Metronome
Any quartz, battery powered metronome will work fine. Make
sure
that it is loud enough
to be heard while playing. Dr. Beat is highly recommended,
although
it is a bit pricey -
sounds
subdivisions, etc. The DB 30 is a newer, smaller model that is
very affordable.
Mutes - priority order, these don't need to be purchased all
at once. As you become more
advanced as a player, the
literature may require more specialized mutes.
Straight
A metal (aluminum)
straight mute is required. Recommended brands: Jo-Ral, Tom Crown,
Denis Wick. You'll
find various metals on the bottom - aluminum, copper, brass - all have
slightly different
sounds.
Start with aluminum, then experiment as necessary. Yamaha and
Bach are making metal mutes
as well. Humes & Berg have some pretty good
metal mutes - don't buy
the fiber (red and white) mute for everyday use - it's use is for
special effects only.
Cup
Denis Wick, TrumCor,
Jo-Ral, Humes & Berg. Make sure the cup fits your bell size
and
that there is
complete access to all
ranges.
Harmon
Jo-Ral, Denis
Wick.
These start to get pretty expensive, but will become necessary for
some advanced literature.
Practice/Whisper
Denis Wick, Humes
& Berg, TrumCor, Yamaha Silent Brass. These are special use
mutes only. Do
not
plan on doing the bulk of your
practice in
a dorm room with a practice mute.
Other
Plunger (any store),
SoloTone, Pixie, Bucket, hat
Lubricants/Cleansers - the best way to ensure that your
instrument
plays its best and lasts for
many years, is to keep it
clean
and lubricated
Slide - Slide-O-Mix, Trombotine.
Keep
your slide clean and lubricated.
Valves - depending on the type of valve
(rotor,
Thayer etc.) some oils work better than
others - discuss
it with me. Keep your valves clean and lubricated.
Tuning Slide - Leblanc, Dow Corning
high vacuum grease
Other - Cleaning rod (never use the cleaning
rod on the inside of the inner slides - use it for
the hand-slide only),
Flexible
snake (for inner slide cleaning), mouthpiece brush (keep your
mouthpiece clean, a daily
rinse is best), soft rag
Miscellaneous
Tuner - Many brands and price ranges are
available.
Like all electronic technology, tuners are
in a state of constant
improvement.
Currently, I recommend the Korg CA-40. It's small,
inexpensive and quite
accurate
over the ranges. A tuner is a very valuable practice tool for the
student (and professional)
trombonist.
Recorder (the electronic device, not the
instrument)
- Again, a very valuable tool for
improvement - a very
unbiased
set of "ears." Portable WAV/MP3vrecorder/players are
my current
recommendation. Edirol, Olympus, M-Audio, are some brands -
built-in microphones,
records to flash card, USB
to computers, playback
through stereo systems or headphones. Microphnes
are available to record directly
onto iPods too. In lieu of these, any portable recorder will
allow
you to listen back for many
aspects of playing - time, intonation, attacks, etc. An older
mini-disc
recorder is available in the
trombone studio for
check-out - great sound, but a little less convenient.
Trombone Stand - UMI, K&M, Hamilton
- I don't recommend the trombone stands that fold up
to fit in the bell for
storage. They tend to be less secure.
Other - wire music stand, gig bag, locker,Wenger practice room