom bone players probably took hold in the New Orleans era, com ing down via
and the Spike Jones era. directly to contem porary music. One very old idea* was to hold
hr.ne with the bell and slide disconnected, yet close enough to still play; this allowed for the
I .ug
, of the in strum ent to be moved around in all directions. A fter learning o f this, I prepared
fWOn3^
mall rubber tube th at could be stretched over bo th parts to m ake a b etter connection for playing,
^sallow ed the trom bone to flop all around and yet still get a good sound. It was even possible to
the bell section crossways in fro n t o f the face with the m outhpiece coming in between the braces.
Should it ac c id e n ta lly ( o r purposely) com e ap art, it m ight then be desirable to pull the o uter slide off,
suddenly ending up w ith m any disconnected parts. I often used such shenanigans in shows and other
performances during m y high school and college days. The idea, apparently, stems from the eariy

nineteen hu n d red s. Seeing the Spike Jones b a n d in the fifties, there is one sight I will never forget. This
w as a trom bone th at had its bell section divided in h alf so th at, apparently, a coupling was constructed

in the m iddle of the curve in the tuning slide. This allowed the bell to drop down behind the player
and to dangle and swing about. U n fo rtu n ately , few early trom bonists are famous for hum or,’ although
it is known that a few o f the great band soloists o f th at tim e, such as Leo Zimmerman, liked to play
pranks or otherwise engage in hum orous activity n o t related to playing.®

LAUGH

The trombone laugh appears th ro u g h o u t the early p art o f this century.^ It was often done w ith the
Xlb wa-wa mute, sometimes coupled w ith an a tte m p t at the same “ u a” vowel sounds by the lip (cf. C hapter

6. This was told to me in the early fifties by m y first trom bone teacher, the late A. B. “ Chic Moore.
7. Glenn Bridges, in a le tte r dated 27 A ugust 1974 (small changes have been m ade for the sake o f
brevity and clarity): “ Jim M iller was a H olton d em o n strato r back in the tw enties and before. He used
to do a stunt like faking a bagpipe in the low er register — and good. TTiat fellow really had a fantastic
•■snge... , Xhe trom bone laugh was p robably originally done by Fred Innes back in the 1880s, for
private audiences, n o t in concert. A lthough a concert artist, Innes did all o f the so-called stunts. The
fim laugh I ever heard on a record was H arry R aderm an’s Make That Trombone Laugh on an old
tdison disc made in 1920. Yes, I heard th e stu n t o f dism antling the trom bone and playing through the
j*PPer tuning slide only. I rem em ber a Larry Conley doing this in an orchestra pit in 1923 playing
p e n Hearts Are Young w ith R o d em ich ’s O rchestra in St. Louis. Many did these things even before,
and) I heard all kinds o f tro m b o n e stu n ts as far back as I can rem em ber. I began . . . on tro m b o n e in
’ vaudeville artists w ere then in th e “sw ing” as they say today. Fellows like Eddie Coe,
etc,”

from f?® "" Bridges, Pioneers in Brass (D e tro it: Slierwood Publications, 1965), p. 111 (book available
e author, 15626 Callahan, F raser, Michigan 48026).
Cf. note 7 above.
 XI. T H E A T R I C A L I M P L I C A T I O N S

” „ , .0 e rte n d e d e x a m p le appears in Robert Sucierburg’s a . m b e , Mu>tc

II) to reinforce the ettec . tr o m b o n is t uses th e wa-wa w hile th e pianist m ak„
i„ ,he -B ro th er oth er k in d s o f laughing are heard when a trom bonu,
,o cal "Ha-ha soun s Staccato” or “ Flight o f the Bum blebee" while a crowd
attem pts to play sue am ^ trom bone seem s to take to this kind of

l o » T t h a t the ItL T L a ss instmments. perhaps because o f the apparently awkward slide work th,,
most people assume mirron the trombonist. Whatever the reasons, th ey are cause for many people
to take the instniment seriously - as seriously as the cello or piano, for instance.

THEATER PIECES

O ther than the type o f incidental th e a te r th a t o cc u rs in C age’s S o lo , th e firs t real th e a te r piece for
trom bone solo to achieve in tern a tio n al fam e w as th e B erio S e q u e n za V. O f c o u rs e , all m usic is theatrical;
th at is, the perform ance o f any piece is o f in te re st visually as w ell as a c o u s tic a lly . T h e B erio is one of
two works to arrive on the m usic scene sim u ltan e o u sly , each w ith a d is tin c t fla v o r o f its ow n in this
genre o f m usic theater. T he Oliveros Theater Piece an d th e B erio w o rk w e re p ro g ra m e d o n m y premiere
concerts o f 21 and 22 M arch 1966 at th e San F ra n c isc o T a p e M usic C e n te r. N o d o u b t th e re are other
earlier th eate r pieces, b u t none, so far as is k n o w n , received su c h a w id e d is trib u tio n .^ ^
Perhaps the Erickson Ricercare d 5 sh o u ld be in c lu d e d as a m u sic th e a t e r p ie c e , b u t th e only actions
observed are th o se necessary to p erfo rm th e w o rk . As in th e C age p ie c e , it is im p o s sib le to m ake the
trom bone n o t theatrical. These Cage and E rick so n w o rk s are w h a t m ig h t b e te rm e d “ im p lied theater” ;
th at is, th ey seem to be th e a te r pieces in all re sp ects e x c e p t t h a t n o th in g h a s b e e n a d d e d to th e move­
m ents necessary to execute the w ork aco u stically . G ra n te d , th e C age w o rk c o u ld h av e a specific theatri­
cal option exercised by a p erfo rm er, b u t th is o p tio n n e e d n o t b e ta k e n .

P E R SO N A L IT Y P O R T R A YA L

U il t r o m b o n e , d o e s w a rra n t som e discussion.

sto ry a b o u t t h e f a m o u s E u ro p e an C lo w n C r o c k , - a n d th e t r o m b o n i s t ’s a c tio n s acoustically

once a month or si*tL Sow 1ng"rem S']^^^^^^ ^^ties when about

Dithers, Dagwood’s boss. He would s a v ‘‘Bumst hm m uted trom b on e, cam e from Mr. „
Currently, the role o f the schoolteacher in th T ^ rJ i- office!! (uauauaua£/i*-ua)-
wa-wa muted trombone. Brown” cartoons on television is played by a

11. See pages 19-21 o f the score.

r r Laughing R ecord” recorded by the Spike

14. Stage name for Charles A d ^ r w trombone*-

l i k e 'c r o '^ r w S m r ’ '^ ^ s h is s p e a W n ^ i f

ex p lain th e “ w h y ” o f th e p l e c l ^
 XI . T H E A I R I C A L I M P L I C A T I O N S 77

isually a tte m p t to p o r tr a y th is s to ry . In th e b eg in n in g , th e p lay er “ s h o o ts” so m eth in g in th e air

a p p e a r to b e high o r low . T h is b ec o m e s faster, m o re fre t|u c n t, and m o re d isjo in te d ,

finally th e w h o le s itu a tio n b e c o m e s so fra n tic an d h y sterica l th a t the p e rfo rm e r can o n ly u tte r a
‘’"" idered (a t th e e n d o f lin e 3 o f th e sco re). F rom th a t p o in t nn, the p la y e r m ust b re a th e in
^.le pijying (cf. C h a p te r V I), in te rje c t lo u d n o te s in to a so ft te x tu re , w ork th e slide vigorously, and
thervi^is® niaintain a level o f h y s te ria th a t re p re se n ts Clrock and how he m ight have p e rfo rm e d had he
been a trom bone p lay er. T h e h y s te ria co n v c y ed is n o t falsely im posed; it is also the result o f p e rfo rm in g

the piece! One need n o t try to b e th e a tric a l e x c e p t at th e beginning and at the sp o k en w ord. O n the
other hand, th e p la y e r c o n s ta n tly m u s t have in m ind th e m essage th a t is to be conveyed, and to k eep
that level up. T he h allm ark o f th e tru e clo w n is th e m ix tu re o f the com ic and tragic, and this m u st be
Icept in mind. Special lig h tin g sets th e m o o d fo r th e piece.
S tretch in g role-playing fu r th e r, I, in o n e sense, never appeared at all in m y Life Begins at F orty

concert.** T. P eter T o m ita ’s review m ay p artia lly ex p lain w hy:

One creepy green s p o tlig h t d im ly fo cu sed on stage left. E n te r th e C arnivore o f U ranus

exploring “ an alien e n v iro n m e n t a c co m p an ied by vague sensations o f an alm ost fo rg o tte n
previous ex isten ce w h erein h e was fro lick ed in th e canals ’n ea th su n n y skies in search o f
Corvo” (from p ro g ram n o te s b y th e co m p o ser). I t ’s S tu a rt D em pster! C ostum ed in green
tights, green ru b b e r fe e t and h a n d s, a m assive h eadpiece covered w ith green and clear cellu-
iose dangling, o b scu rin g w h a t lo o k to be o rd in a ry m o to rcy c le goggles on w hat should be his
head (but n o t quite sure). He ( I t) is sco o tin g a b o u t the flo o r on a small caster. The tro m ­
bone, also dressed in green a n d c le a r cellulose, is playing the Carnival o f Venice in h arm o n y
with the elec tro n ic tape. T h e carnivore sto p s to c o n tem p late, th en scoots in and a ro u n d the
audience w hen we realize m o re so u n d s are em an atin g from this being than tro m b o n e. Yes!
rhe Carnivore is w ired w ith h a lf a d o zen speakers co n n e cted to th e tape.
Hi-Lites fro m the Carnivore o f Uranus fo r Trom bone and Tape by Edw in L ondon was
the opening n u m b e r o f a c o n c e r t . . . [w h ich ] also included Bom bardm ents No. 4 by R o b e rt
Moran in w hich D e m p ster fu tilely fights his way o u t o f a gigantic b u rlap bag, W hatzit No. 6
by R aym ond W ilding-W hite in w hich he p erfo rm s th ro u g h a card b o ard refrig erato r packing
crate, and his now fam o u s General Speech b y R o b ert E ric k s o n .. . .'*

In all these w orks I n ev er ap p e are d as a “ tro m b o n is t” b u t ra th e r as an outer-space being, a larva, a

speech giver, and a m ech an ized ro b o t. In W ilding-W hite’s W hatzit No. 6 (1 9 7 0 ). I p o p u p and d o w n like
a jack-in-the-box, q u o tin g , like spliced tap e, m any ex cerp ts from the tro m b o n e lite ratu re . O ne sh o u ld
also be aware o f W ilding-W hite’s Encores fo r Stu (1 9 7 0 ), fo u rteen little pieces suitable fo r th e en d o f a
concert, which involve every im aginable activ ity th a t one m ight do w ith a tro m b o n e. My favorites
include “ N o ctu rn e” (N o. 10) w here b u b b les are blow n th ro u g h th e “ F ” a tta c h m e n t, an d “ A e ro d y n a m ic s”
^ 0 - 11) where a b allo o n is in stalled o n th e “ F ” a tta c h m e n t so th a t w hen the trigger is engaged the
*’alIoon blows up. Pedagogical p ro b lem s a b o u n d w hen one begins to learn R o b ert M oran’s Bom bard-
^entsNo. 4 (1 9 6 4 and 1968), an in cred ib le piece because it m ust be perform ed in a large b u rlap b a g .’^
^'^entually learned to fall, roll, and tu m b le w hile still playing the tro m b o n e, bu t n o t b efo re p ra cticin g

This co ncert was in S ea ttle at i\\t and/or on 8 Ju ly 1976.

Stu D em pster at a n d /o r,” in Ear, Vol. 4, No. 7, Fall 1976.
“ co stu m e” was designed b y R enko Ishida and the com poser.
78 XI T H E A T R IC A L IM P L IC A T IO N S

m o re elem e n ta ry p ro ced u res. T h is p ractice en tailed ( ! ) learning to fall w ithout the

th e bag, (2 ) learning to fall w ith th e tro m b o n e w hile n o t in th e bag, and (3 ) leamingT*^^*^"*^
I th e n co m b in ed th e first tw o p ro ced u res, finally adding th e last one. T he result is a
w ith seem ingly m an y legs - th e tro m b o n e c o n trib u te s its share — and the tro m b o n e (a d
seem to be a larva in a c o c o o n d u rin g th e p u p a stage. T he Bom bardm ents is a trombon'^t’
S p rin g .” ^ of

S om e o f th e b est th e a te r in m usic is th a t w hich is linked to a high degree w ith the sound

B erio o r th e O liveros. T he candles in th e Oliveros w ork are affected by the blow ing or by
th e hose p ro d u c in g th e D o p p ler e ffec t in th e sound, th e la tte r relating in som e strange way
w ith th e d id jerid u . T his spinning is d o n e ju s t as well w ith th e tro m b o n e. Also, w ith the Ben
One M an, discussed in C hapters IV and V III, th e gestures u n d e rta k e n are sim ply those which alsoV"t
e x e c u te th e so und desired, even th o u g h the w ork seem s to be a th e a te r piece. In Johnston’s work th
w ind ch im es o ver th e face are th e a tric a l, to be sure, but do create a w onderful sound. The rolling'up of th
p a n ts legs to reveal th e finger cym bals is certain ly th eatrical b u t nonetheless necessary in the acoustical ^
p e rfo rm a n c e o f th e w ork.'* N otice th e d ifferen ce in R o b e rt E rick so n ’s General Speech where “hard
sta re s,” a c tio n s w ith a glass o f w ater, and so on form on ly a sm all p a rt o f th e to tal theatrical picture
(see A p p e n d ix I).
T h e g reat success o f General Speech is d u e, n o d o u b t, to its careful ex ten sio n o f the trombone bell as
th e th ro a t, an d th e slide as the arm . It is a p aro d y o f a real speech w ith as m any theatrical gestures as
p ractical to p o rtra y th e person beh in d th is speech. In this w ay it is n o t unlike Sequenza V, a story about
a specific in d iv idual, th e m ain m eaning being beh in d his p u b lic image. A lthough the actions are desiped
to p o rtra y th e p erso n a t h an d as G eneral M acArthur,** it is freely recognized th a t the person could be
a n y o n e . It is n o t w hat is being said, it is how \
O ne m ig h t w ell im agine an o p era being carried on b y several tro m b o n e s.“ Indeed, understanding of
m an y o p e ra p lo ts w ould n o t b e any th e less en h an ced . O nly w hen opera is com posed with all the parts
cre a te d fo r tro m b o n e s in stead o f voices, w ith great tro m b o n e opera choruses “ vocalizing” the refrains,
can th e tro m b o n e tru ly b e said to have arrived a t th e fo y er o f m ainstream w estern music.

