Trombone Scales With Slide Positions Pdf? Trust The Answer

The harmonic series of a trombone

Below is trombone sheet music:

Trombone Positions:

1st position – all the way in

2nd position – between 2.5″ and 3″ out

3. Position bracket just before the bell

4th position – the end of the slide just past the bell

5th position – in the middle between the bell and the stocking

6th position – just before the stockings

7th position – past the stockings just before they fall off

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The trombone is the only brass instrument that does not use valves to change pitch within a harmonic progression. To get all the pitches you need to change the harmonic series. It does this by tightening and releasing tension in your lips, creating a higher or lower sounding buzz. A high-pitched buzz is created by tight lips and a rapid stream of air being forced through them, causing a high frequency of vibration, resulting in a high-pitched tone. These notes below show the pitches that can be played when the slider is not moved, but just tighten and loosen the lips. The note in black is the 7th harmonic and is very flat when played with the slider all the way in. So I don’t recommend playing them in this position. Below is a rough guide to where each position is on the trombone. Note that every trombone is different and will need to use your ears to properly place the slide in the right place to play the right intonation. I hope you learned something new. If you have any questions please email the sales team at [email protected] or telephone

Tim teaches musical instruments at schools and colleges. He also plays trumpet in several bands and arranges and releases music.

Learn the correct slide positions for the trombone.

Position table for trombone slides

Below is a useful chart showing the most commonly used slide positions for trombone (bass clef in C). Some trombones have a trigger called the F embouchure that replaces 6th position. This table is for a standard tenor trombone without a trigger. The positions marked #2 and #3 are a little shorter to play.

The open notes on a trombone

The trombone has several “open notes” all played on the lip with the slider. These are the same tones as the harmonic series played by a bugle. You move between the open notes by tightening your lips to play higher and loosening them to play lower. The most important open notes (listed from bottom to top) are pedal Bb, Bb, F, Bb, D, F, Ab, and top Bb. More skillful players develop their range, but generally the highest note at Grade 8 is a top Bb .

The open notes on a tenor trombone

The open note/harmonic series

How many notes can the trombone play?

Although the tenor trombone does not have valves like a trumpet, it can still play a fully chromatic scale of about 2.5 octaves. The lowest commonly used note on the trombone is a written E below the stave (bass clef). The highest note for most competent players is a high C, written an octave above the stave (bass clef). The tenor trombone can also play a lower pedal Bb. A trombone with an F attack can extend chromatically into the lower notes.

The range of a tenor trombone

The range of a tenor trombone

How does slide work on a trombone?

With just the open notes, you’re limited to what you can play. To make the trombone fully chromatic you need to use the slide. There are 7 slide positions on the trombone. By lengthening the slider, you lower the pitch of each open note.

What the 7 slide positions on the trombone do

1st position: Open

2nd Position: Lowers the pitch by a semitone

3rd position: Lowers the pitch by 2 semitones (one tone)

4th position: Lowers the pitch by 3 semitones (a minor third)

5th position: Lowers the pitch by 4 semitones (a major third)

6th Position: Lowers the pitch by 5 semitones (a perfect 4th)

7th position: Lowers the pitch by 6 semitones (an augmented fourth)

By using these positions for each open note, you can achieve full chromaticism.

Take care of your slide

It’s important to take care of your sled so you can move quickly and fluidly between sled positions. The best way to keep your slide in good condition is to wipe the inner slide clean with a cloth to remove old dirt and grime. Then apply some slide cream like Slide-O-Mix to the inner slide and work the outer slide back in. You can then spray water on the slide to make it even faster!

Trombone position video

Where are the slide positions on a trombone?

The exact position of each note can vary from trombone to trombone. The best way to find the exact slide position for each note is to use a tuner. Make sure the note F (4th line bass clef) is in tune using the tuning slide on the back of the trombone. You can then find the exact position of each note by traversing the positions in descending chromatic order.

The positions on the trumpet are as follows:

I used the open note F as an example.

1st position: (F)In.

2nd Position: (E) Out about an inch and a half.

3rd position: (Eb) finger on the bell.

4th Position: (D) Wrist on bell.

5th Position: (C#) wrist about 2 inches behind the bell.

