THE

Warmup Book

Bobby Behrend
Trombone and Euphonium in Bass Clef
THE Warmup Book is the culmination of over 40 years of professional -level
experience and has influence from four generations of some of the best
teachers and performers in the low brass world. Leonard Falcone, Brian
Bowman, Roger Behrend, and others have helped to shape this warmup
and the accompanying concepts into what they are today.

There are many warmup books available for various instruments, but this is THE
Warmup Book for a reason. There are eight current premier military band members
and countless other professionals, teachers, and soloists who were taught on and
influenced by this system.

THE Warmup Book is designed to break down the most fundamental aspects for any
brass player and create a foundation for limitless potential on the horn. The system
is designed to target these building blocks in a hyper-focused manner that allows a
superior quality to be reached in a shorter amount of time.

With a focus on sound and air above all else, THE warmup is designed to increase the
quality of players on all levels and limit or entirely eliminate the risk of injury or bad
habits that plague other systems. Effective in both the short-term and longer-term,
it will allow players to enjoy better quality in every aspect of their playing, and be
effective whether employed for 8 minutes or 80 minutes a day.

This regimen is not only a set of exercises to physically play, but also a shift in
mindset. It will change how you consider, refine, and execute on the horn. The time
taken between exercises and reps will be the true value, and is what will allow for
more efficiency and focus in the playing itself.

I’ll give you ONE way to do a Million things instead of a million ways to do one thing.

THE Warmup Book

Exercise Key

DAH Tongue Using DAH

Set, Think, Breathe,

S.T.B.P
Play
Open Up
Open Up
Stop, Analyze, and
Reset
Blow Through

Breathe

Opt. Breath

Baritone/Euphonium
(123/24)
Fingerings
7th
Trombone Slide
Position
Core Concepts

• Air makes Sound, Sound Makes Music

• Sound is defined by Color, Texture, Taste
• Air goes in, and Air goes out; It doesn’t
stop
• Think one way, Play one way, Sound one
way
• Set the body, Set the horn, Think, Breathe,
Play
• Blow through the notes, not to the notes
• The faster you go, the more you connect
• Don’t puff your cheeks, if air is in your
face, it isn’t in the horn
• Every breath should be deeper, every
note more open, every sound should be
improved from the last.
• Your progress in personal, your mistakes
are just business
Long tones

Long tones are the first thing you do every single time you take out the horn, whether for a full
practice session, or ensemble rehearsal. Long tones are the most important piece of the
warmup. Your sound and musicality are defined by your ability to play with a clean, open,
supported sound. As such, sound, air, and openness are the focus items. The standard is
perfection.

Sound is the most important aspect of your playing. Without a great sound, no one wants to
hear you play! For our concept of sound, we will use COLOR, TEXTURE, and TASTE. This will
allow you to have an intimate understanding of your personal sound and be able to quickly
identify when you don’t play with YOUR perfect sound. For me I use Blue Violet (get your
crayon box out), Bun Bun (my super soft stuffed bunny), and Bread Pudding (the greatest of all
desserts). You will work to ensure that you sound one way on anything and everything that you
play.

Think ONE way, Play ONE way, Sound ONE way.

What is your Color, Texture, Taste?

Process:

For this exercise, you will play one note per breath. Remember to take your time. Set your
body, set the horn, think of your two focus items, and then breathe and play.

After every long tone, you will stop and identify one or two things going well. This is a crucial
step, as you must know what is going well for you to be able to succeed. Focusing on the
positives will allow you to move forward in a clear direction, rather than blindly trying to avoid
mistakes.

You will then pick one or two things to adjust for the next note. More than one or two focus
items at a time can be overwhelming, so keep your expectations reasonable. Ensure that you’re
focused on making good progress now, with the of perfection later.

If you chip or crack the start of the note, stop. Take the time to find out why it happened, and
then hit it again. Don’t take the mistakes personally. Simply catch it, identify it, fix it, and move
on. The process of stop, analyze, reset, and start again should be focused and detailed, but only
take around 2 seconds.
S.T.B.P

DAH
Tonguing
Tonguing exercises are used to reinforce your sound and maintain absolute consistency when
you prepare to move toward more technical aspects of the horn. All patterns will consist of four
beats and a long tone. You must ensure that there is no change in sound or quality between the
tonguing and long tone, regardless of subdivision or speed.

