Review

Brad Edwards
60 Vignettes: Little Character Pieces in Varied Keys
Bass trombone

No place, , United States
Publisher: Hornbone Press
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.hornbonepress.com

Etude book. 110 pages, available as e-book or physical publication.

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude

This book, in 110 pages, is quite a treatise on the art of successfully learning several important concepts: the art of transposition, good phrasing, playing in varying styles and much else of use to the bass trombone student and teacher alike.

The book begins with an explanation of its structure, then the goals for its use. Dr. Edwards calls on colleagues for information on how to practice and how to use the book [Sean Reusch], and on general advice for players [Amy Bowers], finishing the introductory part with his own comments on transposition and on phrasing.

Then there are the vignettes. They are brief, averaging one-half page each, and they cover a wide range of keys, modes, styles and articulations. This is quite important to the student who wants to learn how to play well and in particular to play with musicality. The brevity of each vignette means that the student will not get bogged down in pages of details but will be able to accomplish the notes of each piece quickly and then proceed to work on details like phrasing and style. Each piece is also meant to be transposed; not a common task for trombonists, but a handy and useful tool.

Are there disadvantages to Dr. Edwards’ approach? The only concern I can imagine is that much of the work lands on the shoulders of the teacher to listen well, to guide the student and especially to pay attention to what the student is doing… but this is what we expect from private teachers.

I hope this way of teaching repertoire is the start of a whole series of such “vignettes” by a variety of composers/instrumentalists/teachers, as it is a refreshing approach to many problems facing students of the instrument. A really fine work! The book is available as a physical publication and also in e-book format.