6th position: (C) Almost a full range. You shouldn’t be able to see the stockings.

7th position: (B) Just behind the stockings.

The F suffix can replace 6th position (low C), which is very useful for younger players who can’t get that far. The equivalent of the 7th position (low B) can be achieved by combining the F attachment with a longer 2nd position.

The open note Ab is slightly flat. For this reason, the F# and G notes are played in shorter positions to balance the tuning. This is denoted by #3 (F#) and #2 (G) or sometimes as +2 and +3.

trombone and tuba

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trombone

The trombone consists of a 2.69 m long tube. It is usually made of brass, nickel silver or gold brass. The trombone has a U-shaped, moveable outer slide that produces the different tones. This slider is operated with the right hand. The left hand simply holds the instrument and adjusts the transposition valve. It can be played with different mutes that change its sound, like the horns and trumpet.

The trombone also sounds when it is blown into a mouthpiece. Although it is pitched in B flat major, it is written in C and notated in bass and tenor clefs for the upper register. The range extends from the E 2 to the F 5 . Its low register sounds dense, dark and heavy. The middle register is serious, carrying and rich, while the upper register is brilliant and gentler.

bass trombone

The bass trombone is the big brother of the tenor trombone and the tube length is slightly longer (between 2.69 and 2.9 m). It’s made of the same materials and the only difference is that it’s slightly larger than the tenor trombone, as I said. It can also be played with different mutes.

The sound is created in the same way. Although it is pitched in B flat major, it is written in C and notated in bass and tenor clefs. Its range extends from B 0 to F 5 . Its low register has more or less the same characteristics as the tenor trombone, but the middle register is darker. The upper register is very difficult to play.

tuba

Along with the double bass, the tuba is the lowest instrument in the orchestra. The tuba consists of a tube 3.5 – 4 m long. It is made of gold brass, nickel silver or gold lacquer and has 4 to 6 valves that lower the pitch between 1 tone, ½ tone or 1½ tones. It can also be played with a huge mute.

Brass instrument played with a slide

The trombone (German: Trombone, Italian, French: Trombone) is a musical instrument from the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips (embouchure) cause the column of air inside the instrument to vibrate. Most brass instruments use valves to change pitch, but trombones have a telescoping slide mechanism instead. Many modern trombone models also have a valve attachment that lowers the pitch of the instrument. Variants such as the valved trombone and superbone have three valves similar to the trumpet.

The word “trombone” derives from the Italian tromba (trumpet) and -one (a suffix meaning “big”), so the name means “big trumpet”. Like the trumpet, the trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore, in contrast to the more conical brass instruments such as the cornet, euphonium and French horn. The most commonly encountered trombones are the tenor trombone and the bass trombone. These are treated as non-transposing instruments and are tuned in B♭, one octave below the B♭ trumpet and one octave above the pedal B♭ tuba. The once-common E-flat alto trombone became less common as improvements in technique expanded the upper range of the tenor, but it is now revived for its lighter sonority, prized in many classical and early Romantic works. Trombone music is usually written in concert tone in either bass or tenor clef, although exceptions occur, notably in British wind music where the tenor trombone is represented as a B♭ transposing instrument written in treble clef. and the alto trombone is usually written in alto clef in concert tone.

A person who plays the trombone is called a trombonist or trombonist.

construction [edit]

Basic Trombone Anatomy Tuning Slide Counterweight Mouthpiece Slide Lock Ring Bell Knob/Shock Water Key/Spike Valve Main Slide Secondary Rod/Bridge First Rod/Staggbell Locknut

The trombone is a mostly cylindrical tube bent into an elongated “S” shape. Although roughly cylindrical, the tube is actually made up of a complex series of tapers. The design of these cones affects the intonation of the instrument. As with other brass instruments, the sound is produced by blowing air through pursed lips, creating a vibration that creates a standing wave in the instrument.

The detachable cup-shaped mouthpiece is similar to that of the baritone horn and is closely related to that of the trumpet. It has a venturi:[1] a small constriction in the column of air that adds drag and greatly affects the tone of the instrument. The mouthpiece is inserted into the slide in the receptacle. The slide section consists of a mouth tube, inner and outer slide tubes, and struts or “bars”. Modern struts are soldered, while sackbutts (medieval precursors to trombones) were made with loose, unsoldered struts.

