Posted by Jay Bertolet on February 06, 2002 at 11:10:08:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: doubling on trombone posted by js on February 06, 2002 at 10:34:45:
I think that is excellent advice. A valve trombone would be a great compromise. Hiram is using a 51D so the 6-1/2AL would be a good fit. I'll run this idea by him at our next lesson and see what he says.
There are so many stories of guys in the DC bands learning to play trombone while in the band. I went to school with Roger Oyster, who played in the Marine Band and learned trombone well enough while there (he had first picked it up at college just prior to winning his band job) that when he left the band, he landed in the principal trombone chair in the St. Louis Symphony. I do not have any problem with a player learning new things after they've established their primary goals and accomplished them. Certainly, learning trombone while on the job, assuming it doesn't interfere with the euph playing skills, is nothing but a positive thing. Of course, you really have the luxury to do that when you're already in a paying job. You have to be so good these days to win one of these auditions that I worry about any distraction from the preparation for that goal. That's why I'm not exactly encouraging Hiram to pursue trombone right now. The trombone will still be there after he wins a job.
My opinion for what it's worth...