18. A w o rd a b o u t dress: W hen such ac tio n s are d o n e in, say, full dress (tails), the im pact is altogether
d iffe re n t th a n if o n e is in je a n s o r even a d a rk su it. T he stric t fo rm ality o f th e concert setup as rep ^
se n te d b y th e form al c lo th e s is m o re a p p a re n t w hen th e deviations o f p a n t leg rolling,
p a n ts , e tc ., are m ade. T h is ju x ta p o s itio n in g o f various sym bols o f th e trad itio n al and the new is
im p o rta n t and sh o u ld be c o n s ta n tly in m ind w hen p erfo rm in g new w orks requiring theater.

19. P e rh a p s th e tro m b o n e is th e u ltim a te co rn co b pipe.

2 0 . T h e original tro m b o n e o p era p lo t cam e to m y m ind in th e fall o f 1973 u p o n returning
A u stralia. T h e “ W atergate H earings” on th e in fam o u s W atergate H otel B reak-In, 1 ' jh e voices
b eg u n several m o n th s ea rlier and w ere o c c u p y in g television tim e m orning, n o o n , and n
d ro n e d o n , an d th e p a rtic ip a n ts seem ed to sp eak slow ly and otherw ise ap p ear ^ad
fo u r m o n th s , an d re tu rn in g to h e a r th e sam e H earings grinding aw ay, it was as thoug ^gterga*®
A t th is p o in t th e re alizatio n cam e th a t, b y ex ten d in g th e General Speech idea, the en
A ffair is o n e o f th e w o rld ’s g re at (1 ) d ro n e pieces, (2 ) th e a te r pieces, and (3 ) potential
 --------------------------------- —e-: - « >^..- -x.v. - ■

Backword

The trom bone is a sym bol o f long life. It is the instrum ent which remains unchanged, ju st as it is an
instrument only rarely used until the tw en tieth century. F or five hundred years it has co n tin u ed w ith
only small changes, while the rest o f w estern instrum ents have undergone drastic changes o r have been
invented.
The trom bone, th en , is a sleeping giant ju st beginning to awaken. This book o f elem entary ideas
can provide only th e m aterial for the giant’s first breakfast. Readers m ust realize th at this book is in
the form o f a first word — a foundation - upon which m uch can be built.
This cannot be a b o o k o f com bined elem ents, and although various hints tow ard com bining elem ents
have been m ade from tim e to tim e, they are given with the idea o f helping the tro m b o n ist o r com poser
to experim ent fu rth er. T o spend any real tim e on “ elem ent com bining” would take several volum es,
be too pedantic, and stifle the reader’s (and my ow n) Im agination. If the reader has read this far, it is
time for him o r her to experim ent (and this will be true w hether reading from the back o f th e book o r
from the front).
Those readers w ho have begun at this end o f the book will have already discovered the recording. T he
discs are organized w ith exam ples from th ro u g h o u t the book. In reading from this end, one will be
going from the outsid e in; th a t is, from the theatrical gesture, to perform ance space, through the tro m ­
bone, and in to th e body. Even th e m iscellanea chapter turns ou t to be in the m iddle.
When the appendices are read first, they will lend a background perspective to the book th a t can be
helpful. On the o th e r hand, in reading from the fro n t, the reader will find the appendices useful in the
order they are m en tio ned in th e chapters (see F orew ord). From the front, the reader starts w ith the b o d y
and works through th e tro m b o n e and o u t in to the space surrounding. T here is really no d ifference
whether one is in o r o u t o f the body, n eith er being b e tte r than the other. It is all the sam e, th e end
*^eing the beginning and the beginning being the end. Welcome or farewell, then, depending u p o n the
route traveled!

79
 A ppendix I:
( t ( ‘H e r a I S / y r r c h

G e n e ra l Speech by R o b ert E rickson is one o f Ihc m ost amazing and thought-provoking works ever com ­
posed for the tro m b o n e. This w ork is reproduced in its entirety on the following pages becausc o f its
importance for stu d y and its relationship to this book.

HI
 General Specch

a conyx>sition by
Robert Erickson
fo r
Trombone Solo (1969)

Co««issione<l, E dited, and Annotated by

S tu a rt Lkanpster
Costume and L ighting by Lenorc tr ik - A lt

Dress

00
to
The p e rfo ra e r i s to wear f u l l d re ss ( t a i l s ) to s in u la te a

f u l l d re s s a i l i t a r y uniform . On th e c o a t slwuld be worn medals

and o th e r in s ig n ia a s a p p ro p ria te . An a b s tra c tio n o f a m ilita ry

h a t sliould be p ro p e rly d e c o ra tc d , and a l l in s ig n ia , m edals, or

d e c o ra tio n s should be p a in te d w ith "d a -g lo " (flu o re s c e n t) p a in t.

Dark g la s s e s , slx ju ld er p ad s, and w hite s a t in gloves w ill conplete

th e co stu ac (a corncob p ip e , although a p p ro p ria te to tlie personage

re p re se n te d , should n o t be u sed ).
The te x t is froo General Douglas MacArthur's retirem ent speecli given
a t West I\)int.^ One should consult MacArthur's own autobiograpny^
fo r p ic tu res, S(>ecch te x ts , and other information helpful to tiie
prospective performer.

Setup

The setup should include the most opulent lo c te m one can nustcr.
On i t stnuld be s itu a te d a b la c k lite , and two red lig h ts on a diinner,
placed so as to lig lit the medals and the h a t. TVio sm allish American
flag s should grace tlic hi);hcst |X)int of the Ic c tc m thus '■ M .
To the r i i ’ht side o f th e le c te rn , or b e tte r y e t, on an a u x iliary ta b le ,

a g lass and a p itc lK t o f water slxxild be placed. Behind the le c te rn

a se rie s of steps vnr>'ing in two-inch heights should be placed out
o f audiencc view, llw dinmcT for the red lig h ts should be conveniently

placed on the Ic c te n i so i t can be used when staivding a t f u ll Iteight,

whereas tnc b la c k lite sw itch should be located near the flo o r tor

sc rie s of stops) to be operated wliile bent down (see lig h tin g cue sh eet).

Performance

Walk on brusquely in a m ilita ry fashion and mount next to liighest

step witJi bent knees so as to appear standing on the flo o r. The

trombone should then be brought up suddenly followed by a hard sta re

1. L isten to th e MIX recording E 424S CCTeral o f the Anny Uouglas

ttacArthur - the L ife and Legend o f tlie Old SoIZTTer - a Jocumentary
compiled f'roiii itearst Metrotone Newsreels.
2. JfccArthur. D o u g l a s , R e a i n i s c e n e s (MrCraw-Hill, N ew ^ork, 1 9 M ) .
 J a l ;v i:ite c ,'jfc. A fter to e f i r s t s u t e a e c t , jx<a:ii saev:} av riiS i::*
M 1^1 stiile n ly , e>-«rvxiu:^ j« * i t tin s w cri sacx*;i ir e e a r ; - s t

4 S it ICC liT s« . toe i i j f t , too e t .; .) .

As b e st »s p c s s ic le . one is to p e rfc rn ta e rcw eli ind ^ o rja n ac ts

i s seen i t th e *oru i b s t r i c t i o c s in v ie l i r ^ e le t te r in g ■.“■* soeecr.

IS given only i s an i i d ) . T ^ s neans STjpuig the -ncuth. tcr.j?je, a.-x:

t.i r o i t u i 111 d if f e r e n t Banners in o rd e r to ac.iie-.-e the ic s ir e d e f f e c t,

and i t w ill no doubt be fsxnd th a t a c o ^ re h e n s iv e an a ly sis o f each

sound «>ill have to be nade.

T his p iec e re q u ire s an •'P' a tto ch n en t tronbone. I t w ill be

n o tic e d , however, th a t th e only use of th e valve naJc is fo r the n a if

valve e f f e c t. Where th e re is c a l l fo r p itc h e s below the low E they

a re desiipiated as "fake" meaning "fake tr ig g e r" notes; th a t i s , they

should be performed as bent tones or as wiiat Robin Gregory in h is book
00
on The Tranbone^ re f e rs to as "priveleged” n otes. Do not cnuanc the
tr ig g e r fo r any low note except a t the very end o f lin e 13 about where
the word "Pedal F" is w ritte n . The " e tc ." a t th a t point should be

morembent tr ig g e r pedals down to as low as p o ssib le.

All v ib ra to s can be assimed to be the "diaphragm" (or "gut")

v ib ra to w ith occasio n ally a s n a il h in t o f a jaw v ib rato when appropriate.

Pauses

The f i r s t long pause in the middle o f lin e 6 should be takoi very

m atter o f - f a c tly . S tick out the chest to show o f f the medals. Bring

3. Pra*ger, New York, 1973.

 utrra-p
JA--. -»
cougn"' la t e r jc. 5.Tn>...: be i s^-rpTise, :e r:: j« i-

c a r^ fu lly the lip s * W ■ x .t.^ iic c io ; : iC«-« larrxj^s t.-«

iT JtrJiier.t. At V-e iou5le -» r - ae-^T ' - -iau: 2v e r

b e ll (as a le c tu re r mx-Ia do covering u e a x x .-:). I t i^ioLlJ. se « r -

h u rrie d - the JtLtji o f n a te r is jr?er.t.' - fo r the f i r s t zai zr r - e l / e

>eco«l5. Then slow Jonn the pace g ra iu a ily acvisg la to oocy

quiver a t the beginnuig o f lir>e K , the bod>- quiver beiog of an o l i

nan regaining h is ccmposure.

Surprise Eniing

At the eml o f the piece bring ln s tn « e n t dowi sjd d e n l/ Ctaiong

care to allow medals to sluw). A fter stage {and house] lig h ts are
blacked count two seconds and d in red lig h ts o ff . In j u s t the
b la c k lite slowly "fade away" as gradually and slowly as p o ssib le

behind the podiun by bending the knees, e tc . When c n f)le te d , turn

o ff b la c k lite , «nve away from le c te rn in to a bow, and stay th ere
u n til house lig h ts come on. Then walk on and o ff in n i l i u r y fashion
u n til bows are conpiete. I f a th ird or fourth bow is c a lle d fo r, a
wave o f the hat is d e sira b le , but n ain tain the ch aracter o f the
personage rig h t through the fin a l e x it.
 Lighting Cue Sheet

The piece is perforncd in it s en tirety in iwrnul su g e lighting.

It IS a t the end of the piece its e lf that th is changes. In
ariier to know when tlic comcs one only need know that tlie
trambone is brought down three (J) times, the th ird tin e being
the end.
Mien the Instrunent is brought down:
(a) the f i r s t tin e , about 1/3 into the piece, a water
glass is used.
(b) tlic second ti» e , about 2/J into the piece, a water
glass and pitcher are used.
(c) the th irJ time narks THE EKD of the piece and the
Lighting person w ill:
**co»ait Z seconds a fte r end of piece and black the s t a ^ ojjd house lights
suddenly (Uo not dim).
g The performer w ill tiicn count 2 seconds .-mil din red lights.
rcnaining in b lacklitc. While disapjicarin^ behind podium
perfonner w ill tuni o ff blacklitc (the performer rust be
aware that the b lacklitc w ill appear off to the lightiiiK
person once performer lias disappeared out of black litc,
even i f i t is not yet switched o ff!)
**coijit 8 seconds a fte r b lack lite goes o ff and bring up st.igc and Iwusc
lig h ts sud^nly. (Applause will then s ta rt and piece is over.)

For performer on stage;

Prepare 2 red lights dinned low facing up from podiun on
chest and head, etc.
Prepare b lack lite on podium to pick up medals, etc.
Both systems remain on during entire playing of the piece,
then;
Follow performer directions above.
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 A ppendix II:
! '( '} } (n a n (I tio s c r y

a composition by
STUART DEMPSTER
fo r Musician. Dancer. Sculplorcheslra. Supplem entary Dancers, and Audience
Composed with the assistance o f A l lliiang
and Dedicated to Pauline Oliveros

Prem iered F ebruary 9 th and lO th, 1972

Festival T h eater - K rannert C enter, U niversity o f Illinois, U rbana
S tu art D em pster, assisted by Al H uang and his Tai Chi classes, and b y graduate sculpture
stu d en ts o f F rank Gallo. Lighting b y Ray C ato n . P ro d u ctio n by G o rd o n S m ith. T itle con­
trib u te d by Ben Jo h n sto n . S culptures: B lo w d o ze r h y W ayne F orbes, Human S e rp e n to id
by C hip W ulff, P ot bailers V II and I X and L ift to T op a n d L e t D rop b y Mike H oeft.

STAG E

The stage should be as open as possible, w ith all curtains including the cycloram a raised up out of sight.
Place ten grand pianos on the stage w ith the Hds raised and sustaining pedals blocked so that the strings
will be free to resonate. A rrangem ent should be casual, yet spread around the stage to cover the area
generally w ith a semicircle leaving the dow nstage center open. Ten garden hoses w ith as many trombone
m o u th p ieces should be stretched, one from each piano, to the cen ter o f the stage, the ends o f the
hoses being hooked in the sounding board holes so th at they will not slip out. All hoses should be of
a length so th a t the m usician can stand up and have al! hoses rise evenly. Each hall encountered will,
o f necessity, require small changes in the conception, including the num ber o f pianos used. The title
rem ains th e same no m a tte r how m any pianos are used. It is never to be done w ith less than three pianos,
and all th a t are used should be grands.

LIGHTING

Lighting should be sim ple even if m any lights are hung fo r the occasion. C oncentration should be on
washes o f blue and gold, these being the best choices w ith green or clear plastic garden hoses. Specials

90
 a p p e n d i x I I . r£AT C / ? / J A ^ £ ) 91

can be hung fo r do w nstage ce n te r, stage ccnter, and as desired elsewhere. No specific lighting is
necessary fo r an y o f th e follow ing num bers o th e r than a general increase from no light to a lot o f
light, and th e n back to n o th in g again. An elem ent o f im provisation is desired for all elem ents in this
piece, including th e lighting.