The “slide”, the trombone’s most distinctive feature (cf. valved trombone), allows the player to increase the length of the air column and lower the pitch. To prevent friction from slowing the movement of the slider, additional sleeves known as stockings were developed during the Renaissance. These “stockings” were soldered to the ends of the inner slider tubes to slightly increase their diameter. The ends of the inner slides of modern instruments are made with a slightly larger diameter to achieve the same end. This part of the slide needs frequent lubrication. Additional tubing connects the slide to the instrument’s bell through a neck tube and bell or back bow (U-bow). The joint connecting slider and bell parts is threaded with a collar to secure the connection. Before the early 20th century, this connection was made exclusively with friction joints.

Trombones have a short tuning slide in the U-shaped bend between the neck tube and the bell, a feature designed by French manufacturer François Riedlocker in the early 19th century. It was incorporated into French and British designs, and later into German and American models, although German trombones were built without tuning slides well into the 20th century. Many types of trombones also include one or more rotary valves, which are used to increase the instrument’s length (and thus lower its pitch) by directing airflow through additional tubing. This extends the bass range of the instrument and creates the possibility of using alternative slide positions for many notes.

Like the trumpet, the trombone is considered a cylindrical-bore instrument because it has extended tube sections, mainly in the slide section, that are of a fixed diameter. Tenor trombones typically bore from 11.4 mm (0.450 in) (small bore) to 13.9 mm (0.547 in) (large or orchestral bore) after the leadpipe and through the slide. The bore extends through the arch to the bell, which is typically between 7 and 8 + 1⁄2 inches (18 and 22 cm). A number of common variations in trombone construction are listed below.

history [edit]

Etymology[ edit ]

“Trumpet” comes from the Italian word tromba (trumpet) plus the suffix -one (big), meaning “big trumpet”.

During the Renaissance, the equivalent English term was “sackbut”. The word first appears in court records as ‘Shakbusshe’ in 1495, around the time King Henry VII married a Portuguese princess who brought musicians with him. “Shakbusshe” is similar to “sacabuche”, attested in Spain as early as 1478. The French equivalent “saqueboute” appears in 1466.[4]

The German “trombone” predates the invention of the slide and could refer to a natural trumpet as early as the 15th century.[5]

origin [edit]

Both towns and courts sponsored shawm and trombone bands. The most famous and influential served the Duke of Burgundy. The main role of the trombone was the countertenor part in a dance band.[6] The sackbut was used extensively across Europe from its appearance in the 15th century to a decline in most places in the mid to late 17th century. It was used at outdoor events, at concerts, and in liturgical settings. With the trumpeters, trombonists were employed as civil servants in German city-states. As civil servants, these trombonists were often relegated to sentry posts in the city towers, but they also heralded the arrival of important figures in the city. This resembles the role of a military bugler and was used in 16th-century German cities as a sign of wealth and strength.

However, these trombonists were often viewed separately from the more experienced trombonists who played in groups such as the alta capella wind ensembles and the first orchestral ensembles. These were performed in religious settings such as St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice in the early 17th century.[7]

Composers who wrote for trombone during this period include Claudio Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, Giovanni Gabrieli and his uncle Andrea Gabrieli. The trombone doubled parts in sacred works, but there are also solo pieces written for trombone in the early 17th century.

By the time the sackbut was in common use again in England in the 18th century, Italian music was so influential that the instrument came to be known as the “trombone”, although in some countries throughout its history the same name has been used, namely trombone. Italian trombone and German trombone. The 17th century trombone was built in slightly smaller dimensions than modern trombones and had a more conical and less flared bell.

In the late Baroque period, Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Handel occasionally used trombones. Bach required a tromba di tirarsi in some of his liturgical cantatas to double the cantus firmus, which may be a form of the closely related slide trumpet.[9] Bach also used a chorus of four trombones to double the chorus in three of his cantatas (BWV 2, BWV 21 and BWV 38) and also a quartet of three trombones and a cornett in cantata BWV 25. Handel used it in the death march of Saul, Samson and Israel in Egypt. All were examples of an oratorio style popular in the early 18th century. Sheet music is rare, as few professional town pipers or alta cappella musicians were available. Handel, for example, had to import trombones to England from a royal court in Hanover, Germany, in order to perform one of his larger compositions. [citation needed] Thus, trombone parts were rather rarely given “solo” roles that were not interchangeable with other instruments.

