Trace that Star!

Want to have your mind blown??

Try doing this exercise where you try to trace the outline of a star by looking in a mirror.  If you haven't tried it, it isn't easy!  

Right is left.  Left is right. Up is down.  Down is up.

I imagine if you practiced it for three hours a day, though, you'd get good at it.  Then you can impress your friends with your new-found skill!!
(uh, maybe not...)

At first, your drawing might look like this:

Your line (the curvy one) would approximate the shape of the star.

Of course, by now you've figured out that I'm actually talking about slide technique.  Think of each of those clean, sharp angles as a slide position.

Without becoming tense, you want your slide movement to perfectly "outline the star" of the position sequence you're attempting.  For beginning trombonists, it isn't easy.   I imagine if you practiced it for three hours a day you'd get good at it.

Instead of a star, imagine this crude drawing of a G-major scale (using the B in the lowered 2nd position with the valve)...

OK, not exactly a star but perhaps you get the idea (yeah, yeah, I know the dot at the top should be exactly above the one on the bottom since they both represent 4th position...so sue me)

You want crisp, accurate slide movement, not that curvy approximation stuff.