Walter Beeler Method for the Baritone (Euphonium), Bk 1 (Walter Beeler Series for Brass Instruments, Bk 1)

Beeler's compositions are not my cup of tea.

I am a beginner on baritone but already play the trumpet. You will definitely need a basic understanding of your instrument and some reading skills to use this method book without instruction. It seems to have a nice selection of etudes and scale exercises.

Walter Beeler was well known as a euphonium player before he became band director at Ithaca College in 1932. His influence extended nationally, and he was a gifted conductor and teacher. This is a method book, but it reflects the training and talent of Beeler. Unlike rote methods that teach scales and exercises and drills, Beeler presents the instrument in a logical, layered order. He knows the likely trouble spots and builds the exercises so that, for example, work on the Bb to F range is sprinkled liberally through the early part of the book.Beeler builds many of his exercises on phrases, folk songs, and hymn tunes that were well known in his time. He emphasizes the importance of a teacher occasionally playing with the student, so every 12th or so number is a duet. Even the drills are built to have variety within each set. Many of the exercises are credited to Beeler himself, including a number of short marches and arias.As a musician returning to a brass instrument after 40 years away, I find Beeler's approach helpful and satisfying. This classic "method" is frozen in the music engraving techniques of its time, which sometimes included shortcuts that we'd never employ today, and sometimes drops articulation marks after the first couple of measures. But it's a minor issue. It's the music that counts, and the Beeler method is grounded in making music, not mastering drills.One final bonus: if you've ever heard the phrase "double-bell euphonium" in that well-known Broadway musical and wondered what they look like, the only photo of a euphonium in this book depicts a a double-bell model. Beeler goes on to say that the double-bell style is useless to the average player, but it's an amusing glimpse at the man's musicianship.

Covers a lot of territory, thorough.