Classic [ edit ]

Christoph Willibald Gluck was the first major composer to use the trombone in an opera overture, Alceste (1767), but he also used it in operas such as Orfeo ed Euridice, Iphigénie en Tauride (1779) and Echo et Narcisse.

The construction of the trombone has changed relatively little between the Baroque and Classic periods. The most obvious change was in the bell, slightly more flared.

The first use of the trombone as an independent instrument in a symphony was in the Symphonie in E♭ (1807) by the Swedish composer Joachim Nicolas Eggert.[11] But the composer usually credited with introducing the trombone into the symphony orchestra was Ludwig van Beethoven in Symphony No. 5 in C minor (1808). Beethoven also used trombones in his Symphony No. 6 in F major (“Pastoral”) and his Symphony No. 9 (“Chorale”).

Romance[ edit ]

19th Century Orchestra[ edit ]

Trombones have often been included in compositions, operas and symphonies by composers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz, Franz Berwald, Charles Gounod, Franz Liszt, Gioacchino Rossini, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner.

Although the trombone trio was paired with a cornet or two in the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, the disappearance of the cornet as a partner and its replacement by the oboe and clarinet left the trombone’s purpose unchanged: to support the alto, tenor, and bass parts of the choir ( usually in church settings), where harmonically moving lines were more difficult to discern than the melodic soprano line. But the introduction of trombones into the orchestra linked them more closely with trumpets, and soon an additional tenor trombone replaced the alto. The Germans and Austrians retained the alto trombone a little longer than the French, who preferred a group of three tenor trombones until after World War II. In other countries, the trio of two tenor trombones and a bass became standard around the mid-19th century.

Trombonists were less employed by court chapels and cathedrals and should therefore provide their own instrument. Military musicians were provided with instruments, and instruments such as the long F or E♭ bass trombone remained in military use until around the First World War. But orchestral musicians adopted the tenor trombone, the most versatile trombone that could play in the ranges of each of the three trombone parts typically found in orchestral scores.[vague]

Valve trombones in the mid-19th century did little to change the makeup of the orchestra’s trombone section; Despite being ousted from orchestras in Germany and France, the valve trombone remained popular in countries like Italy and Bohemia almost to the point of the slide instrument’s extinction. Composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák composed for a valve trombone movement.

With the ophicleide, or later the tuba, being subordinated to the trombone trio in the 19th century, sections scored for bass trombone seldom fell as low as sections achieved before the addition of any of these new low brass instruments. [vague] Only in the early 20th century did it regain some independence. Experimentation with the trombone section included Richard Wagner’s addition of a contrabass trombone in Der Ring des Nibelungen and Gustav Mahler’s and Richard Strauss’s expansion by adding a second bass trombone to the usual trio of two tenor trombones and one bass trombone. Most orchestral works are still scored for the usual low brass section of the mid to late 19th century, with two tenor trombones, a bass trombone and a tuba.

Wind bands of the 19th century [ edit ]

Trombones have been part of major brass bands since their inception as an ensemble during the French Revolution of 1791. During the 19th century, marching band traditions were established, including circus bands, military bands, marching bands (mainly in Britain) and town bands (mainly in the US). Some of these, particularly military bands in Europe, used back-facing trombones with the bell section pointing behind the player’s left shoulder. These bands played a limited repertoire with few original compositions, consisting mostly of orchestral transcriptions, arrangements of popular and patriotic tunes, and feature pieces for soloists (usually cornetists, singers, and violinists). A notable work for wind band is Berlioz’s 1840 Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, which uses a trombone solo for the entire second movement.

Towards the end of the 19th century, trombone virtuosos began to appear as soloists in American wind bands. The most notable was Arthur Pryor, who played with the John Philip Sousa Band and formed his own.

