"These concert etudes were carefully thought out by an experienced trombonist/composer/teacher. They introduce the common challenges of modern music in a systematic way. Unlike some books focusing on contemporary techniques, which can overwhelm and demoralize a young player, Davies presents new skills individually and selectively. While the book is aimed at 11-12th graders, many college trombone majors, especially those with inadequate meter and rhythm skills can benefit from it as well. Each etude introduces only one new trombone technique. For example, #1 deals with intonation in lip slurs through exact slide placement. There are etudes with melodies based on less common scales such as whole tone, pentatonic, chromatic and diminished. Others make use of specific intervals such as the tritone and perfect fourth. There is also an etude in jazz style, reminiscent of Dave Brubeck's Take Five. Range, technique and rhythmic complexity have been minimized in order to focus on one problem at a time. Once a student is comfortable with the meter changes and interval structures, he can easily move on to materials that present more challenge in technique and range. Davies features useful pedagogical advice prior to each etude and suggests follow-up study in specified areas. For in-stance, after his jazz styled etude, he lists several jazz trombonists worthy of listening study. He also provides a short list of classical trombonists whose recordings are easy to acquire, as well as standard classical compositions that feature prominent trombone parts. These are welcome aids that help young players become aware of what is available."

-David Loucky ("This is the best etude book I've seen in 10 years! It's a great teaching tool, perfect for the last year of high school or 1st year of college.")
Middle Tennessee State University
International Trombone Association review of
20 Pieces in Changing Meter by Kenneth W. Davies, 32 pages