Review

David Vining
The Big Book of Sight Reading Duets for Trombone:

Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Publisher: Mountain Peak Music
Date of Publication: 2015
Language: English

Method book. 119 pages.

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude
Secondary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 2 trombones

100 duets in increasing difficulty of rhythm, key, articulation, tessitura, and style are included in this book. A thoughtful introduction on how to best use the book with a thorough discussion for how to improve sight reading is given in the first pages. Following are ten preliminary rhythm duets, mostly utilizing clapping and including dynamics and articulations, which reflect the author’s assertion that “The best sight readers play rhythms correctly even if they don’t always play every pitch correctly.” Each duet is exactly one page long making it easy to find them as listed in the table of contents. Tempo and style markings are precise and easy to read. Duet titles reference bases of source material such as British March, Wacky Waltz, Shenandoah, à la Bordogni, Video Game Theme, and Ivesian Unpredictability. Musical challenges such as changing meters, borrowed rhythms, clapping versus playing, compound and complex meters, and key signatures between G-flat to B are incorporated. Some alternate positions are recommended. Sight reading is a necessary skill in the professional music business. This thoughtful book provides over 100 duets in a logically progressive manner that can serve a lifetime of education and enjoyment.