Pedagogy of the 19th century

In the Romantic period, Leipzig became a center for trombone pedagogy. The trombone was taught at the conservatory founded by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The Paris Conservatory and its annual exhibition also contributed to trombone training. At the Leipzig Academy, Mendelssohn’s bass trombonist Karl Traugott Queisser was the first in a long line of respected trombone professors. Several composers wrote works for Quiesser, including Ferdinand David (Mendelssohn’s concertmaster), who wrote the Concertino for trombone and orchestra in 1837, Ernst Sachse and Friedrich August Belcke, whose solo works remain popular in Germany. Queisser helped restore Trombone’s reputation in Germany. He championed and popularized Christian Friedrich Sattler’s tenor bass trombone in the 1840s, leading to its widespread use in orchestras throughout Germany and Austria.

19th century building [ edit ]

Sattler had great influence on trombone design. He introduced a major widening of the bore (the most important since the Renaissance), the innovations of the snake ornaments (snake ornaments), the bell garland, and the wide bell flare – features still found on German-made trombones made during the 19th century. Century.

The trombone was further improved in the 19th century, with the addition of “stockings” at the end of the inner slide to reduce friction, the water key being developed to remove condensation from the horn, and the occasional addition of a valve intentionally, should only be turned on or off, but later become the regular F-valve. In addition, the valved trombone appeared around the 1850s, shortly after the invention of valves, and was widely used in Italy and Austria in the second half of the century.

Twentieth Century[ edit ]

“Miss Trombone” 1908 ragtime by Henry Fillmore; played by The Indestructible Military Band Problems playing this file? See media help.

Newsboy military band with trombone, Toledo, Ohio

Orchestras of the 20th Century [ edit ]

In the 20th century the trombone asserted its important place in the orchestra in works by Béla Bartók, Alban Berg, Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, Edward Elgar, George Gershwin, Gustav Holst, Leos Janacek, Gustav Mahler, Olivier Messiaen, Darius Milhaud , Carl Nielsen, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Arnold Schoenberg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Jean Sibelius, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Heitor Villa-Lobos and William Walton.

With the advent of recorded music and music schools, orchestral trombone sections around the world began to have a more consistent idea of ​​a standard trombone sound. British orchestras abandoned the use of small-bore tenors and G basses in favor of an American-German approach of large-bore tenors and B♭ basses in the 1940s. French orchestras did the same in the 1960s.

Wind Bands of the 20th Century [ edit ]

During the first half of the century, touring and community concert bands in the United States declined in popularity and were severely reduced. However, with the development of music education in the public school system, high school and college concert bands and marching bands became ubiquitous in the United States. A typical concert band trombone consists of two tenor trombones and one bass trombone, but using multiple players per part is common practice, particularly in public schools.

Use in jazz[edit]

In the 1900s, the trombone aided the bass or tuba player’s task of sketching chords for the other instruments by playing a bass line over which the higher instruments could improvise. It was not until the swing era in the mid-1920s that the trombone was used as a solo instrument. Examples of early trombone soloists include Jack Teagarden and J.J. Johnson.[12][13]

20th century construction[edit]

During the 20th century there were design changes, such as B. the use of different materials; Increasing the dimensions of the mouthpiece, bore and bell; and in types of dampers and valves. Despite the universal move to a larger horn, many European trombone makers prefer a slightly smaller bore than their American counterparts.

One of the most important changes is the popularity of the F-Attachment trigger. In the mid-20th century, orchestral trombonists used instruments that lacked a trigger because there was no need for one. But as 20th-century composers like Mahler became popular, tenor trombone parts began to extend into lower registers that required a trigger. Although some trombonists prefer “straight” trombone models without triggers, most have added them for convenience and versatility.

Contemporary usage[edit]

The trombone is found in symphony orchestras, concert bands, big bands, marching bands, military bands, marching bands, and brass choirs. In chamber music it is used in brass quintets, quartets or trios or trombone trios, quartets or choirs. The size of a trombone choir can vary from five or six to twenty or more members. Trombones are also common in swing, jazz, merengue, salsa, R&B, ska, and New Orleans marching bands.