For the best execution, you will use “DAH” for all attacks. The tip of the tongue will strike where
the teeth meet the gums. A “DAH” attack allows for a clear impact on the note without
interrupting the air. “DAH” will not be as strong a strike as other options, but it will allow for
infinitely more speed and efficiency as you progress. Focus on impact and physically tonguing
each note harder than the last, and the clarity will come quickly.

Process:

You will start by playing a set of four quarter notes and a long tone. Go through the same
analysis and process as you do with your long tones, finding two things you like and two things
you want to improve on for the next repetition. Do the same with each repetition and
subdivision. Do all subdivisions, from Quarter notes to Sixteenths. Tempo for all tonguing
exercises is mm = 66 bpm.

You have the option of taking a breath after beats 2, 3, or 4, or not taking one at all. Take
breaths as necessary to ensure that the quality never changes. As you reach new levels of your
playing, grow physically, or get a new horn, you’ll move between breath points. Make sure the
focus isn’t on the quantity or locations of the breaths, but the consistency and perfection of
sound quality.

Air must always be the focus, and as you move up the subdivision or speed, the feeling of
constant power and support must be maintained. Think of tonguing like a loaf of bread. You can
cut as many slices to divide the loaf (quarter, eighth, sixteenth) but it’s still a single unit (long
tone sound). In other words, the faster you go, the more you connect. Also, be wary of
“chewing” notes. There should be no facial motion, as any movement will translate into
inefficiency in the long-run.

After you complete the full series at 66 bpm, you will do a second set of sixteenths to push
tonguing speed. Speed will eventually be limitless, but should be increased gradually for the
greatest effect. If you make a mistake or have a “skip” in the tongue, you are going too fast and
are not moving your air. If the sound, clarity, and every aspect of the exercise isn’t perfect, you
can’t go faster. The eventual goal is to get to 144-160 for high school level players and 150+ for
college/professionals.
 S.T.B.P

DAH

S.T.B.P

DAH
S.T.B.P

DAH
 S.T.B.P

DAH
Stretch

The stretch is designed to increase air, power, and control of each note. The exercise will lead
to increased range and slur clarity, as well as a more powerful, open sound quality. You must
only use openness and air for this exercise. There will be a temptation to use your face and to
“muscle” the stretch, but you must resist, and do the extra work upfront to achieve the long-
term results.

Process:

For the stretch, think about the THX sound before movies, or a trombone glissando. The goal is
to hear every note in between the starting and ending notes. As soon as the initial note speaks,
immediately move to the stretch.

Start the note and then physically open your mouth up and continue opening as you stretch.
Blow even more air than normal as you open to create the stretch. Getting to the note you're
heading to isn’t important. The STRETCH is the focus, so if you only make it part of the way to
the next note that is perfectly fine, because the value is in the stretch itself. Sacrificing the
stretch quality and control just to get to the next note is the opposite of what we are trying to
accomplish.

Don’t get stuck burning air and energy by sitting for too long on the first note. Again, the focus
of the stretch exercise is the STRETCH and not the individual notes. We know you can play the
notes, so spend your air, time, and energy on the stretch itself.

If you growl, double buzz, or anything similar that is a good thing for this exercise. By opening
up and adding more air you are actively creating a scenario for you to have a growl or double
buzz, because you are more open than your power can support. Perfect notes aren’t important,
but the sound quality shouldn’t be less. The stretch itself should be the same as a long tone,
just with rougher edges.

Coming down will always be easier than going up, so the key is to push both directions to be as
good as the downward stretch. Lower notes take more air, so as you work your way down,
you’ll need even more air.
S.T.B.P

Open Up
Flexibility
Just as tonguing is a single long tone divided into equal pieces (loaf of bread with slices),
flexibility is one long tone evenly split between two notes. Sound, air, and quality must be even
and perfect throughout the exercise.

Process:

There are three sets of flexibility exercises: Tuning B♭ down to F, Tuning B♭ up to D, and F
down to low B♭. You will play sets of sixteenths between the two notes and finish with a long
tone.

You can do anywhere from 2 to 4 beats and a long tone for all the exercises. Similar to choosing
where to breathe for the tonguing exercises, you will select how many beats to play using the
same factors. The changes will come as you reach new levels of your playing, grow physically, or
get a new horn. The eventual goal is to get to 4 beats, but this will not likely occur until the end
of high school or the beginning of college. The tempo should be between 60-80 bpm regardless
of how many beats you play.

There should be no facial motion for any of the flexibility exercises. The air should be doing all
the work and not your face. Absolutely no pivoting, facial motion, or shifting physically between
notes should occur. If you watch yourself do the exercise, you should see what looks to be a
single long tone.

