I recommend so many print resources to my students, that I wanted to share some of those on the blog.

I rediscovered the 3D Band Book in 2020, and have found it to be a great resource for students who are trying to get their technique together in most keys.

This is one of the books that I learned out of in high school, and when I saw it, I had to pick it up. I was unaware of how accessible, yet thorough the book it.

The book is broken into three parts –

1. Tuning and warm ups – this includes some long tones with harmony (if you have more than one player), lips slurs and embouchure studies, arpeggios, and a page of chromatic exercises.
2. Key Preparation – each key has a page dedicated to a (1) long tone scale (with harmony (2)), (3/4) the scales, I-V-I arpeggios, (5) a short etude, (6) a chord study (harmony for multiple players), and (7) a hymn.
3. Rhythm Preparation – starting at eighth, and sixteenth notes, and progressing through to mixed meters, with accompanying etudes.

I will get my students to work through exercises 1, 3, 4, and 5 in the Key Preparation sections. I find that if they can get through those examples in all of the keys, they are mostly prepared to deal with most keys in their concert band music.

It’s also great that they’ve considered players at different levels when it comes to range, offering different octaves so a student can get the most out of the key.

The book comes in instrument specific books, so a group can play all of these together (which is great when I’m teaching siblings or friends – they can work together!).

I wish that the book had completed the cycle of all keys. It’s missing concert B and E. But overall it’s more than enough material for an advancing beginner, to intermediate player, who will need to develop their technique in all keys to progress in band or music class.

Here are links to the books that I use regularly –

Oboe

Flute

Clarinet

Alto Saxophone

Tenor Saxophone

Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.