PERFORM ANCE

I. Grand Overture and Didjeridervish

Musician will co m e o u t on stage w ith a didjeridu or, preferably, an abstraction o f it such as a PVC
sewer pipe o f a b o u t one and a h a lf inches in diam eter and about three and a half to four feet long.
Move slow ly at first to each pian o , m aking soft sounds m ost o f w hich are vocal. G radually add occa­
sional buzzed so u n d s as th e sound w orks up a bit louder and busier. Go round and round to all the
pianos m oving q u ie tly here, staying and blow ing longer there, as m uch as practical having didjeridu (o r
sewer p ipe) p o in ted in to p iano to pick up resonance. It should seem as though you are “ testing”
pianos and th a t th e piece has n o t really begun yet. G radually m ove to each piano faster, going around
faster u n til finally w orking way to ce n te r dow n stage in a full dervish at the rate o f one ro ta tio n for
every tw o seconds. By this tim e co n tin u o u s droning by the m ethod o f circular breathing should be
going on w hich will, by th e w ay, create a D oppler effect o f m icrotones because o f the rotating. Keep
this up th ree to eig ht m in u tes, th en gradually slow dow n and finally stop, sink to knees slow ly and
bring didjeridu u p overhead while going dow n on back in a yoga “ fish” or “ diam ond” asana w ith back
o ff th e flo o r and to p o f head touching floor in such a way th at the didjeridu reaches floor and can still
be played. C o n tin u e circular b reathing gradually getting so fter and fading out.
D ancer starts far upstage ju st m oving casually w ith perhaps a few traditional type w arm ups o r w hat­
ever else seem s a p p ro p riate. W ork way finally to pianos, n eith er avoiding nor seeking o u t m usician. An
occasional sh o u t o r g ru n t in to a piano is ap p ro p riate, thereby m aking dancer a m usician ju s t as m usician
becom es dancer. In clude occasional spins a n d /o r short three to four second dervishes. As m usician
finally reaches c e n te r stage an d dervishes, m ake no m ore sounds b u t co n cen trate on dancing round and
round th e m usician, som etim es the sam e speed o r faster or slower. Change directions freq u en tly , or
w hatever seem s a p p ro p riate. T hrough all this rem em ber to be m editative, com fortable, relaxed, and
happy! G radually end up lying on the stage at a b o u t the sam e tim e or ju st a fte r th e m usician lies o n the
stage. When so u n d sto p s, lie m otionless,

II. Ten Grand Hosery — Part One

Musician, w hile stage is blacked, m oves to ccn ter stage w here the " b o u q u e t o f m o u th p ieces” is, and
sits crossleggcd w ith m o u th p ie ces to his m o u th . As lights com e u p , gradually m ake a few vocal sounds,
then a few buzzed sounds, in to th e favorite garden hose-piano instrum ents th at are at hand. G radually
w ork up to using all hoses, th e idea being to “ send” sound from one piano to the o ther. Lots o f long
tones, v ib rato Cm icrotonal wavers), bending notes, etc., are ap propriate so th at m icro to n al chord
stru ctu res arc set u p in th e piano strings. It is also n o t a bad idea to have an eleventh hose going to
“ no w h ere” so th a t th e d an cer can occasionally play (on the far end). Stand up once, at a dram atic
 92 A P P E N D I X 11 T E N G R A N D H O S t : R Y

m o m en t, so the hoses can all rise together. Bang m outhpieces to g eth er occasionally. M usi '
to “ d an ce” occasionally just as dancer will w ant to m ake sound, and this m ust be c-irt^fi.n
V t u i c i u i l y Worker!
betw een th e tw o. G radually fade o u t to silence and lie on back. T otal tim e: 8-15 minutes
D ancer will begin at the spot where the last piece was ended. G radually m ake some activity
p ro p riate, but give m usician a head start. Dancer will eventually w ant to dance “ through” hose.
and co n trib u te a few sounds from tim e to time. A hose can be brought loose from a piano •' '
can m ove, and m ovem ents with hose, dancer, and musician can be im provised as desired Dancer
no d o u b t w ant to dance with and becom e entangled in one o r m ore hoses. Banging hoses on floo
useful, ju s t as m usician will bang m outhpieces occasionally, b u t this should not be excessive fOptio
If m ore th an one dancer is used for this section - com bining Parts I and II - the solo dancer should
still begin first, perhaps for four or five m inutes, before bringing in the supplem entary dancers lying
on stage am ongst the pianos.) G radually slow dow n m otions, ending up silent and m otionless as sound
sto p s and lights fade.

in . D ivertim ento fo r Sculptorchestra

V arious scu lp tu re in stru m en ts m ay be used. These m ay be instrum ents th at have been made especially
in tere stin g to view, o r else sculptures th at have the ability to m ake sound o r th a t can be played. No
re stric tio n s are im posed o th e r than th at they ouglit to be (b u t d o n o t necessarily have to be) of tubes
o r tu b u lar. In th e first perform ance, for instance, tubes w ith little balls running through them were used,
th e balls d ro p p in g in to various containers and on drum s, etc. Som e w ere buzzed lip “ instrum ents”
w ith tro m b o n e m outhpieces. It is assum ed th a t successive perform ances will see a larger sculptorchestra
o f new in stru m e n ts plus som e o f those co n stru cted fo r previous perform ances th a t will, one day, be
o f a n u m b e r an d variety to be an en tire “ piece” o r program in and o f them selves. It is a nice touch if the
sc u lp tu re artists them selves play th eir ow n in stru m en ts; how ever, this is n o t necessary.

IV. Grand Grand Fanfare and Ten Grand Hosery - Part Two
T h e fa n fare is p layed using a sh o rt garden hose in stru m e n t played in to th e sew er pipe for resonance. An
a n n o u n c e m e n t is m ade, e ith e r by m usician o r dancer, th a t th e audience is invited to lie on the floor
am o n g st th e pianos. A re p e a t o f II th en takes place, b u t m usician co n c e n tra te s m ainly on washing the
a u d ie n c e w ith so u n d . A fte r a period o f tim e, d an cer can rise slow ly and eventually invite audience to
d an c e to o . It is nice if eight o r ten o th e r dancers can be b ro u g h t in first by th e dancer, and then have
th em assist in leading th e audience.

V. G rand Grand Grand Finale

C o n tin u e as in IV , b u t have p ian o s m oved back o f f stage o u t o f th e way. S cu lp tu re instrum ents can re­
jo in , esp e cially if a n y are stu rd y en o u g h to be h an d led and p layed b y th e audience. Have dancing ^
dissolve in to a social g e t-to g e th e r in such a w ay as to cloud ju s t w hen th e piece ends. All this is en a
if w ine a n d /o r co ffe e can be served w ith things to eat. T o m ove o u tsid e to a grand festival o f some
w ith p icn ic o r b a rb e c u e , w ould be an ideal finale. A sc u lp to rc h e stra stre e t p arad e w ould not be
in a p p ro p ria te .
 A i ) | ) ( ‘n ( l i x I I I :
I lu‘ Didjci idu

Anyone casually aw are o f the fact th at the only musical instnim ent (apart Iroin thi- iibir|ui-
tous bullroarer and sim ple percussive deviccs such as sticks, boonicranf’s and, rarely, a
hollow log drum ) used by the Aborigines is the ilidjcridu may well wonder what there is
to study, in strum entally speaking, in Australian Aboriginal music. On listening carefully to
a large am o u n t o f didjeridu music, however, one becomes aware of two things: first, that
there is extrao rd in ary variety and ingenuity behind the apparent m onotony o f its drtMic, and,
second, th at a rem arkable virtuosity o f technique is displayed hy expert players o f the
instrum ent. A lthough a fairly full appreciation o f the form er can he achieved by c(jncen-
trated listening, transcription into musical notation, and painstaking analysis, the latter can
be thoroughly u n d ersto o d only by attem pting to m aster the instrum ent oneself in as au th en ­
tic a m anner as possible.

This statem ent opens the pap er entitled “The D idjeridu” by Trevor A. Jones in Studies in Music, Vol.
1.’ A. P. Elkin provides fu rth e r com m ent in his book The Australian Ahori^ines:'^^

The m ost interesting Aboriginal musical instrum ent is the didjeridu, but it is only know n in
Eastern Kim berley and the northern third o f the N orthern Territory. It is an un-stoppeil
hollow piece o f bam boo o r w ood, usually the latter, about four or five feet long, and two
inches or even m ore in internal diam eter, w ith a m outh-piece made o f wax or hardened gum.
The player blows in to the instrum ent in trum pet fashion. Tlie precision and variety o f
rhythm produced on the didjeridu are very striking. Sometimes it sounds like a deep bour­
don organ stop being played continuously, at o th er times like a drum beaten in three-four
time, and so o n, varying according to the type o f song and dance which it is accom panying,
and indeed, “ carrying.” The tongue lies nat, with the lip at times projecting into the m o u th ­
piece. TTie co n tin u o u s nature o f the sound is m ost remarkable. The diaphragm rises as
breath is taken, and the next over a second later, but some o f the incoming air is kept in
the m outh to be blow n in to the instrum ent while a quick intake is being made. Glass-blowers
may understand.

The technique o f playing the didjeridu is, indeed, incredible. One m ust begin with the relatively
simple “ circular” o r “ c o n tin u o u s” breathing, a technique which m ost brass players find difficult. On
top of this are the use o f the voice hum m ing the ten th (or some o ther interval) above the fundam ental

1. Perth: U niversity o f W estern Australia Press, 1967, pp. 23-55.

2. Sydney: Angus and R obertson, 1964, 4 th ed., pp. 247-248.

93
 a p p e n d ix III. T H E D I D J E R I D U

f to n au e in jected in the tu b e , th e use o f th e first ov erto n e either

to m ak e double stops t e u st o ^ ^

“ h o o te d ” like a steam oa w is a lte ra tio n o f the m outh

c o y o t e yell f d m g o h o w l) , a n d th e u se or

and .h ro a , cavi.y. All o f these, including .h e circular b rc a .h in g , can be used o r m various

co n .b ln a.io n s .o cre a .e rhy.K m p a ..e m s , nrany o f w hich are .rc m e n d o u s .y <Ke
^ H,.iic thP ct'nses o f th e liste n er (a n d , in c id e n ta lly , th a t o f the player as
drone o f th e c o n tin u o u s sound dulls th e senses oi uic ^
well), 1. is ,h e co™ plexi.y o f .h e rh y th m ic fa c.o rs .h a . h e ig h .c n s .h e aw aren e ss. T h e very in .ric a.e
m ,n u .e changes su d d en ly becom e very g rea., and .h e large v a ria .io n s b e c o m e o v erw h elm m g ly p „* e rf„ ,.
T he aboriginals o fte n play in .o a .in can, b u c k e ., o r o .h e r h a n d y i.e ra fo r m o re re so n an ce , one playe,

even using an o u tb o a rd m o to r cover

No o th e r lip reed seems to be in such a high sta te o f d e v e lo p m e n t, w e ste n i b rass in s tru m e n ts included.
I am in d eb ted to R o b ert E rickson, for it was he w ho first in tro d u c e d th e in s tru m e n t to m e in 1967. My
in terest in the d id jeridu cam e a b o u t as a re su lt o f o u r w o rk in g o n th e R icercare d 5 to g e th e r. The
d id jerid u th en becam e p art o f the in sp iratio n o f General Speech. In a n y case, th e in s tru m e n t has been
a c o n sta n t source o f inspiration ever since, d u e to so m u ch o t th e d id je rid u te c h n iq u e having direct
I
ap p licatio n to th e tro m b o n e.
D idjeridu m o u th so u n d s are th e key to learning d id je rid u p lay in g , a n d th is is n o t u n lik e th e western
brass p la y e r’s use o f “ tu ” and “ k u ” to describe d o u b le to n g u in g . H o w e v er, w ith th e d id jerid u , it is
v irtu ally a “ w ay ” o f m astering the in stru m e n t. Y o u n g ch ild re n , a ro u n d th e age o f six o r seven, will be
in stru c te d in m o u th so u n d s w ith o u t even using an in s tru m e n t (th e y will have b ee n b lo w in g o n a did*
je rid u since th e y were perhaps three o r fo u r), so th a t w h en th e y go b ac k to b lo w in g o n th e instrum ent
th e y will have all th e elem en ts in th e ir head. It is n o t u n lik e w h a t I so o f te n d o in m y teac h in g by having
s tu d e n ts b uzz w ith o u t th e tro m b o n e (o r m o u th p ie c e ) to gain e m b o u c h u r e a w a re n e ss an d to train the
ear; how ever, fo r th e m o st p art, tro m b o n e p lay in g an d b u zz in g are tw o q u ite s e p a ra te experiences,
w hereas d id jerid u playing and m o u th so u n d s (w h ic h so m e tim e s in c lu d e b u z z in g ) m a y a c tu a lly be the
sam e, T he e n u n c ia tio n o f th e vow el so u n d s w hile p la y in g th e d id je rid u is e x tre m e ly im p o rta n t; the
so u n d s m u st have a clarity resem bling speech. P ro p e rly stu d ie d m o u th s o u n d s a c c o m p lish this admirably.'*
I am in te re ste d in this re la tio n sh ip b etw e en th e d id je rid u an d th e tr o m b o n e b o t h fo r th e interesting
new s o u n d s th a t can be derived an d th e teac h in g m e th o d s u sed . F o r tu n a te ly , I w as a b le to m ake a visit
to A u stralia an d engage in so m e field w o rk in th e N o rth e rn T e r rito ry , w h e re m o s t o f th e d id jerid u
p lay in g tak es place. This visit was d u rin g A u g u st 1 9 7 3 , c a rrie d o u t w ith a F u lb rig h t-H a y s A w ard under
th e au sp ices o f th e A u stralian -A m erican E d u c a tio n a l F o u n d a tio n w ith a s s is ta n c e fro m th e A ustralian

3 . 1observ ed th is in N u m b u lw ar, N o rth e rn T e rrito ry , d u rin g A u g u s t 1 9 7 3 .

