Ian Bousfield: Unlocking the Trombone Code Ian Bousfield | Page 14

4

Singing and its role in trombone playing

There is an old saying that goes “If you can sing it, you can play it”. It is as true today as it ever
has been. It is amazing that how we sing parallels exactly how we play. So often, I have observed
in students the same intonation issues, the same articulation issues, and the same musical issues
when they sing as when they play on the trombone. In order to become a better trombonist,
we could almost simply train ourselves to be better singers. The more we can sing exactly what
we want, the more we will be able to play exactly what we want. It is important to learn how to
sing the way we play, and then to play the way we sing! This means using the tongue when we
articulate in the same way that we would on the trombone, and singing the same legato’s as when
we would play the trombone. It does not matter whether we are good or bad singers: I’m not a
particularly good singer, but I love singing. It is a simple way of working on so many technical
and musical aspects before we bring them to the trombone.
Singing is also a direct route to our emotions, and once we learn to access our emotions we can
express them on the trombone much better. Singing teaches us about s o many things: airflow,
phrasing, articulation, emotion. So, before you start to play anything, see if you can sing it.

Philosophy of air

I place great emphasis, in my own practice and in my own teaching, on the continuous flow of
relaxed air. For me, everything that I play on the trombone is a glissando. It is a glissando in
my head: even my body believes that I am playing a glissando the whole time. How I use my
tongue and my slide determine then the length, shape, and the attack of any note. Of course, this
is a sweeping generalisation and there are gradations within this where we will shape notes with
air. I just really want to emphasise how important a constant flow of air is. One of the biggest
problems we face as trombonists is that every time we move the slide, or every time we cross
a harmonic, we tend to move the air in separate pushes. This practice has even been classified
as a ‘style’ in some schools: and it is occasional use does offer some contrast in note shape and
musical expression. This “notching”, however, is ultimately detrimental to our development as
trombonists, and it certainly hinders the development of range and flexibility. From the very
first release of air, each day that I practise, right through to solo pieces and difficult orchestral
excerpts, nothing helps my playing more than placing freedom of air as my number one priority.
Everything else (the lips, the tongue, the slide, and certainly your equipment) comes much further
down in the list of priorities. So, do yourself a favour, make the air your boss. Think again of the
philosophy of singing.
Now to touch on an important point. Much has been said regarding continuous airflow.
Certainly, we must have a continuous direction of air. But if we were to have a continuous
airflow, everything that we play would be, by definition, legato. This raises the important question
that if the direction of the air remains constant, and we do not just play legato, what is it that is
creating detachment in our playing? The answer is that it has to be the tongue.

Unlocking the Trombone Code