The famous Concone Vocalises have been used by brass players for generations to develop phrasing, musical style, tone, flow, etc. The melodies are tuneful and therapeutic and can be incorporated easily into a daily practice routine. These duets follow the harmonic structure of the original accompaniments which may be found on many internet sites such as YouTube. The included piano accompaniments may include a few minor adjustments to facilitate rhythm and ensemble considerations for playing with recorded versions, but this does not affect the overall structure of the etudes. I have intentionally left out dynamics and breath marks to allow for experimentation and creativity with phrasing.
The etudes are arranged progressively beginning with very simple rhythms, range and phrasing and moving slowly to more advanced material. From a pedagogical standpoint, I have learned by experience that the imparting of phrasing, inflection, tone quality, intonation, style, vibrato, and rhythmic interpretation can be greatly enhanced by regularly playing lyrical studies with students. Playing with the piano accompaniment is also extremely beneficial and instructive in teaching ensemble and listening skills and concentration. The addition of piano and a second part create a totally different experience than simply playing the etude by itself. And this, I believe, was a major purpose of the original vocal collection. Tempos are generally on the slow side to facilitate learning, but they can be easily altered by opening the mp3 files in a program that allows for tempo variations such as Audacity, AnyTune, or The Amazing Slow Downer.
Purchased download (ZIP file) is 178 MB and includes .pdf duet parts for trombone/euphonium (94 pages), piano score (190 pages) and mp3 accompaniments (50 mp3 files).
Download a free sample with 4 complete etudes, piano score and mp3 accompaniments here: https://radbrass.com/product/concone-op-9-fifty-duets-for-trombone-euphonium-free-sample-download/