4. T he re a d e r is en c o u rag e d to s tu d y Songs fr o m th e N o rth e rn T e rrito ry ( 1 9 6 4 ) p a rtic u la rly

J lrM o J ie ' i n i b T 'T ? " ’ M o ' m . T O s recor^d c o l^ e c tS n is by Alice

a re c o rd soon .o be released b y .h e A u strian “
 A I - P E N D I X I I , . T H t l „ „ j E „ „ „ j „

o f A b o r ig ta l S,udi«s. I a . deep ly gra.efu, ,,,

p « W e . I. is h o p ed , h a . I can re .u r„ „>„n , „ c „ „ ,i„ „ e .h i, resc-arch, for i. i, f c , ,h ., .he .^ o rig in al

p,„p,e have a sre a . d eal to .each .h e w estern world a h „ u , wind playing i„ general and lip reeds in
p articu la r. The tro m b o n e n a y seem old w hen com pared lo western orchestral instrum ents, bnt it is
„„|y a nve-hundred-year-old baby w hen eompare.1 to the possible two- to fou,-.hot,sand-year-old tradi­
tion o f th« d id jerid u . T h e tim e has com e to exam ine the didjeridu in d ep th , for the aboriginals hold
answers to q u estio n s th a t tro m b o n ists and o th e r brass players arc ju st beBinning to learn how lo ask.
 A}){>eiiclix IV:
John C:age and F'lank Rchak

The Solo fo r Sliding Trombone by John Cage has becom e a classic in its ow n tim e. T he Solo may be
the first tn .ly avant garde picce for tro m b o n e; certainly it is th e Hrst piece fo r tro m b o n e o f an avant
garde n ature to receive any sort o f fame. The Solo is actually pages 173-184 o f th e orchestral parts of
the Concert fo r Piano and Orchestra (1 9 5 7 -5 8 ),' a:id the first paragraph o f th e relatively copious
in stru ctio n s tell a great deal about the w ork;

The follow ing 1 2 pages for a tro m b o n e p layer m ay be played w ith o r w ith o u t o th e r parts
for o th er players. It is therefore a tro m b o n e solo o r a p a rt in an ensem ble, sy m p h o n y , or
concerto for piano with orchestra. T hough there are 12 pages, a n y am o u n t o f them m ay be
played (including none).
The piece dem ands m uch from the perform er. Tlie p e rfo rm e r m ay take the role o f com poser or im^
provisor as well as the role o f m usic reader, silence m ust also be d ea lt w ith. T hese choices m ust be made,
and then w ithin th at m ore choices will be necessary. T he m ost am azing asp ect ab o u t the Solo is its
u n canny ability to always be a John Cage w ork and no t the w ork o f so m eo n e else. It should go without
saying th at the Solo is one o f the m ost im p o rta n t tro m b o n e w orks o f o u r tim e, an d should be acquired
for careful study.
My own personal ap p ro ach to this piece is n o t unlike a jazz p la y e r’s tre a tm e n t o f a “ lead sheet” (a
lead sheet is sim ply a m elody w ith the chord sym bols). A jazz p lay er takes a “ lead s h e e t” o r “ tune”
and builds eith er sim ple elaborations o r perhaps an en tire tw e n ty - o r th irty -m in u te piece. The Cage Solo
is sim ilar; one can choose to m ake it sim ple o r elab o rate, and in m y a p p ro a c h I te n d to m ake a rather
involved philosophical sta te m e n t coupled w ith lig h th earted b u o y an c y . T o m e th e Solo is a m editation
w ith p artic u la r a tte n tio n to b reathing p attern s and th eatric al c o n sid eratio n s. It is a c o n s ta n t source of
food for th o u g h t, and every tim e I w ork w ith th e piece it seem s to say so m e th in g new . It is this factor
th a t m akes the Solo one o f the m ost d ifficu lt w orks I have ever p e rfo rm e d . W hen one realizes that I
recom m end a b o u t 2 0 0 ho u rs o f p ractice fo r Ben J o h n s to n ’s One Man o r th a t I have sp en t ab o u t 300
h o u rs on General Speech by R o b ert E rickson, o n e m ight be able to a p p re c ia te th e kind o f dem ands the
Cage Solo m akes - o r can m ake. Here again, this m ay be a ch o ice o f th e p e rfo rm e r; one does no t have
to o p t fo r a big p ro d u c tio n , b u t in m y ow n view it is necessary.

1. New Y ork: H enm ar Press, sole d is trib u to rs C. F. P eters, 1960.

96
 OHN CAGE AND f r a n k REHAK 97
B e c a u s e o f t h e jazz lead s h e e t i d e a . I w a s o f c n
h a d b e e n w r i t t e n f o r Frank Rehak Rehak d k f ''T ' Cage t o l d me t h a t the p i e c e
. a n y o f t h e g r e a t b a n d s o f t h e ’40s S ^ a .60" H ^

, .e ll,s. and p ia n .s,. an d .h is c o .b .n a .'.o n o f c u l ^ l T H' “

for C ag. .0 . o r k » ,th . Cage fe l, ,h a , F ran k 's f ” '" '
a ,o o d one. T ^e s t o o ' o f F ran k R ehak is c a p s u L d ""
. .. P 'f’t^rv'iew in f/ou7i/> ear‘ where Frank explains,
among other things, his teaching at Synanor Fo.inH ^t;^„ . . , ,
no^tion. which has now become his whole lite. I con-
a c te d F ran k .o find o u t w h at he eould tell me about John Cage and h.s and 1 ,en t h.m a copv
o f the score. Here follow s a b ea u tifu l acco u n t o f the story o f this work, in Frank R ehak's own words.
from a letter he w rote to me on 17 December 1 9 7 7 :

1ju s t received th e score o f the tro m b o n e piece, and it certainlv broiicht back memories,
Jo h n Cage cam e to m y house in m id-tow n M anhattan one a fte rn o o n ^ fte r having called
me to ask it I w ere able to play the sliding trom bone w ithout having the notes w ritten out
in fro n t o f m e. I m ore o r less assum ed th at he was referring to the articulation o f a jazz
solo w ith a chorda! reference and assured him th at th at was part o f the business I was in and
asked for a few m o re details. I had never heard o f him at this time. A bout 10 m inutes later,
my d o o rb ell rang and I m et Jo h n for the first tim e.
VSe sp en t m uch o f th e a fte rn o o n discussing m any aspects o f music, with my being cntical
of som e o f his th eo ries and enthusiastic o f others. I have long since learned that I had spent
th at a fte rn o o n wisely.
I re m e m b er th a t we sp en t a long tim e w ith the instrum ent, taking it apart, playing w ithout
slide, w ith o u t m o u th p ie c e , adding various m utes, glass on the slide section, minus tuning
slide, w ith sp it valve op en , and any o th e r possibilities o f producing a sound by either inhaling
o r e.xhaling air th ro u g h a piece o f m etal tubing. We also discussed double stops, circular
breathing, p lay in g w ith o u t m oving slides, and on and on.
I recall having m ixed feelings as to w hether 1 was working with a genius or som eone of a
slightly d iffe re n t b en t.
From th ese ideas we g athered together, we p u t forth a part that would be playable as a
solo o r in c o n ju n c tio n w ith a g roup o f o th e r players.
I recall n o tin g th a t th e in stru c tio n s said, “ any part o f these pages may be played, including
none ” T h at app ealed to m y sense o f hu m o r, and John and I becam e friends quickly.
The piece was p erfo rm ed at New York Tow n Hall with las I recalD a band o f about 1,1
people, in clu d ing so m e o f th e best classical and avant players in tow n. We had a standins room
only audience w ith long lines o f p eople being turned away . i j t ,,
I believe if was re co rd e d th a t night by George .Avakian (I don t recall the com panyl.> Tlie
p e r f o r m a n c e th a t evening was good, b u t I personally f « l ' w e r e having
fro u b le realizing som e o f J o h n ’s co n c ep ts ab o u t sound We d.d 2 mc,re perform ances later
n th e m o n th s to com e and th e p la y e i,' response was absolutely thnlling. The idea o f breakm g
w ith th T tm d itio n a l drill an d beginning to m ake som e h ith erto unheard o f sounds on the in-
w im m e irau u iu iid i u ^ rem em ber runn ng up to John after the 3rd perform ance
stru m en ts was v e r y appealing so m uch b etter than the first,
and lam en tin g th e ^ years o f John Cage in retrospect -
M ay“l " " h ,'? 95? l l n H ' r N e X k ) , I did several o th e r pieces w ith John, one o f them

being T h e a te r Piece. i n f i u e n c e in m y thinking th ro u g h o u t my life . . . not

o n ? y ° l S i ? “' T t ‘b e t u s e m any o f his co n cep ts directly overlap in to everyday life

processes. . . .

2, May 5. 1977, pp. 36-37.

3. 25 Year R etrospective Concert, Avakian JCS- .
 A ppendix V:
Range

There is m uch confusion regarding just w hat a com poser should consider as the tro m b o n e range. This
not only has to do with the equipm ent used b u t also the player. 1 am n o t m uch help, really, having
been on the ten o r trom bone/bass trom bone seesaw for a good p a rt o f my hfe.

HIGH RANGE

The extrem e range o f the trom bone, for instance, in m ost o rch estratio n b o o k s is said to go from , say,
pedal G to th e F above the tenor clef staff (see Exam ple 1);
Exam ple 1; O rchestration Book Extrem e Range

However, m any bass trom bonists will say th a t th e G or Ab below th e high F should be th e lim it, realizing
th at the Bb o r C above th at is m ore typical as an extrem e (see E xam ple 2);
Exam ple 2; Extrem e High Range for Bass T rom bone

My bass trom bone teacher, the late John Klock, insisted th a t th e first th in g to d o in learning bass trom­
bone is to thoroughly m aster the ten o r trom bone, and m any co n cu r w ith this (including myself)- Of
course, this includes the high F. T enor trom bone technique, at least at one tim e, included learning the
privileged (o r falset ) notes th at I have com e to know as “ fake trigger” n o tes betw een the pedals
and the low E just below the staff. One should consult R obin G regory’s The Trombone^ for a full dis-

1. New York; Praeger, 1973.

98
 a p p e n d ix V RANCJE 99
cussion o f this. In an y case, in learning the bass fm m hnn i i- l
. of the tenor techni(iuc fincluding
these “ fake trigger n o tes) rem ains while the Dcrfnrm,.r ic i ...
P t - r l o r m e r is a c q u i r i n g t h e adileci e l e m e n t s .

pfJDAL TO SE S

Pedal l « n « o n ly p artially solve.1 th e prcW em . for instance, „ f the vad o u , p a rt, in such works a , the
Berg Three Orchcura Pieces. Op, 6 ( I n O ) ‘ |„ h „ 155 o f ,l,e ,h,r,l piece (“ M arch"), all trom honists
are, siipposcilly, to play no tes m arkeil '■Pedalton," an<l, indeed, the fourth player it playing a pedal D
(see Exam ple 3);

Example 3: Berg Three Orchestra Pieces, Op. 6. Third Movement. Bars 154 and 155, Pedaltones
in All F o u r rro m b o n e Parts

Copyright © 1 9 2 3 by U niversal E d ilio n . C o p y rig h t renew ed 1951 by Helene Berg. Second version (com posed 1929) c o p y n g h t 1954 by
Universal E d itio n A .G ., V ienna. AU rig h ts for the U.S.A. and Canada con tro lled exclusively by E uropean A m erican Muric D u trtb u to rs
C orporation. Used by perm ission.

The first tro m b o n ist, if using an alto tro m b o n e, will also play a real pedal tone an octave higher than
the fourth p a rt’s pedal tone. T he o th e r tw o, and som etim es the first player as well, must use w hat in
America is know n as a large bore te n o r w ith an “ F ” attach m en t or what in Europe is know n as a
“ tenor-bass” tro m b o n e , since the second and third parts go quite high as well, up to the C# above the
tenor clef staff. O f course, it m ay have been expected th at the second and third parts would be played
on tenor tro m b o n es using “ fake trigger” notes, bu t this seems hardly likely. More than ju st a few com ­
posers m ay th in k o f pedal to n es as being loud low note, since this sort o f co n trad icto ry pedal
indication is found m o re th a n ju s t occasionally; the second and third parts are sim ply pedal

tones. ^

2. V ienna; U niversal E d itio n . 1954.

3. See G regory, The Trom bone, p. 62.
 a p p e n d ix V, RANGE
100

BAR TD K G l.ISSA yO O
• . h . f-,mous th ird tro m b o n e g lissan d
One interesting low-range pro cm is D „rt6k C oncerto f o r O rchestra‘S in th e fo u rth
pedal Bb tn ,he low F above, which a p p « r s m .h e B arlo k

bar 9 0 (see Exam ple 4).

m o v e m e n t in ^ M o v e m e n t , B ar 9 0 . T h ird T ro m b o n e Cliss
Exam ple 4: B artok Cancer,o fo r O rchM ra, F o u rth M ovem e

r c p ,n ,« , ® I 9 « I., ao n d o n ) L ,4 I97J. R=p,fn..d b ,

This is p ro b ably the m ost discus,se<l problem ghssando ever w ritte n , a n d th e o n ly in s tru m e n t .h a , th,s
elissando seems' .o w ork on ,s .h e d o u b le Bb ," B B b ” o r “ c o n .ra b a s s ” , tr o m b o n e (w ith a d o u b le slide).
However, the p art is designed generally for bass tro m b o n e , n o t c o n tra b a s s tro i„ b o n e .» M y teach er.
John K lock. bass trom bonist with the San F rancisco S y m p h o n y u n d e r P ie rre M o n te u x fo r tw enty-flve
years, stated (from his conveisa.ions w ith M o n teu x ) th a t th e M ae stro h a d said , " In d e e d , th e old
gentlem an fB artokJ m ust have m ade a m ista k e.” W hether he m ad e a m ista k e o r n o t m a y never be
know n, b u t if is safe to say th at this one passage has been th e single m o s t in flu e n tia l fa c to r in encourag­
ing the developm ent o f the "d o u b le trigger” (tw o a tta c h m e n t valves) tro m b o n e . T h is d o es n o t really
solve anything, fo r the break in the glissando still has to be co v e red , even w ith th e aid o f tw o valves.*

