Review

David Vining
Dueling Fundamentals: Advanced Fundamental Exercises for Two Trombones
Two trombones

Flagstaff, AZ, United States
Publisher: Mountain Peak Music
Date of Publication: 2018
URL: http://www.mountainpeakmusic.com

Etude book. 72 pages.

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

Professor Vining is in the midst of a distinguished career as a performer, author, composer, pedagogue, lecturer, clinician and publisher (Mountain Peak Music). He has been the trombone professor at the University of Kansas, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and currently teaches at Northern Arizona University. Through his own experiences in overcoming physical challenges, he has researched, written about and given lectures on how musicians move when making music. He has also authored a number of pedagogical tomes including Daily Routines, Flow Studies, Long Tone Duets, Sight Reading Duets, Range Songs, The Breathing Book and What Every Trombonist Needs to Know About the Body. 

The chapter headings in Dueling Fundamentals read as follows:
I. Long Tones
II. Flexibility
III. Stabilizers
IV. Scales and Arpeggios
V. Range Extenders
VI. Mixed Techniques
VII. Tenor/Bass

Each chapter includes five different duets, often with catchy/fun titles such as: The Hip Lip Flip Trip, Dart Throwing, Arban Freaks Out, Darth Bruckner, Triad Trial and Dynamics Duo. Some of the duets are fundamental exercises while others are more enjoyable from a musical standpoint. They are intended for more advanced performers and as stated in the Introduction by Prof. Vining:

Practicing fundamentals is one the most efficient uses of your practice time because when you improve your fundamentals, everything else you play sounds better. Dueling Fundamentals provides a foundation for your practice of solos, excerpts, and etudes—and it adds an element of collaboration…When you play fundamentals with someone else, you have an extra incentive to improve because you don’t want to disappoint your partner.

Two of the duets, Perpetual Motion and Arban Freaks Out, have been recorded and are available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fUaefL_RGI. This book represents a novel concept, performing warm-ups and fundamental exercises with a duet partner. Doing our daily trombone necessities is a must for nearly all players. These duos can make it less wearisome, more enjoyable, while sharing the joy/pain with a partner.

Dueling Fundamentals is presented in a spiral bound notebook format, making for ease of reading on a music stand. The printing, artwork, notation, paper quality and layout are all first class.