The Bill Adam Daily Routine

for Trombone
Codified by Mark Minasian
Adapted by Benjamin Coy
Buzzing the Leadpipe
Bill Adam states "I know there has to be a certain amount of mouthpiece buzzing to warm up the resilience that we have to have here.
But if we can set the mouthpiece and tube in vibration, the embouchure is much more relaxed. What we're trying to do is get the air
through that horn with the least amount of tension and the least amount of muscle."

To buzz the leadpipe, simply remove the outer slide from the trombone. Your horn will resonate at approximately a D flat. Take a relaxed
breath, place the mouthpiece to your lips and blow. Start with your embouchure too relaxed and bring the sound into focus. Your
embouchure is in the right position when you achieve a coherent, resonant buzz with audible overtones and a minimum of excess air.
Repeat this note several times until it speaks immediately with a steady, clear tone.

?U
~ ∑ ™™

Long Tones
Replace your outer slide, and strive to maintain the same resonant sound throughout these long tones. Hear each pitch in your mind (can
you sing the pitch?), then blow through your embouchure the same way you did into the leadpipe.

? U
w ∑
U
w ∑ #U
w ∑ bU
w ∑
U
w ∑
U
w ∑

U #U U
? #U
w ∑
U
bw ∑ w ∑
U
w ∑ w ∑
U
w ∑
w
∑

U
w #U
w U
w #U
w
? bU
w ∑ ∑
U
∑
U
∑ bw ∑ ∑
U
∑ ∑
w w
U
w U
w #U
w
? U ∑ ∑
U
∑ ∑
U
∑ ∑
U
∑
bw w w bw
U
w #U
w U
w #U
w
? U U U U
∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
w bw w bw
Clarke #1
Play the exercises at mf to f and repeat as many times as comfortable. Rest after each exercise. Don't extend any of these exercises to the
point where you are running out of air and tension creeps into your chest. To again quote Bill Adam, "Any time we play Herbert L. Clarke
exercises, it's a good idea to think of the acceleration of the air. Play the first note with a fermata, accelerate the air through the
[instrument], and when you start to [move the slide], continue to accelerate the air so the tone stays free. Go slow enough so the notes
themselves are being blown and so that there is no muscle restriction that will diminish the sound: keep the sound good and full!"

I have notated the pattern first, and then given the initial pitches for subsequent iterations of the exercise.

œ #œ œ
? œœ#œœ#œœbœœbœœb3œtimes
œ ™™ ˙ œ bœ #œ œ œ bœ #œ œ œ œ #œ bœ œ œ # œ
œ bœ œ bœ œ œ
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 The Bill Adam Daily Routine, adapted for trombone 2

Two Octave Chromatics

œ # œ œ œ# œ œ# œ œ b œ œb œ œb œ œ œb œ œb œ
? œœ#œnœ#œœœ#œœ#œœ#œœ œ # œ œ b œ bœœbœœbœœ
#œ œbœœbœœbœ bw

?
bœ bœ œ œ œ
Schlossberg #6
Pace your crescendo and diminuendo so that it is even and gradual. Articulate the third note exactly as cleanly as the first note, but do not
allow the sound to stop in between. Keep the sound character consistent throughout all the dynamic changes.

? b˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ
œ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ bœ

Expanding Scales
For this exercise, Bill Adam wrote: "A good warm-up routine is one of the most important parts of daily practice. It should cover the
complete range of the instrument in not more than ten minutes. When practicing these exercises it might be wise to form the embouchure
first rather than to blow it into existence. Firm or lock the corners of the mouth into place, slightly part the lips, hold the chin firm and
pointed toward the floor. The lips should be resiliant, not tight. Do not change the embouchure for the entire range of the instrument. Get
stronger for the high notes and more relaxed for the lower tones. Try not to move from the original position and keep the corners always
firm." Bill Adam always states that "There are no high notes or low notes. It's all flat out."

?b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ####

œ œ œ œ œ œ
? #### œ bbb œ ## œ bbbbb œ nnnnn œ #### œ bb
#
œ œ œ œ œ
? bb œ ### bbbb œ # bbbbbb œ b
œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
?b #### bbb œ ## bbbbb nnnn
œ œ œ œ n œ

Schlossberg #14
6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6
? œ bœ œ bœ œ ˙ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ
bœ œ œ v1
˙
? œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ
œ
b œ œ œ œ œ ˙ v1 v1
? œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ
œ bœ œ œ
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 The Bill Adam Daily Routine, adapted for trombone 3

Remington #40

b œ œœœ œœ œ œœœ œœ œ œœœ œœ 6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bw œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ
R œ bœ œ

Malterer #2

b œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œœœœœœœ 6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6
? œbœ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ™ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ
J œ bœ œ

Remington #50
œ œ bœ bœ œ œ œ œ 6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6
? bœ œ bœ œ w œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ

Remington #51
œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ 6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6
? bœ œ bœ œ w œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ

Remington #53
œ œ œ œ
œ œ bœ œ œ 6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6
? bœ œ bœ œ œ
˙ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ

Malterer #15
bœ œ œ
b œ œœœœ œœ œ œœœœ œœœ 6 7 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6
? œbœ œ œœ œ œ œ™ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ
J œ bœ œ
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 The Bill Adam Daily Routine, adapted for trombone 4
Schlossberg #17
In these articulation studies, make each articulation sound exactly the same. The first note should be indistinguishable from all the
others. Keep your embouchure and jaw steady, and do not let them move as you release the air.

>œ b>œ > >

w b œ œ œ bœ
? >œ >
œ >œ >œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ
b>œ

>œ >œ b>œ >œ >

? >œ >œ > > >œ >œ >œ >œ w b œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ
œ œ bœ œ >œ >œ
>>
>œ >œ >œ b>œ >œ >œ 3
>
>œ >œ >œ w b œ œ œ bœ
? > > > > > >
œ œ œ >œ >œ >œ bœ œ œ >œ >œ >œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ
3 3 3
>>> 3 3
3 3

>œ >œ >œ >œ b>>>>

œ œœœ >>>>
œœœœ >
w b œ œ œ bœ
>>>>
œœœœ >>>> >>>> œ bœ œ bœ
? œœœœ bœ œœœ >>>>
œœœœ œœœœ œ œ
>>>>

Clarke #2

? bœ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bw

œ œ #œ œ #œ œ œ
? œ œ bœ œ #œ œ #œ œ #œ
œ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ bœ

Schlossberg #95
U
? U
œ œ #œ #œ œ œ œ œ bœ
œ #œ #œ œ œ #œ œ #œ

U U
? œ #œ #œ œ #œ #œ
œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ #œ œ #œ œ bœ
U
U
? œ #œ œ œ œ #œ œ #œ #œ
œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ #œ œ #œ œ bœ
U
œ #œ#œ œ œ
? #œ œ œ #œ œ #œ #œ U
œ
œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ #œ œ #œ œ bœ
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