Types [ edit ]

The most commonly encountered types of trombone today are the tenor and bass, although like many other families of instruments such as the clarinet, the trombone was built in sizes from piccolo to double bass. Although trombones are usually constructed with a slide to change pitch, valve trombones instead use the set of three valves common to other brass instruments.

Draw trombones[edit]

Contrabass trombone[ edit ]

Contrabass trombone in F

The contrabass trombone is the lowest trombone and first appears in BB♭ an octave below the tenor with a double slide. This design was commissioned by Wagner in the 1870s for his opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since the late 20th century, however, it has been largely replaced by a less ponderous, single-slide bass-upright instrument tuned in 12′ F. With two valve attachments offering the same full range as its predecessor, this design is effectively a modern bass trombone down a perfect fourth. Although the double bass only appears occasionally in orchestral repertoire and is not a permanent member of the modern orchestra, it is enjoying a revival in the 21st century, particularly in film and video game soundtracks.

bass trombone[edit]

♭ /F/G ♭ /D bass trombone in Bb/F/G/D

Although early instruments were tuned in G, F, or E♭ below the tenor trombone, the modern bass trombone is tuned in the same B♭ as the tenor, but with a wider bore, larger bell, and mouthpiece. These features together make it easier to play in the lower register of the instrument. Modern bass trombones typically have two valves in F and D, providing a fully chromatic range down to the pedal register (B♭1). In Britain, the bass trombone in G was used in orchestras from the mid-19th century and survived into the 1950s, particularly in British brass bands.

Tenor trombone [ edit ]

♭ tenor trombone in B flat

The tenor trombone has a root of B♭ and is usually treated as a non-transposing instrument (see below). Tenor trombones with C as the root were almost equally popular in Britain and France in the mid-19th century. Because the trombone, in its simplest form, has no slurs, valves, or keys to lower the pitch by a specific interval, trombonists use seven chromatic slide positions. Each position progressively increases the length of the air column, thus lowering the pitch.

Moving the slider from one position to the next lowers the pitch by a semitone. Thus, each note in the harmonic series can be lowered by an interval of up to a tritone. The lowest note of the standard instrument is therefore an E♮ – a tritone below B♭. Most experienced trombonists can play lower “falseset” notes and much lower pedal notes (first partials or fundamentals that have a peculiar metallic rumble). Slider positions can be adjusted to compensate for imperfections in the tuning of different harmonics. The fifth partial is fairly flat on most trombones and usually requires a slight shortening of the slide position to compensate; Other small adjustments are usually required throughout the range as well. Trombonists often use alternate positions to minimize slide movement in fast passages. For example, B♭3 can be played in first or fifth position. Alternate positions are also required for a player to produce a glissando to or from a higher note on the same partial.

While the lowest tone of the tenor trombone’s range (excluding root tones or pedal tones) is E2, the upper range of the trombone is theoretically open. The practical top of the range is sometimes considered the F 5 or, more conservatively, the D 5. The pitch range of the C tenor trombone ranges from F♯ 2 to G 5 .

F-Appendix[edit] [14] Trombone with F-mount slide position second overtone.

Many modern tenor trombones have an additional tube attachment – about 3 feet long – that lowers the fundamental pitch from B♭ to F. There are two different forms of this tube: open and traditional (or closed) wrap. The traditional wrap is curved and fits into the main tuning slide, while the open wrap extends beyond the main tuning slide and has only one curve in it. The F cone is activated with a trigger that operates a valve (this differs from the three-valve trombone). This type of trombone is usually built with a larger bore size (.525 or .547 inches (13.3 or 13.9 mm)) and is known as a B♭/F trombone, F-neck trombone, or trigger trombone. Trombones without this feature are called straight trombones.

The F attachment comes from an instrument developed by the German instrument maker Christian Friedrich Sattler in the late 1830s and patented in 1839. It gained popularity at a time when the older German E♭ and F bass trombones had fallen out of favor with orchestral players and had been replaced by a wide-bore B♭ tenor trombone with large bell proportions. This instrument was known as the tenor bass trombone (German tenor bass trombone)—it was a tenor trombone in B♭ with the bore and bell dimensions of a bass trombone, and was used to play both tenor and bass trombone parts.

