Anyone have any tips for a trombone solo?

I'm a trombonist too, and when I first started soloing I was really intimidated by the way all of the top players managed to cram in as many notes as possible into a solo as possible. Obviously, on a trombone, it's not that easy (unless you work solely in your upper register and use your trigger with every second note! haha).

Here are some tips that I use with my soloing, and they've made me more confident with my soloing - and made me realise that solos aren't just about getting in as many notes as possible, but rather creating a melody, and expressing yourself, even if the solo itself is technically simple.

- if soloing over a set chord progression (being played by chordal instruments of the rhythm section), and you're not yet completely familiar with the chords, just stick with guide tones, and perhaps concentrate more on cool rhythms using these guide tones. That way you can "get in the zone" of soloing, and once you're more familiar with the progression you can progress to a wider range of notes.

- begin your solo with a small musical idea (such as something no longer than 4 beats' worth - even something as simple as the opening couple of beats of "twinkle twinkle little star"), and then gradually develop this idea, replaying it with different inflections and different notes to fit the chords.

- replay the melody of tune, or even just bits of it, with slight variation. This is one of the most common things that soloists, even the top players do this - because it's easy to figure out, and is really effective.

Hope that helps! :)