Review

Eric Allen
Low Range Studies:

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Publisher: Better Bands and Orchestras
Date of Publication: 2009

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude

Subtitled “81 pages of original etudes and famous excerpts to improve low register reading, tone and technique,” Allen’s book has plenty to offer the intermediate to advanced bass trombonist. The material is grouped together by key, beginning with three flats and sharps and expanding out to seven sharps (for some unknown reason there are not any exercises with seven flats). Each key grouping contains three original etudes of varying tempos. Following each group of etudes, Mr. Allen includes four commonly known melodies: Mouret’s Rondeau, Beethoven’s Ode To Joy, Handel’s Hornpipe from Water Music, and Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The final selection in each key group is an etude that, along with the four excerpts, is the same in every key. Additional materials include transpositions of etudes from some of the more difficult keys (F-sharp to G-flat, C-sharp to D-flat, etc.) as well as the four excerpts and “all keys” etude in every key with less than three accidentals.

These exercises are consistently low enough to make even simple tasks challenging. The tempos all fall between the range of quarter=74-126 and the articulations range from staccato to slurs.  Nearly every aspect of these etudes would be easily manageable if they were transposed up an octave. However, performing these studies at the proper tempos while consistently moving between single-valved, double-valved, and pedal notes is difficult. Bass trombone music is rarely written this low for this long, but after working through Mr. Allen’s book, players will have more confidence to deliver in the absolute bottom of their range when needed.

-Eric High
St. Norbert College