Ian Bousfield: Unlocking the Trombone Code Ian Bousfield | Page 7

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Rehearsing the Jacob with the LSO, aged 15
At eighteen, I was appointed as principal trombone with the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester.
I had no teacher at the time, and so my formal teaching ended at this point. This is where my
struggle for my own answers began. Not having that regular lesson each week, to have someone
to help me through, I began searching to find the answers to my playing problems and playing
questions.
By the time I joined the Hallé Orchestra, I was a very soloistic player due to both my time in
brass bands, and the nature of my first few years of learning. I had a very good high register, but
although my sound was sweet, it was quite small, and somewhat direct.
One of the first issues that I encountered playing in the Hallé was the art of coming in quietly
on high entries — the issue that troubles every first trombonist sooner or later, usually sooner! I
tried every experiment possible, many of which landed me in hot water!: fixing the embouchure
rigid: timing the air exactly; it is at this point that I began discussing my problems with as many
different people as possible. Another technical issue which I faced was the requirement to play
quickly. You may be surprised to learn that when I first joined the musical profession my single
tongue was incredibly slow. That is now quite definitely not the case! The exercise you’ll find
Unlocking the Trombone Code