[Dixielandjazz] Trombone technique question

David Dustin postmaster at fountainsquareramblers.org
Wed Jul 18 16:25:41 PDT 2007


My formal education on the trombone, such as it was in a tiny town 45 years
ago, ended in the 8th grade when I was forcibly relocated to the Third
World, and what I don¹t know about music theory and the trombone could fill
a library.  I have no good trombone resources in the area, so I¹m inspired
to ask all you trombone players out there what will probably seem like a
stupid question.

I¹ve been listening to a lot of Jack Teagarden lately. Those little
32nd-note ³ripples² or ³turns² (?) that he fires off frequently, how are
they done?  (Please don¹t laugh. I know the answer is ³with a lot of
skill²...)  I¹ve taught myself to do ascending articulated rips with
embouchure adjustment and slide movement but don¹t always understand where
they will end in pitch and whether that destination will fit the chord. But
Teagarden fires those quick ³ripples² off so frequently and with such
perfect intonation that I am thinking they must be harmonics in a stationary
position ‹ is that what is happening?  Do they only work in certain
keys/certain positions like first and 3rd?  That would suggest Bb to me.  Or
is he using 100% embouchure adjustment or embouchure adjustment plus slide
movement?

Thanks guys. Now somebody please hand me a saxophone...

David Dustin

 


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