Looking for a playful addition to your next bass trombone recital? Romp and Ripple is a playful conversation between the bass trombone (or tuba) soloist and piano that contrasts the bold with the delicate, the heavy with the weightless, and the punchy with the lyrical. The conversation is not an argument between two opposing forces; rather, the performers work cooperatively to enhance one another’s low, foreboding range and higher, melodious capabilities.

Romp and Ripple was initially written in 2021 for Dr. Todd French, professor of tuba and euphonium at Murray State University, and premiered at the 2022 Midwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (MWRTEC) in Lexington, KY. It was first performed on bass trombone by Dr. Chris Sharpe, professor of trombone at Murray State University, at the 2025 International Trombone Festival in London, Ontario.

Length: 7 minutes and 30 seconds

Range: Highest note is G#4. Lowest note is a pedal E.