DO UBLE TRIGG ER

Before the advent o f the do u b le trigger, m any k in d s o f gam es w ere p la y e d w ith th e B a rto k glissando,
p ro b ab ly th e m ost com m on being the tuba tak in g th e low B w ith th e tro m b o n e p ic k in g u p a lipped
(b e n t to n e d ) C th a t was a little flat and th en finishing th e giiss. T h is is o n ly b a re ly s a tis fa c to ry , however,
and th e fact th a t the “ do u b le trigger” in s tru m e n t is n o w b e c o m in g v ery c o m m o n a m o n g bass tro m ­
bonists is so m ething to be w elcom ed w ith op en arm s. W hile still in a s ta te o f d e v e lo p m e n t a n d ju s t now
reaching a sta te o f high q u ality (p articu larly in th e h a n d c ra fte d d esig n s), its d e v e lo p m e n t is being
h astened because o f all the o th e r advantages th a t have been d isco v ered sin ce its in itia l d e v e lo p m e n t.
There are tw o m ain advantages o f the d o u b le trigger no w . F irs t, th e re is th e in c lu s io n o f th e low B
natu ral in to th e m ainstream o f the “ trigger-pedal” ran g e, this ra n g e e n c o m p a ss in g th e p e d a l n o te s and the
“m jssm g” n o tes th a t the valve can o b tain ju s t b elo w th e bass c le f s t a f f (see E x a m p le 5 ):

4. L o n d o n : B oosey and H aw kes, 1946.

p Ltd., 1970), pp. 3 « 5 ,

course is th e F tro m b o n e, fo r w hich I assume ,It h J ^.
on w hich it w ould be possible to p lay the p a s s a K r m s 7 Z in s tru m e n t
lo n g er in general u se.” It w ould be well to read h i. 3 ^ ! ^ " s fn im e n t is v e ry c u m b e r s o m e a n d is n o
Slide to P itc h ,” pp. 32-35. ° n “ T h e R e la tio n s h ip o f the
6. Jbid., p. 34.
 appendix V. r a n c e
Example 5: Trigger-Pedal Range

^ » C * t ; )

The second main advantage i, .h e g ,„ e r,l increase in teehnieal facility in this same range, G e o „e
Roberts, o f Los Angeles, is the m ost fam ous and perhaps the first trom bonist to popularise this facility
among jazz bass trom bonists and jazz arrangers. It has become the norm among bass trom bonists
ever since to really try to “ get aro u n d ” in that register, and, indeed, many have acquired a very good
technical proficiency com parable to the o th er more normal registers.
This proficiency on the part o f perform ers is affecting composers and how they write for bass
trom bone. It is b ound to continue to help define the bass trom bone as a separate entity; however, most
composers will still n o t w ant to lim it the top range in deference to bass trom bone players, just as these
same com posers will o ften e.xpcct a com parable low range facility out o f the tenor-bass trom bone
player.

TENOR-BASS

Because o f com poser dem ands and p erfo n n er proficiency, the tenor-bass trom bone is now a separate
entity, although it really seem s to have been born at about the same time as the Berg pieces m entioned
earlier (the tw enties). Stem m ing from this period, m any works seem to call for the trom bonist to go
high and low a great deal. I have found, in m y commissioning, that composers do not like to be limited
with regard to range, and if there is any chance th at a p erfonner can (or will attem pt) to go higher or
lower, they will w ant this done. A notable exception in new music is the Berio Sequenza V, which is a
real ten o r tro m b o n e piece. This is due, no dou b t, to the left hand’s being continually occupied in
front o f th e bell w ith th e m u te, and therefore unable to operate a trigger.
When asked th e q u estio n a b o u t high range, I always state that the C # above the tenor clef staff is
the last really good sounding high note. Above this the notes seem to pinch and tighten a bit, even in
players w ho have th em well developed. Som e com posers have taken this inform ation seriously, such
as A ndrew Im brie in his Three Sketches, going no higher than this C # but using that C # liberally.
Others, such as E rn st K renek in his Five Pieces, have the high F above the C #, o r even a directive
o f “ as high as p o ssib le,” so m eth in g w hich m any com posers do. These “ as high as possible” directives
can generally be assum ed to be well above the high F. Incidentally, bo th the Krenek and the Im brie

works have con sid erable trigger activity.

ALTO TRO M BONE

. . . .h e a lto tr o m b o n e is o n c e again gaining s o m e favor in A m e r ic a n

ter a ra th e r long ec ipse in ’ A lbrechtsberger, in particular, has been helpful in re­

orchestras. T he re su rrec tio n o f the L onceriu y
102 A P P E N D I X V. R A N G E

establishing th e instrum ent. During the period from 1962 to 1966, w hen I perfornicil with the Oiikland
Sym phony un d er G erhard Samuel, I used an alto trom bone for M ozart, Beethoven, and certiiin otlu<r
com posers’ works, b u t I certainly felt th at 1 was not conform ing to the norm at all. However, throufdi
this period o f eclipse in Am erica, the alto m aintained a m oderate p opularity in Furopean orchestras.
It has never had a dom inant popularity, even in Europe, and 1 think this is due to the critical a t t e n t i o n
th a t m ust be paid to the alto tro m b o n e’s intonation. Because the slide is shorter, the positions are
close together; one does not have the same latitude o f adjustm ent th at one does on the tenor, 'llic
alto, however, has a unique and beautiful sound, and it is one which com posers would find to their
liking were th e instrum ent m ore available. If one does choose to use the alto, one should keep in mind
th a t m ost instrum ents are built in Eb; and while the alto will not necessarily increase the high ran^i;
(as simple exam ination o f the harm onic series would lead one to believe), it docs bring to that existing
high range a beautiful clarity no t easily obtainable on the ten o r trom bone.

NEW LIM ITS

The extrem es o f range can always be asked for, b u t there is a certain price to pay in using them ,
usually in som e form o f tone quality com prom ise. It is well, then, to study various works with regard
to th eir range just to see how successfully or poorly this problem m ay have been handled. Despite
w hat I have said ab o u t the last good high note, 1 also feel th at there is no one single answer to fit all
cases o r even, for th at m atter, a few cases! The range question is interlinked inseparably with the
piece as a whole and m ust be treated as such.
T his question is interlinked with the player also. As jazz players are now setting new range limits,
m ost sym phonic players are becoming interested in obtaining these ranges as well. It has been discovered
th at th e range can be extended down to pedal C and up to the octave above the high F m entioned be­
fore. Most bass trom bonists, thanks to George R oberts, now consider playing the trigger-pedal range a
norm al thing to do, ju st as m any players now play in the extra high octave with real technique in that
ex trem ity. It is no t as easy to pin down just who was first in getting “ way up there,” but, in any case,
Bill W atrous seemingly says it all w ith his Columbia recording.'' Who is to say at this point that the
peaks and valleys have ail been reached?

7. Bill Watrous Manhattan Wildlife Refuge, Colum bia Records KC 33090.

 B ib lio jrra p h y

BOOKS A N D A R T IC L E S

Baker D avid. Contemporary Techniques fo r the Trombor,e. New Y ork: C harles Colin 1974
“ lia h T p u b U c a t io i is , ^ 9 7 ^ " ' dow n beat Music W orkshop P u b li^ tio n s (db/MWP Cat. No. 8),

' " F S ; r ' : ‘r h i ^ l T r 8 o i ” f C anahan.

Carse, A dam . M usical W ind In s tr u m e n ts . N ew Y o rk : Da C apo Press 1965
S r ’ S A C n t i c a l S t u d y o f th e 1 9 th -C e n tu ry H orn V irtuos'iin France. De Kalb. Illinois: B. Coar, 1952
Elkin, A. P. T he A u stra lia n A b o rig in e s. 4 th ed. S y d n ey ; Angus and R o b ertso n , 1964.
Ellington, D uke. M u sic Is M y M istress. N ew Y o rk : D o u b led ay , 1973.
Erickson, R o b ert. S o u n d S tr u c tu r e in M usic. Los Angeles: U niversity of C alifornia Press, 1975.
E verett, T h o m as. A n n o ta te d G u id e to Bass T ro m b o n e L itera tu re. Nashville: T he Brass Press, 1973.
Fink, R eginald. T he T r o m b o n is t’s H a n d b o o k . A th en s, O hio: A ccura Music, 1970 and 1977.’
G regory, R o b in . T h e T ro m b o n e . N ew Y o rk : P raeger, 1973.
H offnung, G erard . T h e H o ffn u n g S y m p h o n y O rchestra. L o n d o n : Dennis D obson, 1955.
Jones, T revor A. “ T h e D id je rid u ,” in S tu d ie s in M usic, Vol. 1. P erth ; U niversity o f W estern A ustralia Press, 1967.
K ennan, K en t. T e c h n iq u e o f O rc h estra tio n . 2nd ed. New Y ork; Prentice-H all, 1970.
K leinham m er, E d w ard . The A r t o f T ro m b o n e Playing. E vanston, Illinois; Sum m y-B irchard Co., 1963.
Lazarus, A rnold. “ A m p lific a tio n an d E lec tro n ic E ffe c ts.” C h a p te r 7 in T u re tz k y ’s The C ontem porary Contrabass
(see below u n d e r T u re tz k y ).
M acA rthur. D ouglas. R e m in isc e n e s. N ew Y o rk : M cGraw-Hill. 1964.
M axted, G eorge. T alkin g A b o u t th e T ro m b o n e . L o n d o n : Jo h n Baker L td., 1970.
Nichols, K eith. “ M uted B rass,” m S to r y v ille No. 30. L on d o n ; S toryville, A ugust-Septem ber, 1970.
Piston, W alter. O rc h estra tio n . N ew Y o rk ; W. W. N o rto n , 1955.
Praetorius, M ichael. S y n ta g m a M u s ic u m , V ol. II, T ran slated by H arold B lum enfeld, 2nd Ed. New Y ork: B arenreiter, 1962.
Rehak, F rank. “ In te rv ie w ," in d o w n b e a t. C hicago: dow n beat pub licatio n s, May 5, 1977.
Scholes, P ercy A. O x fo r d C o m p a n io n to M u sic, 1 0 th Ed. L o n d o n; O xford University Press, 1970.
Sloan, G erald. “ T h e T alk in g T ro m b o n e in Ja z z ,” in th e Jo u rn a l o f th e In tern a tio n a l T rom bone A ssociation, Vol. VI.
N orm al, Illinois; In te rn a tio n a l T ro m b o n e A sso ciatio n , Jan u a ry , 1978.
Tomita, T. P eter. “ S tu D e m p ste r at a n d / o r , ” in Ear, V ol. 4, No. 7. Berkeley;
T uretzky, B ertram . The C o n te m p o ra ry C ontrabass. Los Angeles; U niversity of California Press, 1974.
Wick, D ennis. TromAowe L o n d o n ; O x fo rd U niversity Press 1973^ . , . ^ , .
Wilding-White, R a y m o n d . T w e n tie th -C e n tu ry T echniques. N ew Y ork; H olt R inehart nd W inston to be released soon.
Wilson, Phil. “ T he G reat J a z z T ro m b o n e S ty lists,” in The In stru m e n ta h st, E vanston. Ilhno.s, The Instru m en talist,
F ebruary 1974.

MUSIC

C O .,

Performer E d itio n , 1965.

103
 b i b l i o g r a p h y

^ ^ I. S tock h o lm : W ilhelm H ansen, 1964.

Bark. Jan. and ro lk e Rabc. Bolos fo r F our T r o m b o n e s
B»rt6k, B6la, C oncerto fo r Orchestra. L ondon: Boosey and

Bernstein. Leonard. Elegy fo r M ippy [I fo r Solo T rom bone. New Y ork: m er 1 9 5 0 .

Berio, Luciano. /o r rrom6<7ne Sc?/o (1 9 6 6 ). L o n d o n . U niversa i
B ru c t,N e c \y , Orond P u o fo r T rom bone and Piano (1 9 7 1 ), m m u scT ip t. h- * hntn rc r P P t iQ tn
Cage. John. S o t o M Slidm g T r o m b o n e (1 9 51-58). New Y ork: H enm ar Press, sole d .s tn b u to rs C. F. Peters. I 960.
Childs, B arney./•'in f flmw C u in t e /(1 954). m anuscript. lo/t/c
./W u ,/c /b r r r o m 6 o r ,e a n c /ft f l« o (1 9 6 6 ).N e w Y o r k : A m erican C om posers A lharice 1966.
H . Sonata fo r Solo T rom bone ( \ 9 6 \ ) . Bryn Mawr. Pennsylvania: T rito n e Press, sole d is trib u to rs T h eo d o re Presser.

dcJong, Conrad. Aanraking (C o n ta c t! f o r Solo T r o m b o n e (1 9 6 9 ). New Y ork: G. S ch irm er. 1970.