Tenor trombone with traditional winding F attachment

Sattler used the rotary valve attachment to create a way to play the notes between the root B♭ 1 (first position) and the second partial E 2 (seventh position). The valve allowed players to produce low E♭, D, D♭, C (and with adjustments B), making the full range of the old bass trombone available in 12′ F, and expanding the chromatic range of the tenor trombone through the fundamentals to E 1 .

Sattler’s intention was not to create a trombone to replace the older F and E♭ bass trombones, but rather to create an instrument capable of seamlessly covering the range of bass and tenor trombones. However, the tenor bass trombone replaced the older bass trombones, and the bore and bell size were enlarged later in the nineteenth century to allow models specifically designed for bass trombone parts. Modern bass trombones are derivatives of these late 19th-century B♭/F trombones, used to play parts originally intended for the bass trombone in G, F, or E♭. As valve engagement changes tubing length, additional alternate positions become available for notes. The resulting increase in lightness and the addition of the low E♭, D, D♭, C and B make these instruments popular with experienced orchestral tenor trombonists.

Since tubing length increases by a factor of one-third, the distance between each position must be one-third longer when the bonnet is engaged. This results in only six positions being available as the slide is too short for an actual 12’F bass trombone. Because of this, the Bb two major lines below the bass staff can only be played by extending the slide past the seventh position.

alto trombone[ edit ]

♭ alto trombone in E

The alto trombone is smaller than the tenor trombone and almost always tuned in E♭ a fourth higher than the tenor, although examples tuned in F are occasionally found. Modern instruments are sometimes equipped with a valve to lower the pitch, either a semitone on D (known as a “trill” valve) or a fourth on B♭. The alto trombone was widely used in church music in the 16th to 18th centuries to strengthen the alto voice, particularly in the Mass. Composers such as Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann began writing for alto trombone in their symphonies in the early 19th century, but the later use and popularity of tenor trombones in the orchestra stretched their use to a modern revival that began in the late 20th century, largely overshadowed.

Soprano trombone[ edit ]

♭ Soprano trombone in B flat

The soprano trombone is usually tuned in B♭ an octave above the tenor and has been rarely used outside of trombone choirs in Moravian church music since its first known appearance in 1677. Built with mouthpiece, bore and bell dimensions similar to the B♭ trumpet, it is more likely to be played by trumpeters. During the 20th century, some soprano trombones – called slide cornets – were made as novelties or for use by jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. A small number of contemporary proponents of the instrument include jazz artists Wycliffe Gordon and Christian Scott, and classical trumpeter Torbjörn Hultmark, who advocates its use as an instrument for young children to learn music.

Sopranino and piccolo trombone [ edit ]

♭ by Wessex piccolo trombone in Bby Wessex

The sopranino and piccolo trombones appeared as novel instruments in the 1950s and are even smaller and taller than the soprano. They are tuned in high E♭ and B♭ respectively, an octave above the alto and soprano trombones. Because they are essentially a slide variant of the piccolo trumpet, they are primarily played by trumpeters.

Trombones with valves[ edit ]

Valve trombone [ edit ]

Valve trombone (tenor trombone) in B♭

In the 19th century, once valves were invented for brass instruments, trombones with valves instead of slides became widely used in orchestras and remain popular in some parts of Europe and in military bands.

Cimbasso[edit]

A modern cimbasso in F

The cimbasso covers the same pitch range as a tuba or contrabass trombone. Der Begriff Cimbasso tauchte erstmals in italienischen Opernpartituren des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts auf und bezog sich ursprünglich auf eine aufrechte Schlange oder eine Ophikleide. Das moderne Cimbasso erschien erstmals in den 1880er Jahren und hat drei bis sechs Kolben- oder Drehventile und eine überwiegend zylindrische Bohrung. Sie werden meistens in 12′ F gestimmt, obwohl Modelle in E♭ und gelegentlich 16′ C und 18′ B♭ erhältlich sind. Das Cimbasso wird am häufigsten in Aufführungen spätromantischer italienischer Opern von Verdi und Puccini verwendet, hat aber im 21. Jahrhundert auch eine zunehmende Verwendung in Film-, Fernseh- und Videospiel-Soundtracks erfahren.

