Review


Andrew Friedrichs
Warming Up Together: Duets for Trombones
Two trombones

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2019
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score

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

Andrew Friedrichs’ Warming Up Together (Duets for Trombones) is a wonderful book certain to delight those wishing to perform duets for both fun and challenge, but is especially useful to instructors and students. The volume is designed to “provide a musical context, as well as a focus on specific areas of technique.”  Playing duets provides the opportunity to address musical and ensemble skills in “… a more isolated context while having a bit more fun.” (from preface)

The publication is clear and clean, but not without minor quirks. In one particular duet, notation of triplets in conjunction with indications of specific slide positions caused some confusion due to the similar appearance of the numbers. And the book also contains a few frustrating page turns, which one wonders, might have been avoidable.

The assortment of "pedagogical" duets is divided into eight sections focusing on tone, flexibility, range, and articulation. Each of the eight sections contain five duets for a total of forty. Sections include long-tones, lip slurs (slow, fast, wide), high range, low range, and articulation, including both “slower” and faster or rapid sections. Though specifically indicating a focus for each section, all duets uniformly address time, intonation, and ensemble skills required by all able musicians. Technical challenges are considerately addressed and support both musical development and/or technical maintenance. Creative titles are descriptive of the musical content and provide an element of humor through the inclusion of jokes and puns. This duet collection is varied, thematically quirky, melodically and harmonically interesting, enjoyable, and quite satisfying to play - it is highly recommended.

Reviewer: Kevin Chiarizzio
Review Published June 20, 2023