For all exercises, you will dig into the lower of the two notes. Think of it as a trampoline or
diving board which allows you to push down more to spring you back up with ease. Don’t get
into the temptation of chasing the notes or playing up and down for whatever set you’re on.
Instead, blow one long tone and keep the power and air moving through the notes and not to
them.

Each of the three ranges within the exercise will have different challenges, but the focus must
be on absolute consistency and sound quality. This means that the lower series will take even
more air than the other two to provide adequate support for the lower register.

Air and openness are always the main focus. There can be no muscling or scooping between
notes. The two notes of the series must be perfectly clean, as if a piano player were simply
alternating between two different keys.
Opt. 1 @ ♩= 160 Opt. 2 @ ♩= 80 Opt. 3 @ ♩= 80 Opt. 4 @ ♩= 80

S.T.B.P

(12)

(12) (23) 5th

(12)

(23) 5th (13/4) 6th

(123/24) 7th
Range Stretch

The range stretch is designed to increase air, power, and control of each note, while heavily
aiding upper range facility. The exercise will lead to increased range and slur clarity, as well as a
more powerful, open sound quality through high passages. You must only use openness and air
for this exercise. The physical feeling of playing high or low should be absolutely the same.

For the range stretch more than the regular stretch, you will be tempted to close and tighten as
you go higher. You must stay open and make sure you are blowing through the notes exactly as
you would for a long tone. Do the extra work upfront to achieve the long-term results. If you
start to break the rules and tighten, close, or muscle stop and go back down.

Process:

Start the note and then physically open your mouth up and continue opening as you stretch.
Blow even more air than normal as you open to create the stretch. Don’t get stuck burning air
and energy by sitting for too long on the first or second note. We know you can play the notes
so spend your air, time, and energy on the stretch itself. Take one breath for every 2 stretches,
or 3 notes. Coming down will always be easier than going up, so the key is to push both
directions to be as good as the downward stretch.

If you growl, double buzz, or anything similar that is a good thing for this exercise. By opening
up and adding more air you are actively creating a scenario for you to have a growl or double
buzz, because you are more open than your power can support. The stretch itself should be the
same as a long tone, just with rougher edges

The focus of the exercise is the quality of the stretch and not getting the higher notes out. Your
range on the horn will be higher than you can stretch. Don’t worry about the highest note you
can stretch to, rather focus on the quality of the stretch itself. If you are impatient, you will be
able to tighten and muscle out some increased range in the short-term, but it will put a limit on
your range in the long-run. Be patient and remember that this exercise will take the most time
to see improvement on, will be the slowest of the exercises as far as measurable improvement,
and will be the quickest to go away if you neglect the exercise or don’t practice regularly. You
may get 3 notes one day for the top end of the range, then wait a year to get the next one.
Focus on the quality of your stretch and how you are playing, don’t put focus or value on how
high you get!
STBP
(23) 5th

(12) 4th

(1) 3rd

(2) 2nd

(0) 1st
 Bobby Behrend is a euphonium instrumentalist and
music educator. As a third-generation premier military
band member, Bobby grew up around the professional
music atmosphere of the Washington, DC area. After
starting euphonium at the age of 10, he went on to
become a member of the Lake Braddock Secondary
School Symphonic Band under the direction of Roy
Holder. He attended the University of North Texas as a
music education major for two years before winning
his current position with The United States Navy Band
at the age of twenty. Bobby finished his
undergraduate degree online through the University of
North Texas, while performing with the band full-time. His teachers were Roger
Behrend and Dr. Brian Bowman.

As a euphoniumist, Bobby has been fortunate to play across the country at

national and international events. He has had the opportunity to perform at the
American Bandmasters Association Conference, the Midwest International Band
and Orchestra Conference, and as a featured soloist at the Virginia Music
Educators Association Conference and the United States Army Band Tuba
Euphonium Workshop.

As a highly successful and in-demand music educator and adjudicator, Bobby

works with students, ensembles and educators throughout the world. He
maintains a private lesson studio in the Northern Virginia area, enjoying sustained
success at the regional and state level. Bobby also runs “High Impact, Low Brass”,
an online education community aimed at empowering young performers and
educators. His work, utilizing various social media platforms and creating unique
performance and educational content, has helped shape the current online music
education landscape. Bobby’s work and influence serves to provide more open
access for students and young artists to engage with high profile professionals.

Whether as a professional musician, private teacher, adjudicator, or social media

influencer, Bobby Behrend continues to promote excellence in the music
community.