Review

Michael Eversden
Playground Games: 10 Etudes for Bass Trombone:

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2014
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude

This new collection of etudes by Michael Eversden is a welcomed breath of fresh air. Intended to be a tuneful and entertaining break from the intensive study material that is often found on the music stands of bass trombonists, Playground Games fills an all-important and often neglected facet of music making – having fun.
In Leapfrog, while challenging the bass trombonist to work in the bread and butter register of the instrument, Eversden successfully evokes a tongue-in-cheek lightheartedness in his musical portrayal of this familiar game. In Jacks, marked Allegretto, the player is asked to preserve the difference between legato, staccato, and tenuto, often below the staff within the context of meters that bounce between 5/8 and 6/8. This etude operates within a three octave range requiring everything from DD-flat to d-flat1. Typically each etude works about a three octave range, requires a great deal of variety in articulation and does so within an active rhythmic structure. Hide and Seek, likely the most challenging rhythmic etude in the book, is another example. Its music begins in 2/8 and adds an eighth note every measure until the resulting 10/8 breaks into a jaunty 2/4. Amidst this additive process are an abundance of expressive markings regarding articulation and dynamics.

Eversden keeps all ten etudes in flat keys including G-flat major, F major, B-flat major and their relative minors. These familiar tonal spaces and patterns lay comfortably on the horn allowing the player to more completely focus on conveying the jollity and character of each etude. Playground Games is an ideal addition to any teacher’s library. These etudes are great resources to remind students to keep the playing light and rhythmic within a lighthearted context.

-Joe Murrell
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music