New Audio 12/16/2009
Check out the new audio portion of my site. I added a bunch of my NY Phil Recorded Round excerpts and some more fun stuff! Any requests? 1 Comment Alto Trombone 12/09/2009
This season has presented more opportunities than ever for me in playing alto trombone: Beethoven 5 & 9, Haydn Creation, Brahms 4 & Academic, and Mendelssohn's Wedding March. When I did my undergraduate degree at Indiana University, I hate to say it, but Coach Brown discouraged his studio from making the Alto Trombone a priority. His philosophy was that whatever you can do on the Alto you should be able to do on the the tenor, thus making the alto obsolete. It was just that he preferred the sound of a high tenor sound over the sound of the alto. Now that I have been playing Principal Trombone for the last 3 years, I found that the Alto is a necessity for all trombonists. Not only does is make life easy on such pieces as the Creation (which I have performed on both A & T), Beethoven 5, Schumann 3, and especially Brahms 1. I used to get by doing all of these on the tenor, but I feel I can crush these pieces with the alto with no problem. Coach Brown is correct that you need to be able to play all the alto pieces on your tenor (in my New York Philharmonic Audition it was required to play Schumann 3 on the tenor), but you need to be able to play the alto equally as well in tune and with the great sound you use on your tenor. I use the Sterling Silver Glassl and have been very happy with the intonation, ease of play in all ranges, and I love the sound the instrument gets. My colleagues in the Utah Symphony have told me that the sound I get on the Alto is what they like the best. I do recommend making Alto a part of your bag of tricks and that you find a way to practice it every day. I found that I was just OK on Alto until I made myself play it everyday. Working with my strobe tuner and my tape recorder, I went from being capable to playing the best Rhenish in an audition. I hope that those of you serious about the Tenor Trombone take this to heart and add Alto playing to your daily routine. I know any University level student of mine will be pushed to practicethat theAlto Trombone will not only be pushed it will be a requirement for Senior recitals and for every post graduate recital. Regards, Nathan Equipment 12/02/2009
Often fellow trombonists ask me about what I play. So I am going to give you all the lo-down. I have played a lot of trombones in my day. I played a Conn 88H for about 8 years, but when I got to SF Conservatory I decided that I needed to play a horn that would hold up in the orchestra a little better. This led me to try a Bach 42, but it was difficult for me to get used to. I finally ended up on an Edwards. It blew very similar to the Conn, but held up better in the loud dynamics. Over the last 12 years my horn has evolved with better innovations in equipment and I think I finally have a trombone that I feel that I can play for a very long time. I am currently splitting time between the Alessi model Edwards, and an Alessi model Prototype. I like qualities of both trombones, but in the Orchestra the final Alessi Model works awesome. It has a sweet sound and plays even in the upper register and lower register. My prototype is very good for auditions. It does not get as sweet of a sound, but no other trombone has as fast of an articulation and as clear of a sound as this trombone produces. From what I can gather, the prototype is a lighter trombone. The added weight of the Alessi model gives it the sweet sound, but it kind of hurts the articulation I need for auditions. I really like them both and enjoy figuring out which trombone to use for certain occasions. As far as the Alto goes, I play a Sterling Silver Glassl and its the best orchestra sounding alto that I have ever heard. I have been given calls for the last couple of years from people trying to buy it or borrow it. I don't think I will be letting this Alto out of my sight. As far as mouthpieces are concerned I stick to the old Joe Alessi 3 series from Greg Black. They don't exist any more, but I am sure if you called Greg, he could let you know what the specs are. Its a little smaller than a 2g rim, on around a 5 cup. I play mostly the JA 3.25 with a .295 back bore. (I find that the bigger back bore allows me to blow easier). When playing a taxing symphony I play the JA 3 .295. This is a shallower cup and helps with stamina and the upper register. If I am playing second or a Mahler 3 like piece, I pop on the JA 3.5 .295. This is a bigger cup and gives me the big sound I want and allows the lower register to speak better. For concertos, Bolero, and other extreme high playing I use onthe JA 3 with a standard back bore. Some think that I use to many mouthpieces, but it seems to be working so far. If any of you have any questions just send me an email and I will do my best to answer them. |
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