Trager Trombone Talk

TRAGER TROMBONE TALK

presents

The Art of Doubling

How to be successful at doubling on Trumpet and Trombone

I had a fellow colleague who played woodwinds once ask me a question that sparked my curiousity. He said, "What is the problem with trumpet players and trombone players? Why is it that sax players, and clarinet players that want club gigs are expected to double, and trumpet players and trombone players are never asked to double on both instruments? Well needless to say, I couldn't give him the answer he wanted to hear. I said, "Whenever I tried to play trombone, and then immediately switched to trumpet, I couldn't play." The fact was that whenever I played trumpet, I could switch immediately to trombone but, I could never make the switch back to trumpet . I knew there had to be a way of doubling on trumpet and trombone. I have seen players that do it well. Granted there are not too many players that can double well, there are enough players out there that could do it well enough to convince me that it was possible. In my opinion, James Morrison has got to be one of the best doublers I have ever heard. You can hear some audio clips and see videos of James Morrison on the "Trumpet Stuff" website. There is a great video clip of him playing multiphonics on trombone.

The problem that most students and players have when it comes to doubling on trumpet and trombone, is the approach they employ. They figure a brass instrrument is a brass instrument. I see this faulty thinking when it comes to trumpet playing too. Numerous times I have seen trumpet players pick up a C trumpet and expect to play it as well as their Bb trumpet. This is definitely backward thinking. Eventhough both they are both trumpets, the C trumpet has got to be viewed as a different instrument. The same is true when it comes to doubling on trombone and trumpet. The instruments have to be viewed as distinctively two entirely different instruments, and the approach to playing them has to be different. I don't know how many times I have seen trumpet players with a mouthpiece placement of 1/3 top lip, 2/3 bottom lip, pick up a trombone and try to unsuccessfully duplicate that same placement on the trombone mouthpiece.

to be continued-----