De Lecuw, Ton. M usic fo r T rom bone (1973-74). A m sterdam : D onem us. 1974,
D ruckm an, Jacob. A n im u s I fo r T rom bone and Tape ( \ 9 66). New Y ork: MCA Music, 1967.
du Bois, Rob, Music fo r a Sliding T rom bone (1 9 6 8 ). A m sterdam : D onem us, 1968.
Erb, D o n ald ,. . . and then, tow ard the e n d . . . fo r Trom bone and Tape (1 9 7 1 ), B ryn M awr, P ennsylvania: T heodore
Pres.se r, 1972.
. C oncerto fo r T rom bone and Orchestra (1976). Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: T h e o d o re Presser, 1976,
_ . In N o Strange Land fo r Contrabass, Trom bone, and Tape (1 9 6 8 ), m an u scrip t.
Frickson, R obert. General Speech fo r Solo T rom bone (1 9 6 9 ). New Y ork: O kra M usic C orp., 1976.
_ . Ricercare a 5 fo r Trom bones (1966), New Y ork: O kra Music C orp., 1971.
Fillm ore, Henry, I.assus Trom bone. New Y ork: Fillm ore, 1918.
Ciershwin, George. R hapsody in Blue fo r Piano and O rchestra. New Y ork: Harm.s, 1942.
G lobokar, V inko. Discours p our 5 trom bones (1967-68), New Y ork: C. F. P eters, 1970,
Hughes, R obert. Anagnorisis, a Ballet fo r Trom bone, Percussion, a n d S o lo D ancer (1 9 6 4 ), m an u scrip t.
Im brie, A ndrew. Three S ketc h es fo r Trom bone and Piano (1 9 6 7 ). L o n do n: M alcolm Music, L td ,, 1970.
Jo h n sto n , Ben. One Man fo r Trom bonist and Percussion (1 9 6 7 and 1972). U rbana, Illinois: M edia Press, 1975.
K renek, Ernst. Five Pieces fo r Trom bone and Piano (1 967). Kassel, West G erm an y : B aren reiter, 1969.
London, Edwin. H i-Lites (1973) fro m the Carnivore o f Uranus fo r T ro m b o n e a n d Tape (1 9 7 2 ), m anuscript.
M oran, R obert. B om bardm ents No. 4 fo r Trom bone a n d Tape (1 9 6 4 and 1968), m an u scrip t.
Mueller, R obert. Schule Fuer Zugposaune. F ran k fu rt: W ilhelm Z im m erm an, 1902.
, Technical Studies fo r Trom bone. New York: Carl Fischer, 1924.
M umma, G ordon. H ornpipe fo r C ybersonic French H orn (1 9 6 7 ), m anuscript.
Otiveros, Pauline. Theater Piece fo r Trom bone Player and Tape (1 9 6 6 ), m an u scrip t.
Rabe, Folke, and Jan Bark. (See under Bark.)
Reynolds, Roger. ". . . From B ehind the Unreasoning M a sk " fo r T rom bone, Percussion, a n d Tape (1 9 7 4 ). New York:
C. F. Peters, 1975.
Schw artz, E lliott. O ptions fo r T rom bone S o lo ist and Grand Piano (w ith a d d itio n a l o p tio n s fo r acco m p an im en t by
percussionist, electronic tape, or percussionist and tape - 1970), m an u scrip t.
___ • Signals fo r T rom bone and Contrabass ( 1968), m anuscript.
Stravinsky, Igor, Pulcinella. L ondon: Boosey and Hawkes, 1966.
Suderburg, R obert. Chamber M usic III, N ight S e t fo r T rom bone and Piano (1 9 7 1 ). B ryn Mawr Pennsylvania:
T heodore Presser, 1979.
Weber, C, M, von. Horn Concertino, Op. 45. W iesbaden: B reitk o p f and H artel 1960
Wilding-White R aym ond. Encores fo r S tu (fo r tro m b o n e and various co m b in atio n s - 1970), m anuscript,
___• ^ h a tz it No. 6 fo r T rom bone and Tape (1 9 7 0 ), manuscript.

RECORDINGS
Listed alphabetically by trom bonist (o th er p ertin en t recordings follow )

Betters, H arold. O ut o f Sight and Sound. Reprise No. 6208.

 b ib l io g r a p h y 105

Dempster, S tu art ^ conjunction w .th O .u tsch e

G ram m ophon), AR . - 0 6 S 4 0 8 4 (in clu d es R obert Iln c k so n ’s R u e n u r e d .5 [or T r o m b L . )

-rrT b o n e !B X Z % 7 ) ^
AVw M u s i c fo r V irtu o so s N o . 2 . New W orld R ecords, NW 254 (includes R obert E rickson’s (ier,eral Speech fo r
-" s o lo T rom bone and A n d rew Im b n e s Three S k e tc h e s fo r T rom bone and Piano)
, Stuart D em p ster in th e G reat A b b e y o f C lem en t VI. \ 750 Arch Records S-1 775 (.n d u d c s S tuart D em pster's
~ ^ta r)d in g U'aves - 1 9 7 6 a n d D idjeridervish - 1916).
G l o b o k a r , V inko, tro m b o n e . V in k o G lohokar, T ro m b o n e. DC.G avant garde 137-005 (includes Carlos R o q u i A lsina’s
C o n se c u en za fo r T ro m b o n e S o lo , L u cian o B erio’s Sequenza V fo r T rom bone S o lo , V inko (.lo b o k a r’s D isrourse Jl
fo r Five T ro m b o n es, an d K arlh ein z S to c k h a u se n ’s Solo fo r M elody In stru m e n t and Tape)
Griffin, Dick, tro m b o n e . T he E ig h th W onder D ick C riffin. Strata-K ast S E S -iy747.
Lashley, L ester, tro m b o n e . S o u n d . R o sc o e M itch ell S e x te t. D elraark DS-9408.
Lewis, G eorge, tro m b o n e . T he G eorge L ew is S o lo T ro m b o n e Record. Sackville 3012.
M a n g e l s d o r f f , A lbert, tro m b o n e . Trom birds. B ASF - MPS 21-21654-3
Rudd, Rosw ell, tro m b o n e . A rc h ie S h e p p L ive in San Francisco. Im pulse A -91 18 (includes Wherever Ju n e hugs Go).
E veryw here - R o sw e ll R u d d . Im p ulse A-91 26.
RuTherford, Paul, tro m b o n e . T h e G en tle H arm o f the Bourgeoisie. I'.mancm 3305.
Smith, A ndre, tro m b o n e . E le c tro n ic M usic III. T u rn a b o u t Vox TV 34177 (includes Jacob D ruckm an’s A n im u s I fo r
T rom bone a n d T ape).
Thelin, Eje, tro m b o n e . Efe T helin G ro u p . C aprice RIKS LP 91.
Watrous, Bill. B ill W atrous .M anhattan W ildlife R efuge. C olum bia R ecords KC 33090.
Wells, Dickie (A ll S tars). B o n e Four-in-H and. M JR 8118.
Wilson, Phil, tro m b o n e . T he S o u n d o f th e Wasp - Phil Wilson and R ich M atteson. ASI Records ASI-203.

Cage, John. 2 5 Y e a r R e tro s p e c tiv e C oncert. A vakian JCS-1.

Horn, Paul. Inside th e G reat P yram id. M ushroom R ecords MRS 5507.
. Inside th e Taj Mahal. E p ic S te reo BXN 26466.
J ^ e s , Spike. The B est o f S p ik e Jo n e s. RCA V ic to r L SP-3849(e).
S p ik e Jo n es is M urdering th e Classics. R C A K td Seal LSC-32'35{e). r .u i r
m y l t Alice Son g s fr o m th e N o rth e rn T erritory. Available from the A ustralian In stitu te o f Aboriginal Studies,
P.O. Box 553, C an b erra C ity , A. C. T. 2 6 0 1 , o r H um anities Press Inc., 171 First Avenue. A tlantic Highlands,

,n > ,r u „ ,r .„ . Soon .o b . , . I e . « d - » .ll be ...lU M e t , o . . h , . . m . . d d , » = .

M .l ? G o l t ( '.n d o , h . , . ) - - E l.c r ,.S .u .,. Records M S,5 0 ,0

A ST.4005. f - o .. A n.ho,«*v R ecord and Tape

C orp., 135 W. 4 1 st S t., N ew Y o rk , N ew Y ork 10036.

 In(i( *x

Ahern. 42, 42n , aa I7 n , 18. 3 9 , 4 4 , 6 2 . 76 -7 7 , 78, C ircular breathing, 44 -4 5 , 9 3 ; b eat­

y^jf flow, rcverw, 4^; »oun(h, 43-44.
S t t alto Inhaled lo u n d *
AlbrechtibcrKcr. O w r e r t o , 10]
Alummufii pic platen, 61
Ahina, CatUA, C o n .iccu en za , 56 , 6 2
Alto trom bone, y v , 1 0 1 - 1 0 2
Am plification, 4 1 ; rc c o m m e n flc d
V)und» for, 7 0
ami then, to w a rd th e e n d . . . .
S f f I'fh
Animu! I. S re U ru tk in a n
Arban, 5n
Arhiin’t M ethod, 16n
Articulation*, 15
AuMin, I-arry, C H A N C E S , 9 n , 2 7 ,
5 4 n ,6 «
B natural, 100
Baby Cry, 40
Bagpipe lech n itju e, 4 4 n , 75 n
Baker, B uddy, 62n
Baker, David. C o n te m p o ra ry T ech -
nlquet fo r th e T r o m b o n e , 4 4 n ,
iHn, fi ln .J a z z S ty le s a n d A n a ly -
i / r T ro m bone, I9 n , 4 2 n , 52n
Baritone, 5n, 24
Bark, 5 n ,4 0 -4 l
Bark. Jan. S ee Bark an d R ab c
*«»rk and R abe, l A .H o l o i , 2 0 -2 1 , 22,
M , 42n, 46-4H. 5 3 -5 4 , 7 6 n
Btia C o n certo f o r O rch estra ,
lOfJ;*Ji»M ndo. 19, 1 0 0
M throom y v ju n d i. S e e S u c tio n
^ * fe r, m o u th p iece, 59
circular b re a th in g , 55
^ ‘hoven, 102
fJavid, 6 9 n , 7 l n
/-n l'»ophageal sp c e c h
'l<M««rrnbly, Slide a n d , 4 6 ;
. hitting, 5 4 ;» e c tio n , 7 3 -7 5
" * ^ n e , I7 n , 19-20, 2 9 n , 3 1 , 3 4 ;
f^rJ V ,b r a t;
Wn I t * ^^'cheMtra P ie c e ,,
H y p o th e -
101
B ern » tein , L e o n a rd . E leg y fo r M ip p y
I!, 56
B elter* , H aro ld , O u t o f S ig h t a n d
S o u n d , 74n
B ig o t, F o u fo u A., 58
B ig o tp h o n e s, 58
Bird*, c h irp in g o r fla tu le n t. See
M o u th p ie cc
B lo n d ie an d D agw ood ra d io show ,
76n
B ody s o u n d s , o th e r. 37-4 5
H o lo t. S e e Bark a n d R abe
B o ttle c a p as m u te . S ee M ute
B o ttle s, 57
B re a th in g , c ircu lar. S ee C ircular
b re a th in g
B re a th y a tta c k o r to n e , I7 n , 44
B ridges, G le n n , 5 n , 3 7 n , 7 5 n ;
P io n eers In Brass, 3 7 n , 75n
B n ic c , N eely , G rand D u o , 4 ! , 106
B u c k e t, 5 8 ; m u le . S e e M u te, b u ck et
B uzz: m u te . S ee M ute; sy ste m . S ee
B uzzing
B uzzed lip , 6 , 9 , 3 7 , 4 4 ; p artial spec­
tru m , 9 -1 0 ; voice a n d , 6-9; vowels.
9 n , 13-14 ,
B uzzing. 3 7 n , 4 6 , 9 4 ; e lec tro n ically
a lte re d , 4 6 -4 7
C s h a rp , 101 . David, F erd in an d , C o n certin o , Op.
C age, J o h n : C o n c e rt f o r Piano an d
O rch estra , 9 6 ; S o lo , 5 n , 17n,
4 9 , 6 1 , 7 6 , 9 6 -9 7 ; 2 J Year R e tr o ­
s p e c tiv e C o n c e rt, 97
“ C a n d le tr u m p e t," 73
C arU en, P hil, “ D id je re u n io n , 74n
C arnival o f V en ice, 77
m e n ts , 2 4 n , 2 5 n
C ello , 2 4 , 28
C H A N G E S . S e e A ustin
ers, 55-56
G a rin e t, 3 In
G a rk e , E rnest, 37n
Clarke. H erbert L., 37n
□ e m e n t VI, 71n-72n
Clicks and th u cks. 43
G o sed so u n d s, 4 1 , 70
Coar, B irchard, A Critical S tu d y o f
th e 1 9 th 'C e n tu ry H orn V irtuosi
in France, 5n
Coe, E ddie, 75n
C oncertino fo r Horn. S ee W eber
C oncerto fo r Orchestra. See B artok
C oncerto fo r T rom bone. See Erb
C onch, 73-75
C onley, L arry, When H earts are
Y oung, 7 5 n
C onsonants. 16; vow els an d , 13-17
C ontem p o ra ry T echniques fo r th e
T rom bone. See Baker. D.
C on tin u o u s: breathing. See C ircular
breathing; garbage, 3 8 ; slap to n g u e,
38
C ontra-bass, 24, 28. S ee also Strings
C ontra-bass tro m b o n e , 100
C ornet players. 5n, 37n
Cuivr6. See Valve tre m o lo
C unningham , Merce, 71 n
C up (m u te ), 64
C ym bal. S ee E x tra percussion
4 , 51n
DeLeeuw, T on, M usic, 26-27, 39,
61n
D em pster, S tu a rt: D idjeridervish, 28,
78, 91 ; / n th e Great A b b e y o f
d e m e n t V I, l \ n - 1 2 n \ L i f e B e p n s
a t F o rty (c o n c e rt). 11 ■,S ta n d in g
Waves, 7 1 n -7 2 n ; Ten G rand
H o sery. 2 8 , 6 7 , 74, 90-92
De Pohs. F ra n k , 64n
D iaphragm : slap. S ee C ircular b re a th ­
i n g ; vib rato . V ib rato
“ D id jereu n io n .” S e e C arlsen, Phil
D idjeridu, 8. I M 2 ,
4 5 , 5 0 n, 7 1 .7 4 , 78, 93 -9 5 ; partial

