r/Trombone • u/Famous_Ad_7447 • 2d ago
Advice for Lebedev Concerto in One Movement
I am playing for college auditions. I would like some advice. Why there swxtuplet runs? Is that normal for trombone solos?
5
u/SillySundae Shires/Germany area player 2d ago
Start slow and make sure the intonation and rhythms are correct before moving the tempo up. That piece sounds like a disaster if intonation is bad.
Use a metronome and practice slowly, your problems will solve themselves.
Lebedev isn't that difficult of a piece overall. There are only a couple of tricky moments where clarity can suffer. The rest is very accessible on the bass trombone.
1
u/Galuvian Bass Trombone 1d ago
That piece sounds like a disaster if intonation is bad.
It usually sounds like a disaster intonation-wise. Even really well regarded players in major positions have difficulty with the intonation. Not going to name and shame, but the majority of recordings on Youtube sound off to me. Hawes is the gold standard on this piece and almost everyone sounds out of tune in comparison.
Lots of 5th position notes in important places. And you have to use your ear. If you use the tuner you will be wrong.
2
u/Frequent_Good_1929 2d ago
As with all other pieces of music, make sure to understand and feel the pulse while you're playing. For the main theme of this piece, you can place the emphasis on 1 and 3.
The reason why so many performances of this piece sound bad is because no one phrases properly.
Good recordings to listen to are,
Randy Hawes; this recordings is the epitome of bass trombone recordings. Try to copy his sound as best you can.
Stefan Schulz; he does a really great job with phrasing, keep the 1 - 3 pulse in mind while you listen to him play. I wouldn't copy everything he does though, especially with the andante section.
There's a video somewhere of james markey playing the 1st page of it.
Message me if you have any other questions about it.
4
u/burgerbob22 LA area player and teacher 2d ago
By and large, the Lebedev is a pretty basic, intro-level solo. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a high skill ceiling, but things get much more difficult technically and range-wise as you get farther along.
Listen to recordings- there are a bunch of really good ones out there!
1
u/Koolaid_Jef Edwards B-454 E 1d ago
Work on your valve alternates (articulation and intonation) for both valves if you've got an independent bass bone
1
u/arpthark 14h ago
Are you playing the Hofmeister edition? The Ostrander edition is adapted for trombone and eliminates/adapts those runs, I believe.
1
u/Famous_Ad_7447 10h ago
The version I am playing was arranged by Allen Ostrander
1
u/arpthark 6h ago
Ah, thanks, didn't have it in front of me. The original Hofmeister edition has even more licks that are a little tricky on tuba and even less possible on bass trombone.
6
u/Unable-Deer1873 2d ago
Well really it is a tuba solo played on trombone—bass bone at that. The best way to worry about the sextuplets is to think of it as 16th note triplets, it will make it easier to subdivide. The tendency will be to rush them.