Review

Brad Edwards
Concert Pieces Volume Two: #13-#24 Intermediate-Advanced
Trombone and piano

Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Publisher: trombonezone.org
Date of Publication: 2018
URL: http://www.trombonezone.org

Score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Concert Pieces Volume Two: #13-#24 Intermediate-Advanced is the second installment of Brad Edwards’ helpful addition to the graded trombone literature repertory. It targets intermediate to more advanced young trombonists, and its approach bears many similarities to volume one. Preceding each of the 12 pieces, Edwards provides pedagogical suggestions that facilitate learning success. The sub-titles for each piece are expressive terms that foreshadow the music that follows. The difficulty level of each succeeding piece gradually progresses.

The collection begins at about the same level as Volume One ends, and the difficulty significantly increases from there. For example, Piece #14 introduces triplets and forces the performer to accurately distinguish between eighth, triplet, and dotted eighth-sixteenth motion. Edwards introduces compound meter (6/8) in Piece #15 to depict the subtitle “Floating.” For the first time the student is asked to play up to g¹. Piece #17 Impetuoso-Serioso marks the initial foray into sharp keys; it begins in E minor and moves to E major. The Impetuoso sections are marked by syncopated passages in 6/8 meter. Concert Piece #18 Grooving-Haunting introduces alternating compound triple and duple meters and features even more difficult syncopation. It is four minutes in length and the subsequent pieces gradually lengthen, finally reaching 5:30. Now the range is extended to a¹. Piece #23 Funebre-Imponente requires sustained playing up to b-flat¹. A faster section contains repeated sixteenths that will probably require double tonguing. The concluding Piece #24 Driving-Dreaming contains rapid sixteenth note scales that present the opportunity to introduce double-tongued scales into the student’s technical repertoire. This piece also introduces tenor clef for the first time and includes an optional c¹.

Concert Pieces, Volume Two builds upon the quality of the first volume. These pieces could be utilized for etude study without the piano part—they are technically challenging and musically interesting. Interacting with the piano part transports the performer to another musical level. It would probably take young players several years to carefully work through the volume, but in doing so they will have developed a level of technique and musicianship that will qualify them to enter as a music major at many institutions. The trombone parts are available as individual downloads or as a printed collection. Piano parts are purchased separately and are only available as downloads. Simultaneously purchase both solo trombone volumes and the piano downloads are included.