1-ucfano, 7 n , 13,

10 7
 INDEX
108

French Horn. See Horn Im plied th ea te r, 120

iptfctrum , t !•! 2 In N o Strange Land. See Erb
Ih ic o u n See CiloboVir " . . . From B ehind the Unreasoning
.Mask". See Reynolds Inhaled sounds, 43, 44
Do* h jrk , Sn. 40-41, p in t, 43-44
Fulkerson, Jam es, 9 n , 12n Innes, F red rick , 5n, 75n
r)iH>Jle to nguf, 16
Fullem an, Jo h n , 72n In tern al tro m b o n e, the, 70
Oi'Hullelee tongue. 1(S
D oppler, 28 Interval structures. See Microtones
Garden hose, 47-48, 6 7 , 6 8 n , 73*74 In to n a tio n beats, 6
I)»«ible: finKcr trem olo. See Trem olo;
General Speech. See Erickson Irvis, C harles, 4 2 n , 62n
pedal. 38, reed, 12; reed p liy ert,
r.ershw in, George, R h a p so d y In Ishida, R enko, 77n
29; ilo p , S-"?, ito p i, jorcim ed , 41.
S e e a b o Scream , tongue, 15-16, Blue, 65
Ciibbon, 41 n Jars. 57
9 4 , trig^ftcr, 100-101 S e e a lio V
Glass tum bler, 60n Jaw vibrato. See V ibrato
attachm ent
Glii'iando: bent tone. See Bent tone; Ja /z , 29, 34, 39. 4 2 . 4 4 n . 50n. 60.
Drop, 20
harm onic, 20-23, 56, 6 8 ; norm al See also Names o f perform ers
D ruckm an, Jacoh, A n im u i I, 17,
4 3 ,6 9 (same partial), 18-19, 3 0 n , 30-31. Jazz S tyle s a n d A nalysis. See
See also B artok, glissando B ik er. D.
D ynamic exchar.gc, 7n
Glissandos, 18-23, 27; piano string, Jo h an n so n , Jorgen. 74
Fby, William, 37n 57; voice, 7 Jo h n sto n . Ben, One M an, 25-26, 56-
r.ighth tones, 25. 26-27 Ghssed pitch exchanges, 7 5 7 ,7 8 ,9 6
r.lectric fan, 58n G lobokar, V i n k o , /J u c o u rj, 14n Jones, Spike. 13, 42, 75-76
F.Icctronici. 68-69 Gongs. See E xtra percussion Jones, T revor, The D idjeridu, 93
rik in , A. P., The Australian A borig­ Gowans, A rthur, ‘'valide,” 5 2n Jug bands, 61n
ines, 93 Grand Duo. See Bruce JunglLstic voice. See Voice
r.Ilinxton, Duke, 4 2n; Music is M y The Great Ja zz T rom bone Stylists. Just tuning. 25
Mistress, 62n See Wilson
Tqual tem peram ent, 25 G reen, Urbie, 69 K azoo, 58-59
F.rb. D onald: . . . and then, toward G regory, R obin, The T rom bone, Kell, Reginald, 31n
the e n d . . . .6 ,4 6 -4 7 ,6 8 - 6 9 ; 1 7 n ,4 2 n , 52n, 99, 99n Kissing. S ee Inhaled sounds
C oncerto fo r Trom bone, 17n, G riffin, Dick, 19n K leinham m er, Edw ard, 31n
3 5 n ;/n ^ 'o Strange la n d , 19n, C rock. See W ettach K lo c k ,J 6 h n , 9 8 , 100
51n G rowl, 39, 4 0 , 4 2 , 42n K renek, E rnst, Five Piecet, 5n, 28,
Erickson, R obert: General Speech, G ut vibrato. See V ibrato 4 0 ,4 6 ,4 8 ,4 9 - 5 0 . 55, 67n, 68,
ID. 14-15, 1 6 - 1 7 ,2 7 ,3 3 n ,4 2 ,7 7 , 101
78. 81-89, 94. 9 6 ;« ic e rc a rf a '5 . Half valve effect, 19, 20, 27, 51 K u ltu rk v a rte tte n , 74
14, 15, 2 0 -2 1 ,2 2 ,3 0 , 34n, 38, Ham pel, 5n
40, 53, 55. 69, 76, 9 A ,S o u n d Hand as m ute, 63 L ashley, L ester, 19n
Structure in M usic, lOn, I7 n H arm onic: glissando, 20-23, 56. 68; Laugh, 7 5 n , 75-76
Ericksson, R u n e, 74 series, 21 L azarus. A rnold, A m plification and
E nk-A lt, Leonore, 82 H armonics; buzzed lip and m uted E lectro n ic E ffe c ts, 70
Esophageal speech, 41, 70 vowel, 9-12; m u te, 6 6 ; vow el, 14 Leaps, 26, 27
E uphonium , 5n, 24 H arp, 24 L eedy, D ouglas, 50n
Extensions, 44; m eans o f, 62-72 Harris, E lizabeth, 73-74 L ife Begins a t F o rty. See Dempster
E xtra percussion, 56-57 Hat m ute, 63 Lincoln, Abe, 49n
Heglin, R onald, buzzed lip kazoo. Lip: buzzing. S ee Buzzed lip; trills.
F atta c h m e n t, 19, 20, 24n, 35, 49- 58 See T rill; vibrato. See Vibrato
5 2 ,9 9 High C sharp, 101 Lips, 38
Fake trigger, 17, 20n, 27, 9 9 . 5 « High register close d o uble stopping, L o n d o n , F.dwin, H i-Lites from the
also Privileged tones 8-9 C arnivore o f Uranus, 77
Falset tones. See Fake trigger H i-Lites fr o m th e Carnivore o f Low B n atu ral. 100
Felt (m u te ), 63 Uranus, 77
Ferguson, M aynard. “ The M. F. Hissing sounds. See A ir sounds M acA rthur, G eneral Douglas, 7S. 8 .
S u p erb o n e," 52n H orn (F ren ch), 50n. See also C oar M andez, R afael, 44
Finch, Jerry , 63n H orn, Paul: Inside th e Great Pyra­ M angelsdorff, A lbert, I9 n
Fink, Reginald, The T ro m b o n ist't m id , 7 \n] Inside th e Taj M ahal, M antia, Sim on, 5n
H a nd bo ok, 3 In , 61 71n M axted, G eorge, Talking A b o u t the
Fire tru ck bell, 54 H ornpipe. See M um m a T ro m b o n e . 25n. lOOn
First Brats Q uintet. See Childs H uber, Jo sep h L ., 37n M eans o f ex te n sio n , 67-72
Five Pieces. See K renek Hughes, R o b e r t , 7 3 n M egaphone, 40
F latulent birds. See \(o u th p ie c e H um or, 75 M iciotones. 24-28
F lautists, 29 Humsing, 6 Miller, Jim . 75n
R u tte r, 38, 43 H u n t. Pee-wce, Sugar B lu e t, 6 2 n M instrel show s, 75
F lu tterto n g u e, trad itio n al, 39
M iscellanea, 37-45
F o n tan a, Carl, 16 Im brie, A ndrew , Three S k e tc h e s, M itchell, R o s c o e , Septet. 19n
Fractious tones. S ee Privileged tones 30n, 3 4 n , 6 8 , 101 M o n teu x , Pierre (San Francisco

Sym phony). 100
Moog Synthesizer 6 8 _
A. B. “ C hic,” 7 5rt-
Moran, R obert, B o m b a r d m e n ts N o .
4, 77-78
M outhsounds, 15, 94
Mouthpiece, 46-47; b eater, 5 9 ; in
bell, 49; on hell section. S e e Bell
section; palm on. S ee P alm on
M outhpiece; w histling over small
end of, 46
Mouthpieces, tw o, 53
Moyle, Alice M.: A b o rig in a l S o u n d
Instrum ents, 9 4 n ; S o n g s fr o m th e
N orthern T errito ry, 9 4 n
Mozart, 102
Mueller, Robert; S c h u le fu e r Z u g p o -
saune, I6n; T ech n ica l S tu d ie s fo r
Trom bone, 7
Multiphonic choices, 10; using wa-
wa, 11, 66
Multiphonics, voice and, 5-12
Mumma, G ordon, 69n; H o rn p ip e ,
12n
Music. See C hilds; D eL eeuw
Musical ventriloquism , 74
Musical Wind In s tru m e n ts . S ee C arse
Mute: bucket, 63, 6 5 ; cle a r-to n e
(solo-tone), 65; c u p , 6 4 -6 5 ; ef­
fectiveness, 65 -6 6 ; fe lt, 6 3 , 6 5 ;
Finch, 6 3 n ; G len M iller T u x e d o
Plunger, 54, 6 2 ; h a n d , 6 3 ; h a r­
monics, 66; h a t, 63, 6 5 ; mic-a-,
64; nucleus, 6 5 ; p a rtia l s p e c tru m
wa-wa, 11; p e p p e r p o t, 61 n ;
plunger, 62, 6 5 ; rem o v al, 6 6 ;
straight, 65; stra ig h t, tr u m p e t, 6 2 ;
toilet paper core as, 4 9 n , 6 3 ;
vibratos, 35-36; w a-w a, 11, 3 0 ,
35, 61, 65; w hisper ( “ w h isp a” ),
64; wow-wow, 62
Muted vowel h arm o n ics, 9-12
Mutes, 54, 60-66
Muttering, Sn
Nanny-goat. S ee V ib rato
Nanton, “ T rick y ” Sam , 4 2 n , 62n
New limits, range, 102
New Orleans jazz, 4 2 n , 75
Nichols, K eith, M u te d Brass, 6 0 n
Non-half-step tu n in g . See M icro to n e s
Oakland S y m phony, 102; p a rty , 5 8 n
Obnoxious noises, 41
Oliveros, Pauline, 6 9 n ; T h ea ter P iece,
2 8 , 3 7 , 4 0 ,6 9 ,7 3 - 7 4 ,7 6 , 7 8
Man. See J o h n s to n
oscilloscope, 29n
other body sounds, 37-45
on m o u thpiece, 4 3 , 53-54
spectrum ; b u zzed lip, 9 -1 0 ;
Pedal , 11-12; w a-w a m u te , 11
(p ian o ), 6 7 n ; d o u b le ,
index
3 8 ; n o n -p itc h e d , 4 3 ; n o te s. S e e
P ed al to n e s ; su sta in in g (p ia n o ),
6 7 n ; to n e s , 3 9 , 99
P e d e rso n , T o m m y , 14n, 7 6 n
P e rc u ssio n , e x tra , 56-57
P ercussive devices a n d accessories,
53 -5 9
P e rfo rm a n c e sp ace re so n a n ce , 70-72
P e rso n a lity p o rtra y a l, 76-78
P ian o : re so n a n c e , 67-68. S ee also
P ed al; strin g g lissando, 57
P itc h ex ch an g es, glissed an d slu rred ,
7 S c u lp to rc h e stra , 7 4 , 9 2
P izz ic a to T re m o lo (C o n tra b a ss), 51
P lu n g er, 6 2 . S ee also M utes
P ra e to riu s, S yn ta g m a M usicu m , Vol.
II, 5 In
P rivileged to n e s , 17n, 98 -99
P ry o r, A rth u r, 5n
Q u arrelin g , 4 0
Q u a rte r to n e s , 2 5 , 26 -2 7 , 35n
Q ueisser, K arl T rau g h , 5 In
R ab e, F o lk e. S e e Bark an d R abe
R a d e rm a n , H arry , M a ke T h a t T ro m ­
bone L augh, 75n
R a m p a rt S tre e t P arad ers, 4 9 n
R a m ’s h o rn . S ee Bell sectio n
R ange, 9 8 -1 0 2 ; e x tre m e high, fo r
bass tro m b o n e , 9 8 ; h ig h , 9 8 , 100;
new lim its, 1 0 2 ; o rc h e stra tio n
b o o k e x tre m e , 9 8 ; re co m m e n d ed
voice, 7-8; trigger-pedal, 100-101
R asping. S ee T h ro a t so u n d s
R eco m m e n d ed so u n d s fo r am p lifi­
c a tio n , 7 0
R eed , d o u b le o r single, 12
R eh ak , F ra n k , 4 9 , 96-97
T he R e la tio n sh ip o f th e S lid e to
P itch. S ee M axte d
R eso n an ce: p erfo rm a n c e space,
7 0 -7 2 ; p ia n o , 67-68
R etch in g , 4 1 , 70
R e v e rb e ra tio n , 2 8 , 70-71. S ee also
R eso n an ce
R everse air flow . S ee In h aled so u n d s
R ey n o ld s, R oger, “ . . . F ro m B eh in d
th e U nreasoning M a s k ," 9 n
R icercare a 5. S e e E rickson
“ R ik itik i,” 55
R iley, T e rry , 69n
R ip, 20
R o b e rts, G eorge, 1 0 !, 102
R o d e m ic h ’s O rch estra (S t. L ouis),
R olling: th e bell, 5 7 , 6 7 n , 6 8 ; th e
m o u th p ie c e , 59
R o so lin o , F ra n k , I6 n
R ossini, W illiam Tell O verture, 42
R o ta ry b reath in g . S ee C ircular
b re ath in g
R u d d , R osw ell, 19n
R u sh , L o ren , 69n
109
R u th e rfo rd , P aul, 19n
S t. Ja m es In fir m a r y B lu es, 6 0 n
St. L ouis S y m p h o n y , 17n
S am uel, G e rh a rd , 102
S ato , K ay A iko, b u z z ed lip k a z o o ,
58
S ax o p h o n e m o u th p ie c e , 12
S ch n eid er, B ernard, 16n
S coop, 20
Scraping, 5 7 , 6 8
Scream , 8, 4 0
S eco n d ary p itc h so u rce (v o ice), 5
S e q u en za V. S ee Berio
S hake, 34
S h ep p , A rchie, 19n
S h o p h ar. S e e Bell se c tio n
Sim ons, G ardelle, 5n
Sing-song, 27
Single ree d , 12
Siren, 40
S ixth to n e s, 25 , 26
Skips, 27
S lap to n g u e, 38
Sleigh bells. S ee E x tra p ercussio n
Slide: and Bell D isassem bly, 4 6 -5 2 ;
in to ja r , 4 9 ; p o sitio n s, 2 4 ; sec­
tio n , 4 7 -4 9 ; v ib ra to , 29-30
Sloan, G erald, 16 n , 4 9 n , 6 0 n , 6 1 n ;
T he T alking T ro m b o n e in J a zz,
66
S lurred p itch ex changes, 7
Sm acking. S ee In h aled so u n d s
S m ear, 20
S nare d ru m b ru sh , 55
Solo. S ee Cage
S o u n d S tru c tu re in M usic. S ee
E rickson
S p ectral glide, ! On
Speech, esophageal, 4 1 , 7 0
Speech p erfo rm a n c e , 17
Spike Jo n es. S ee Jo n e s , Spike
Spit: p re p a ra tio n , 4 2 ; valve o p e n , 4 9
Split to n e , 9
S p rech stim m e, 27
“ S p rin k ler h o rn ,” 73-74
Squeak. S ee C losed so u n d s
Squeal. S ee C losed so u n d s
Sticks, 5 5
S tom ach tro u b le . See C losed so u n d s
Strings, 2 9 , 35. S ee also N am es o f
in stru m e n ts
S u ctio n , 4 8 -4 9 , S e e also V acu u m
S ud erb u rg , R o b e rt, C h a m b er M usic
II I, 6 3 n , 6 8 , 76
S uperball b e a te r, 55
“ S u p e rb o n e .” S ee F erg u so n
S w im m ing p o o l, tro m b o n e in , 58
S ynanon F o u n d a tio n , 97
Tailgaters. 75
Talk an d play, 40
T alking A b o u t th e T ro m b o n e. See
no
M axted
T he Talking T ro m b o n e in J a n . See
Sloan
T am -ta m . S e t E x tra percussion
T am b o u rin e. S ee E x tra percussion
T eagarde n, Jack , 60n
T echnical S tudies. See M ueller
T enor-bass tro m b o n e , 101. S ee also
F‘ a tta c h m e n t
T h eater: im plied, 120; pieces, 120
T heater Piece. S ee O liveros
T h eatrical; consciousness, 75; im ­
plication*, 73, 78
T helin, E je, 19n, 69
Three S ketc h es. See Im brie
T h ro at: a ctio n w ith b en t tones, 19n;
clearing, 4 2 ; sounds, 42 ; vibrato.
See V ib rato
T h u ck s, clicks an d , 43
T ib etan c h a n t, 41
T ight plunger. See M ute, plunger
T ight th ro a t voice. S ee V oice
retching
T oilet p ap er core, 4 9 n , 63
T o m ita, T. P eter, 77
T ongue, 55
T o n g u e-b u zz, 38, 55
T o n g u e-m o u th flu tter. See F lu tte r
T ongu e v ib rato , 32
T onguings, d o o d le, doodlelee,
d ouble, and trip le, 15-16, 35
T rad itio n al flu tte rto n g u e , 39
T rem olo: diaphragm , 35; double
finger, 3 5; string, 3 5; valve, 35,
50-51; wa-wa m u te, 35
T rem olos, 35
" T ric k y " Sam. See N anton
Trigger. S ee D ouble trigger
T rill, 34, 3 5 , 56
“T rin k ler,” 74n
T riple tongue, 18-20
The Trom bone. See G regory
The T ro m b o n is t’s H andbo o k. See
F ink
INDEX
T ru m p et, 34, 3 5 , 4 2 , 5 0 n , 65 -6 6
T u b a, 4 0 , SOn
T u d o r, David, 6 9 n , 71n
T u m b ler, 60n
T uning: eq u al te m p e ra m e n t, 25 ;
ju st, 25-26; n o n -h alf ste p . S ee
M icrotones; slide o ff, 49
T u re tz k y , B ertram , 5 I n , 6 0 n ; The
C o n tem p o ra ry C ontrabass, 51 n,
70n
T w o m o u th p ieces, 53
T y m p an i, 24. See also E x tra p e r­
cussion
U nison, 6, 3 5 ; w ith altern a tin g
dynam ics, 6-7
U nusual tunings. See M icrotomes
V acuum , 54; sm ack, 4 8 , 54
“ V alide.” S e e G ow ans
Vallee, R udy, 4 0
Valve: slide, 49 -5 0 ; tre m o lo , 35,
50-52; tre m o lo , slow , 51 ; trill,
22; tro m b o n e , 24, 52
Valve slide rem oved, 50
V audeville, 75
Velar click. See Clicks
V entrilo q u ism , m usical, 74
V ibrato: b e n t-to n e , 3 In , 3 2 n ; d ia­
phragm , 29, 3 1 n , 3 2 , 3 3 , 3 5 ; gut,
2 9 ,3 1 n , 32, 3 3 , 3 5 ; jaw , 2 9 ,3 1 -
33. 51; Up, 2 9 , 31 -3 3 , 5 1 ; n an n y -
g oat, 3 1 n ; slide, 29 -3 2 , 3 3 ; th ro a t,
31n, 3 2 n ; to n g u e, 2 9 , 32-33.
S ee also H arm onics; vow el. S ee
tongue
V ibratos, 24, 2 7 , 51; co m b in a tio n ,
31-32, 3 3 ; exchanging, 32 -3 3 , 36;
m u te, 35-36, 66. S ee also H ar­
m onics; p rim ary, 2 9 , 31-32, 3 3 ;
voice, 35. S ee also V ib rato
Viola, 24. See also Strings
V iolin, 24. See also Strings
V ocal vowels, 14-15
V oice, 5 ,6 - 9 , 13, 3 9 -4 1 ,4 4 , 55; and
b u z z e d Up, 6 -9 , and m ultiphonics
5- 1 2 ; glissando, 7 ; junglistic, 4 2 n ’
range, reco m m e n d e d , 7-8; retch- ’
ing, 4 1 , 70; v ib rato s, 35
von W eber, C. M. S ee Weber
V ow el h a rm o n ic s, 14; buzzed lip and
m u te d , 9-12
V ow el v ib ra to , 32
V ow els: b u z ze d , 9 n , 13-14; vocal
14-15
V ow els an d c o n so n a n ts, 13-17
Wa-wa. S ee M ute; T rem olo
W astebasket. S ee B ucket
W ater, 58 ; as a b e a te r, 55-56; bell
in , 5 8 ; gong, tro m b o n e as, 58
W atergate, 78n
W atrous, Bill, 16n, 102', M anhattan
W ildlife R e fu g e , 102n
W eber, C. M. von, H orn Concertino,
5
W ebern, A n to n , 65
W eed, L arry, 5n, 17n, 19n, 5 In ,
69n
Wells, D ickie, 6 \ n , A ll Stars, 61n
W ettach , C harles A drien “ G ro ck ,”
76
W histling: effect. S ee Slide section;
so u n d . S ee C losed sounds;
F lu tte r; alte rn a te ly w ith blowing.
S ee A ir sounds
W hitem an, Paul, 65n
W hooshing sou n d . See F lu tte r
W ilding-W hite, R ay: E ncores fo r
S tu , 7 7 ; T w e n tieth C en tu ry Tech­
n iq u es, SOn; W hatzit No. 6, 77
W ilson. Phil, 16, 19-20; The Great
J a zz T ro m b o n e S ty lis ts, 16n
William Tell O verture. S ee Rossini
Wind C o n tro l, 37n
Z im m erm an . Leo, 75
c

