Lip Trills

Lip trills are basically a very fast lip slur between two notes. It involves moving between two
partials so quickly that it creates the sound of a trill. As trombonists this is our best way to create
a controlled trill sound seeing as we do not have valves like our cousins the trumpet or the
french horn. These exercises below are meant to be a guideline to the building of a fast,
controlled lip trill. They should be started slowly and sped up gradually over a period of time.
Each exercise should be played in every position before moving to the system below. When
trilling in the higher register be careful to avoid to much pressure on the mouthpiece. Having too
much pressure will thin out your tone, hinder the quality of the trill and can lead to injury. Try to
push yourself every single day, you should never feel too comfortable when learning something
new. It is important to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Remember to start slow, be
consistent and have fun!

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Lip Trills Practice Chart

This is where you can keep track of you progress throughout your practice. I believe that it is
important to see your growth and be able to push yourself every day. Consistency is key during
practice. This being said, accuracy and clarity should take precedence over speed. I like to
visually see how much, if at all, my speed has improved from practice to practice and therefore I
often use ( + or -) with the comparative number afterwards. The + or - number represents the
difference of speed compared to the last practice. The first box has been filled out as an
example.

Date:______ Date:______ Date:______

Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM)

Bb-D 170 (+2) Bb-D Bb-D

D-F 185 (+3) D-F D-F

F-Ab 202 (-1) F-Ab F-Ab

Ab-Bb 205 (+3) Ab-Bb Ab-Bb

Bb-C 180 (-2) Bb-C Bb-C

C-D 160 (+5) C-D C-D

Date:______ Date:______ Date:______

Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM)

Bb-D Bb-D Bb-D

D-F D-F D-F

F-Ab F-Ab F-Ab

Ab-Bb Ab-Bb Ab-Bb

Bb-C Bb-C Bb-C

C-D C-D C-D

www.kevinjackson.ca
 Date:______ Date:______ Date:______

Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM)

Bb-D Bb-D Bb-D

D-F D-F D-F

F-Ab F-Ab F-Ab

Ab-Bb Ab-Bb Ab-Bb

Bb-C Bb-C Bb-C

C-D C-D C-D

Date:______ Date:______ Date:______

Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM)

Bb-D Bb-D Bb-D

D-F D-F D-F

F-Ab F-Ab F-Ab

Ab-Bb Ab-Bb Ab-Bb

Bb-C Bb-C Bb-C

C-D C-D C-D

Date:______ Date:______ Date:______

Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM) Partials Speed (BPM)

Bb-D Bb-D Bb-D

D-F D-F D-F

F-Ab F-Ab F-Ab

Ab-Bb Ab-Bb Ab-Bb

Bb-C Bb-C Bb-C

C-D C-D C-D

www.kevinjackson.ca