Practice devices and how you use them?

[MStarke]

What practice devices outside the trombone, mouthpiece, metronome, drone and tuner do you use?

I am not very deep into this, but would like to know what you have and how you use it.
And even if not using specific technology, are there any exercises that you do to improve your trombone playing without the instrument or mouthpiece in your hands?

So for a start:
- Practice mutes. I know there are people who use them on purpose to get some extra resistance (?). I only use them to not wake up my kids at night
- A few years back, I got myself a 6 liter breathing bag. From time to time I use this before a practice session just to wake up my breathing and achieve my full lung capacity with a relaxed feel.
- I just got one of these "flow ball" things for Christmas https://www.thomann.de/de/thomann_flow_ball_deluxe.htm It's a funny little exercise that my boys also found pretty fun. It's also a nice way to get your breathing a little sorted.
- I have gone through some devices for supporting mouthpiece/buzzing exercises. Got the classic BERP, the Warburton Buzzard and now the MACK (https://www.thomann.de/de/holger_mack_m ... _shank.htm). I don't do much mouthpiece practice outside a short warmup routine. With the BERP and Buzzard I felt they somehow add a level of control and "slotting" to buzzing that's contrary to what seems to make sense for me. The MACK obviously doesn't change anything in that direction. Let's see if I will use it
- I sometimes use a Warburton PETE, a pencil or whatever gets in my hands as I feel this helps stabilizing the embouchure sometimes
- I also often do some simple stretching and some of the breathing exercises from the Bart van Lier Coordination Training book

Overall I feel that the breathing devices and exercises can especially help when I am NOT physically comfortable for whatever reason.
But overall I do these things not on a daily basis, but more spontaneously.

[Soulbrass]

Historically, I’ve not used any devices other than a metronome and a practice mute/system (Yamaha PM5X-2). I live in a townhouse with shared walls so the practice mute is used often to keep peace with my neighbors. Interestingly, I’ve also accidentally experienced very good improvement in endurance, range, and flexibility as a result of prolonged playing VERY quietly without the mute, but with full sound, if that makes sense.

The Yamaha practice mute alone also travels neatly in the bell of my horn to facilitate quiet warmups on-site for rehearsals or gigs.

I do daily deep breathing and chest stretches first thing in the morning while I’m waiting for my coffee to brew - more as part of a wake up routine than as part of a trombone routine…but very refreshing/stimulating if playing my horn is the next thing I do.

Occasionally, I have taken my mouthpiece with me on extended vacations (1-2 weeks) to help keep my embouchure from degrading but, in the last year or so, I’ve come to realize that simple buzzing exercises with good form and intent hold things together very well until I’m reunited with my horn (I credit Doug Elliott for his advice to leave the mouthpiece home). Aside from intervals and scales, Wagner/Tannhauser melody and Presley/Can’t Help Falling In Love are two tunes that get buzzed the most. If I were to be away longer, depending on what I had to play when I returned, I’d probably take a horn.

These days, I’m trying to cover as much as possible as simply as possible…but am open to trying new things.

[tbdana]

What practice devices outside the trombone, mouthpiece, metronome, drone and tuner do you use?

None. Nada. Keiner. Zilch. Zip. And I don't even use the drone or tuner.

There are a million people who will find a way to separate you from your money with gimmicks, devices, and promises of great improvement. I ignore them all.

The purest, most efficient, and best way to practice and improve is by developing a close relationship with your instrument(s) and spend as much time together as possible. I do this. I've even given my horns names. They and I make a life together. We cooperate, we argue, we fight, we make musical love, we frustrate each other, we stop speaking to each other for a time, we explore and exceed boundaries together, and ultimately we become one.

That's the only way I've ever known to do it. Everything else -- everything else -- is a distraction.

[norbie2018]

Using a drone to train your ears is a distraction? Hogwash. It helps you to get to know your horn better. And those other devices mentioned are used by some trombonist to good effect. They help you make better connections between you and your instrument, for some at least.

[Burgerbob]

The best pros I know use tuners in practice. They have great ears, but they need to be kept in check.

[VJOFan]

The Yamaha Silent Brass is good when there is no other choice. But it's best to find another as soon as possible.

Of all the doodads out there the only thing I have ever used is a piece of clear flexible tubing, I think 1/2 " diameter.

A mom and pop hardware store can cut a few inch length of it for maybe a buck or so.

It's good to help feel relaxed breathing. Just put it between your front teeth and let it hold your jaw open while you do whatever breathing stuff you like. One could also just practice staying relaxed, but if a tool is needed this one does the trick for almost nothing.

[imsevimse]

I use some tools

1) A practice-mute for a short warmup is something I've used a lot in the past. Best is to warmup at home before a gig but since I have another job I'm limited and it might be I need to go directly from work to the gig with no place to warmup and very limited time. With a practice mute you can do one to five minutes in a corner without disturbing the party or audience and then you be more comfortable and ready when the gig starts.

2) A metronome is good, it can point out to you where you can not keep up with the tempo.

3) A clip on tuner is also a tool I use. Often when I switch trombone because it can help me to calibrate the new horn, but I only use it when I warmup, and only to get an idea how the actual horn wants to be played. Sometime I tune a=442 and sometime a=440 it depends if I play with a Music Minus One or not. It can be about a centimeter difference on the slide. I never perform or rehearse with a clip-on tuner, then it's just ears.

