There are 3 “non-negotiables” in trombone playing: 1) tone, 2) intonation, and 3) time/rhythm. If a player is in good shape in all 3 of these areas, chances of success in almost any performance, audition, or competition are high.
Tone, of course, is the first of these priorities. Without good tone, nothing else you can do really counts. Below are some suggestions for improving tone and attending to this highest of priorities.
1) Ideal Tone–Be sure to have a clear ideal sound in your head. Listen to great recordings and live performances. If you have no real idea how you would like to sound, your chances of ending up with great tone are pretty low. For recordings, I recommend Joseph Alessi. Flood your brain with good sound!
2) Air–Feed the sound with lots of air. Air is the equivalent of bow technique for strings. Relax, take in a little more air than you think you need, and exhale that air freely as you play (don’t try to meter the air with your chops). Generally speaking, most people simply don’t use enough air to give their tone a full, robust quality.
3) Small or Nasal Tone–The most common tone problem for beginning and intermediate trombonists is a small, nasal sound. To move toward a thicker, more robust tone, relax in general, use less “squeeze” in your lips, and try opening up the aperture (the hole in the embouchure) a little more. The problem of squeezing the embouchure too much is common even in college players. If you’ve ever heard a tuba player play a few notes on trombone, for example, the sound is beautiful! This is because they have a more relaxed approach to embouchure and they’re in the habit of using more air than trombonists generally are. In fact, I often recommend that my college students who are trying to get a bigger, thicker sound take a semester of tuba lessons. It really helps! Let your chops, particularly the middle of your lips, be as “floppy” and free to vibrate as possible.
4) Fuzzy or Airy Tone–The problem of fuzzy or airy tone is sometimes the result of not warming up or of basic fatigue. However, if you notice that you still have fuzz in your sound even when you’re warmed up and not fatigued, I recommend mouthpiece buzzing or “free” buzzing (buzzing without the mouthpiece). Orthodontic braces often cause extreme airy sound, and I heartily recommend buzzing to improve tone problems associated with braces. Excessively puffing your cheeks and/or bunching up your chin can also lead to airy tone.
5) Mouthpiece Pressure–Many of us use too much mouthpiece pressure, which can stifle tone. Every trombonist gets a little bit of a ring around their embouchure when they play; however, if you notice a deep red ring after only a few minutes of playing, you’re probably using too much pressure. All you need is enough to make a seal. Using too much pressure keeps vibration from freely occurring, stifles the sound, and often causes endurance problems. Also check pressure of the top vs. the bottom lip. With some players, this balance can really affect overall tone.
6) Tension–Too much overall physical tension can really affect tone. This is one of the biggest problems in loud playing for many trombonists–we get excited and intense, and we let that lead to physical tension, which leads to a “blatty” loud sound. See how relaxed you can be in general when you practice and perform. More than likely, the more relaxed you get, the thicker and freer your sound will be. When you’re practicing, if your sound is not good on a passage, relax, take a big breath, and try it again!
7) Priority–Finally, as I mentioned earlier, tone has to be a big priority. It’s at the very top of the list! If you’re practicing and you get the right notes and rhythms on a passage but the tone is bad, go back and get it with good tone. It doesn’t count unless it’s with good tone!
Thanks this really helped, i have braces and was really concerned as i had a really nice rich tone before i got my braces on but now as i have them on my tone is really airy especially in the middle range
Thank you so much. I have braces too and it really messed my tone up. I have always asked people for help and everyone says long tones but I see no progress with it. I have occasionally tried buzzing without the mouthpiece and it is HARD! I gues it makes since to work on that. Im sure it will help me improve with more than just tone. Seriously… Thanks!
Kyle,
You’re very welcome! I should mention that buzzing is also good when you have braces because it often puts less pressure on your lips (particularly buzzing without the mouthpiece).
Will
Yeah, thanks for this. I too have braces and was looking for a way that I could see what was wrong with my playing. Not that the fact that braces make an airy sound gives any excuse to allow it, but it’s comforting to know that I’m not really this bad.
For the first commenter, my middle range is where I get the most air too (D, Eb (especially), and F, to name a few).
Thanks again.
im going to try this, thank you. i have had such an inconsistant tone some days its amazing an other days its horibble i have no idea what to do anymore.
Im currently using a rental trobone from my school my tone is great but I feel that I need to change my mouth peice it is pretty banged up so my tone might be worse or better not sure. This helped a lot thanks so much!!!
Darvin,
Great! I’m glad it helped. I don’t know what mouthpiece you’re playing on now, but I recommend Bach 6 1/2 AL up until high school age or so.
Best,
Will
All of this is very helpful, but i was wondering if you have had any experience with the bass trombone, if so, I was wondering if you could possibly recommend some tone exercises for that.
Thank You
Zach,
Yes, I would recommend basically the same tone exercises for bass trombone. In addition, I would add some mouthpiece buzzing on a tuba mouthpiece (any make/model is fine). This will open things up, relax your chops, and help you get that fat low sound.
Best,
Will
thank you so much, these excersizes have helped so far. Now I need to get my air capacity up. Could you recommend some excersizes for that? Thank you so much
for me its too hard to play a trombone but i always do my best to show that i can play it easily..
thank you for the information that you gave to me, i hope i can do it someday.
I just got some rubberbands on my braces and the pull of the rubberbands has made my mouth more use to being less open when I play. Now my tone has just completely left me. What should I do?
Can you take the bands off when you play? I would probably try buzzing on a tuba mouthpiece to help you open up again.
I could use some help on the bass trombone, you see, those double trigger notes really get to me. its very hard for me to hit those the way i would like to, and even when i do hit them im not able to tounge them or else the notes dies. I dont know if its the fact that im not useing enough air or whats going on. but i need to know why im having so much trouble with those notes.
i also recently got braces and my sound was terrible. I knew it was going to be bad but i havent heard a difference in my sound for a month. should it be getting better or should i keep doing free buzzing? is there any way for me to play up high again because i need to play high G and A in my songs and scales.
Jeffrey,
Yes, keep with it. There’s normally a 2-3 week adjustment period, then you slowly start getting better (both tone and range). Keep free buzzing and don’t give up!
Thank you for your advice.
Thank you so much! Everyone always said i had an airy sound and i tried so many ways to fix it! Who would’ve known it was the braces on my mouth. -_-
Ummm…. hi ive always had an edge in my tone and i dont know what to do. My Band director says try easing up in my lip muscles but i have tried that and I still have that edgeiness. My section leaders says its bad but the jazz band loves it and they say i can use it on my bass that i play during concert season. If you could please give me some advice on what to do i would be very happy thanks.
Try relaxing both your throat and your embouchure. Also try putting a little more space between your lips. Buzzing on a tuba mouthpiece will help give you the right feel.
I am having lots of trouble with my tone quality. I came across your webbsite hoping to find good recondmendations. I haven’t tried anything yet but I do take private lessons and my teacher told me i need to improve on my tone because it’s bad. I do long tones and i buz all the time but its just not getting better.
Adele,
What is it about your tone quality that your teacher says you need to improve? Is it too airy? Too small and pinched? Too blatty? More specifics would help.
WK