a n d P i a n o <
T ro m b o n e T ex ts Order N o .
\|l/ I Ha r t l e y , E u p h o n i u m
S . D e m p s t e r , T h e M o d e r n T r o m b o n e
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R . H . F i n k , T h e T r o mboni s t ' s ^'11

D . K n a u b , T r o m b o n e T e a c h i n g T e c h n i q u e s

D . 1 H u n s b e r g e r , T h e R e m i n g t o n W arm-up Studies 1 I '

'I I I >•*'1
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T r o m b o n e an d P l a n o
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A n o n y m o u s (e d. I. W a r n e r ) , S o n a t a .
I' •,Hv>-n>.ii H M l I hiipM M i-f* iifii
T r b . a n d c o n t in u o I ^^

D . K n a u b , J u d a s M a c c a b e u s ; T heme & V a r ia tio n s

M i i k - I ' l m M | | « | | Itif ) H iH ihtiiih*
B a ss. T rb . a n d P i a n o ) •I'*

B l a zh e v i c h / L . V a n H a n e y , S c h o o l for T r o m b o n e I '

P i a n o A c c o m p a n i m e n t I ' H I ' t l l K l t(. Mlll-I ' i M l M

T r o m b o n e a n d P i a n o S e t I IVi i b , l illi:! ^ ^ II I"* C * " I »'i(lll*li(l»- ) I l'K li ld * I '/ i

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Band A c c o m p a n i m e n t f o r Sa l e I ^ ^ I ( lllijl, M * |ll*' I llilllliilll' ( ;i| llO'f ( I'flllii III*•IiIk) I'/fi

T . R . G e o r g e , C o n c e r t o for B ass T r o m b o n e K ' ' II ',1 b i l l f I ' l i ' l' I " ' l ' l l ' I'iii-li " ) i ’) ( < l ’> /
O r c h e s tr a A c c o m p a n im e n t f o r rent II *ii I i i i i I , / . j i i i i I i i I f till )i ii iiiiI I rii^

P. M c C a r t y , A r i a a n d R o n d o I I "

O r c h e stra A c c o m p a n i m e n t for r e n t 11 ' / P Itli li,tt<l Myi't* 'ti ll' (

B. M c c u l l o c h , C o n c e r t i n o N o 2 for B ass T r o m b o n e I \ <i I )'i;i<ll,l HID iillll I I I ' f ( ' l r l l l l 1 |I'|M l i b ' ill /I I I
I) I ||rl|.(|i I, 7 / l t I (' b l II • i I i H i M I l« ( » ' < l il< lll I ( In / ' ' /

T r o m b o n e D u c ts ( I ( iillill ll, blllllllll I l<-l ^ l‘ lll I l b ' / ' i l

R . H . F i n k , S y m p h o n i c D u e t s in b a s s clef: B l a z h e v i c h I V i A l i p l l i , f riii|li(ipn 4 I III ( I I'lKilrtiin. * b u l l /h't

T . 0 ’1 > 1 1 , P o i n t s o f V i e w for T e n o r & B a ss T rb 1'^'^ I ' , i b l l L ' l t , I ll-’ l llfl I I ' l ' l l 'I ('111 l i b f lit /^I'l

I b i ll * H . f I I I blllH Kllr ^ \t»ll lib I III /'i^l

T r o m b o n e E n sem b les I ' . i b i l l . l l , l l l l l H l - d ‘t J.:lll l i b I b l I'll

D . R . W i l l i a m ? , R e c i t a t i o n fi.it 8 T r o m b o n e s I
I' 'l l l l l l U ll , W i . l l l Kll'l M l bl 'i l u l l I ill * III

B. M c c u l l o c h , E i n , Z w e i , l ) rel S a - v ( M ) S a vrt f o r IZ 1 1 'i I ll|M> I lllly * 111 U K l I i H < IImU 1 |i:l)l l i b < lit

I, W a g n e r , a r r . C h r i s t m a s* C a r o l s for 8 T r o m b o n e s (HI I I b t i f I i j ' l l l l i i i i ll f IiiI»iiim h< ii'ib ^ fiiH Iill / l* l

J. E n d , T h r e e M i n i a t u r e s for 8 T r o m b o n e s O H / I b i i ‘^ I r J i ' b i l l II i n 1 1 b iU *iiiii4^ :iiiib p'lii Iill / H

M a g l i o c c o / 1 h o p p e r , S o Y o u W a n n a P l a y T r o m b o n e I V hii^iiiii, I ii«iibiHi |ii"i* 'I l " ’i t l i b * ll* If I

4 T r o m b o n e s w i t h N a r r a t i o n 1 W. |i Wajippi-i, I b il l - * iiriiiiii K i n n i I ' l l - ' i ‘* ^ pi I tl* / M

|l V W illtiiip n , l'iinlii-n m i'l I'liliiM p i l l l i b / H

T r o m b o n e M e th o d s
I r v l l i I,. W a t ^ i i r c S r t l f ^
R . H . F i n k , I n t r o d u c i n g ; t h e F A t t a c h m e n t
I vi'iy I lllli. I I I I I I b<. 'ip illl i! |iiill l i b I IHI»lllb|«i KiV
R . I i. F i n k , I n t r o d u c i n g l e g a to 167

R . H . F i n k , I n t r o d u c i n g t h e T e n o r ( ' I MF tX)l
'iw ln H I ItW, ' i W I *■! < b u ll'll (i p in t l i b IllW lllliU tin
I W i i i j i n ’ t , l ( ll I I I nil M |,„(i / | | , ri|iii.|ii),|<. I / I
R . H . F i n k , I n t r o d u c i n g t h e A l t o Cl e f
I W ti|i|ii-i, Piiy.il M ii 4|i i wvi i 4 pMit I ill ^ bfill4 )'//
D . H u n s b e r g e r, T h e R e mi n g t o n W a r m - U p S i u d i es* 1 I >

R . H . F i n k , A d v a n c e d R h y t h m & T e c h n i c E tu d e s
I W « |lll«'l, I I III i n f i l l I I I , n i l I I I M pKlI J ill l'llt<-lllll|l> /I*.
Altiii/llijJ I iiai i< l i l t 'iiil'i w l i b p u ll l i b I liulf r/i
R . H . F i n k , A d v a n c e d M u s i c a l E t u d es in H i m C l e f I M
A ( b i l ' i l i ii'ii I lyiiiti It p u ll I ill I ii.j iiibli- I’j'l
R . H . F i n k , M e l o d ic T e c h n i c in B a ss C le f I 'I'i
M'ill, Jiil'l:iii, P > ,11 M j,ii(i l i t . l i K i i i i b b |l!V
E. R e m i n g t o n , W a r m - U p E x e r c is e s (fa c s im ile e d .) I I I

Hr,m (. iidlr
B a rito n e M e th o d s
I U ( i i ' i p((M*, ' i l l l f l . Ill I i i III b ^ lilltllfi.H f Ill'll*
R . H . F i n k , F r o m T r e b le C lef t o B a ss Cl e f B a r i t o n e 0 1 0
1 Itp ln , 'I b i i | t l « , *1 I I I " * , I lilt'J, 1 p H ' 1*'^
R . H . F i n k , A d v a n c e d R h y t h rn & T e c h n i c E t u d es I M

R . H . F i n k , A d v a n c e d M u s i c a l E t u d e s in B ass C l e f 1'?') '[ t i b a x i k I I 'U i i i i

R . H . F i n k , M e l o d i c T e c h n i c in B ass C lef I y, A P i m i ll,'iiiiii. ( m i l I I t , 11,11. I m I i i l i K i * i i » l ’J ( / p « i ' l ' » i i i ' l *

R . H . F i n k , S y m p h o n i c D u e t s In B a s s C l e f
I ’li/iiii t f J i i i Him
D . H u n s b e r g e r , T h e R e mi n g t o n W a r m - U p S t u d i e s
W i l l i i l t l i l i u l A i I i n i i l i i l i i i i l l i III / i l l tilli-

A cckh / M usic
A tliiii., n b l i i 'l ’i/ Ilf 'l/ fji I I. ’. A,
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