4) A ZOOM to record what I'm doing.

/Tom

[Finetales]

Practice mute to warm up at the gig is standard practice (I would even say compulsory) in LA. Otherwise I don't use them unless I have to, now that I live somewhere where I can play open without disturbing the neighbors.

Otherwise: metronome/tuner, cello drones (via my phone playing through a portable speaker), the big mirror that's in my practice room, something to record myself with, and that's it.

[Soulbrass]

4) A ZOOM to record what I'm doing.

Yes, this. I’d like to start recording myself…to see and hear what’s happening in front of the horn. That just makes sense to me.

[WilliamLang]

1) Tuner for checking in different temperatures/halls/regions. I'll just play a Bb without looking, then see where I'm at that day, when I make a significant change in location or the weather is different. I like to know where my baseline is, and I don't like to make my chops do a lot of work to play at pitch - I find I get tired faster on the longer recitals and chamber shows, and some of the rep is hard enough that I need every little advantage I can find.

1a) Drone - nice to check in with every month or so, or when I feel unfocused while practicing and need a meditation like exercise to get my head back in the game.

2) Metronome - needed for some of the trickier repertoire - currently learning a modern bassoon concerto for February and it's helping me stay honest with the low fast material.

3) Practice mute - sometimes the only practice I can get is in an airport or train or late at night in a hotel, and I don't like to bother people.

4) Piano - I like to check my ear against any random piano I find by matching pitch. Sometimes the worse the piano is, the better it is for my ear. Playing in tune for me is contextual, so matching something "out of tune" can help my ear stay flexible and not reliant on "being right" or "perfect pitch".

[Kdanielsen]

1) Tuner for checking in different temperatures/halls/regions. I'll just play a Bb without looking, then see where I'm at that day, when I make a significant change in location or the weather is different. I like to know where my baseline is, and I don't like to make my chops do a lot of work to play at pitch - I find I get tired faster on the longer recitals and chamber shows, and some of the rep is hard enough that I need every little advantage I can find.

1a) Drone - nice to check in with every month or so, or when I feel unfocused while practicing and need a meditation like exercise to get my head back in the game.

2) Metronome - needed for some of the trickier repertoire - currently learning a modern bassoon concerto for February and it's helping me stay honest with the low fast material.

3) Practice mute - sometimes the only practice I can get is in an airport or train or late at night in a hotel, and I don't like to bother people.

4) Piano - I like to check my ear against any random piano I find by matching pitch. Sometimes the worse the piano is, the better it is for my ear. Playing in tune for me is contextual, so matching something "out of tune" can help my ear stay flexible and not reliant on "being right" or "perfect pitch".

Everything I was going to say. I’d add something to easily record and listen back.

[mbarbier]

Really agree with Will on tuner usage- it really helps to just know where things are so I'm not doing extra work. I basically just have it on, on the stand all the time. I view it a lot like a temperature or RPM guage on the car. I don't spend a lot of time looking at it, but notice and adjust if there's a lot of red.

Tons of drone practice- i normally pick 2-3 keys and day and do simple scale patterns to start- normally up and down five scale degrees. I find it a helpful to center my ear for the day. Then just have a drone on for a large portion of my practice so my ears are always hearing in relation to a pitch center- then turn it off to practice keeping it going internally. So basically jsut trying to use it like a metronome- just trying to reinforce internal. I really like tonal energy for it cause it's so easy for metronme, tuner, drone, and the record button is always right there. Microphone is, to me, the most important practice tool.

I also really like using Robin Hayward's Tuning Vine Software. REALLY incredible drone software.

I'm a big fan of play along tracks- Michael Davis Warmups, Buzzing Basics, Breakfast- anything that is providing something to play in tune and in time with that is not static. I find it so useful in keeping my fundamentals of pitch and time in constant, daily check.

When in my space at home I tend to have my computer open to Reaper so I can see the waveforms of what I'm playing, in addition to being open to play the media files and run the Tuning Vine. I find it a really helpful and objective way to keep myself honest about note shape, rhythm, etc. Being able to see it in addition to hearing it really helps my brain.

Pratice Mutes are great- i use the old style silent brass at home for extra resistence, especially with flexability. And a Wallace Practice mute for the times I actually need one at airports, hotels, etc and warming up at gigs.


I used to use a breathing bag and really like them, but find they tend to slowly dry rot in Southern California. These days I just use a breathing tube (just flexible plastic tubing from a hardware store) and find it works relly well to jsut keep me centered and honest in actually breathing well.

[Doug Elliott]

I do a bunch of transcribing and writing charts, mostly 3 and 5 horn reductions of big band recordings. That is the very best ear training.

And my teaching and demonstrating things in lessons is my practice time.

I don't do any mouthpiece buzzing or use practice mutes.

[AndrewMeronek]

I do a bunch of transcribing and writing charts, mostly 3 and 5 horn reductions of big band recordings. That is the very best ear training.

I completely agree.

One thing that I need to do more of is to practice recording into a microphone.

[Savio]

In my age I need some inspiration so I listen a lot both on spotify and youtube. I have to sy it's mostly trombone related things. How the good people warm up, practice, how they do solo. Orchestra and bigband music. Then I get motivated to try my self.

I use metronome and tuner but should perhaps use it more. And I record my self. Not so much
lately. Amazing what can come out the bell I didn't know, sometimes bad things but sometimes positive things.

Leif