Superknochen [ bearbeiten ]

Schema eines Holton Superbone

Eine Hybrid-, “Duplex”- oder “Doppel”-Posaune ist ein Posaunendesign, das sowohl einen Zug als auch einen Satz von drei Ventilen zum Ändern der Tonhöhe hat. Seit ihrem ersten Erscheinen im 19. Jahrhundert durch Besson und später Conn., wurde sie mehrmals neu erfunden. Der Jazzposaunist und Maschinist Brad Gowans erfand in den 1940er Jahren seine „valide trombone“ mit einem kurzen Zug mit vier Positionen. In den 1970er Jahren produzierten Maynard Ferguson und Holton den “Superbone”, der dem früheren Conn sehr ähnlich war. 2013 kündigte Schagerl in Zusammenarbeit mit James Morrison eine Variante mit größerer Bohrung und Drehventilen an.

Flugafon [ bearbeiten ]

Flugabone in B♭ von Olds

Das “Flugabone” (oder manchmal “Flügelbein”), Portmanteau aus “Flügelhorn” und “Posaune”, auch als “marschierende Posaune” bekannt, ist ein marschierendes Blechblasinstrument, im Wesentlichen eine Ventilposaune, die in eine kompakte Flügelhornform gehüllt ist.[16 ] Es behält die zylindrische Bohrung der Posaune bei und nicht die konische Bohrung des Flügelhorns oder des Signalhorns und ähnelt daher in seinen Spieleigenschaften einer Ventilposaune. Eine ähnliche Marschposaune ist das zuerst von King Musical Instruments hergestellte “Posaunum”, das jedoch wie ein Baritonhorn oder Euphonium geformt ist.

Andere Varianten [Bearbeiten]

Sackbutt [ bearbeiten ]

Der Begriff “Sackbutt” bezieht sich auf die frühen Formen der Posaune, die üblicherweise in der Renaissance und im Barock verwendet wurden, mit einer charakteristisch kleineren, zylindrischeren Bohrung und einem weniger ausgestellten Schallbecher.

Buccin [ bearbeiten ]

Glocke eines Buccin, Museu de la Música de Barcelona

Eine besondere Form der Tenorposaune wurde im frühen 19. Jahrhundert in Frankreich populär. Es wurde Buccin genannt und verfügte über einen Tenorposaunenzug und eine Glocke, die in einem zoomorphen (Schlangen- oder Drachen-) Kopf endete. Es klingt wie eine Mischung aus Posaune und Waldhorn, mit einem sehr großen Dynamikbereich, aber einem begrenzten und variablen Tonhöhenbereich. Hector Berlioz schrieb in seiner Messe solennelle von 1824 für den Buccin.

Posaune [ bearbeiten ]

Die „Posaune“, ein Portmanteau aus „Posaune“ und „Fagott“, wurde vom Musikparodisten Peter Schickele geschaffen, indem er das Mundstück einer Posaune durch das Rohrblatt und den Skalpell eines Fagotts ersetzte. Es erscheint in mehreren humorvollen Werken von Schickeles fiktivem Komponisten P. D. Q. Bach.

Technik [Bearbeiten]

Grundlegende Folienpositionen [ bearbeiten ]

Schiebepositionsdiagramm (neues System); Die meisten Posaunen sind Tenorposaunen, wie die ventillose in der Mitte.

Das moderne System hat sieben chromatische Zugpositionen auf einer Tenorposaune in B♭. Es wurde erstmals um 1795 von Andre Braun beschrieben.[17]

In 1811 Joseph Fröhlich wrote on the differences between the modern system and an old system where four diatonic slide positions were used and the trombone was usually keyed to A.[18] To compare between the two styles the chart below may be helpful (take note for example, in the old system contemporary 1st-position was considered “drawn past” then current 1st).[18] In the modern system, each successive position outward (approximately 3+1⁄4 inches [8 cm]) will produce a note which is one semitone lower when played in the same partial. Tightening and loosening the lips will allow the player to “bend” the note up or down by a semitone without changing position, so a slightly out-of-position slide may be compensated for by ear.

New system 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Old system – 1 – 2 – 3 4

Partials and intonation [ edit ] [14] Trombone first position harmonic series, “where additional overtones may be used to stretch the upper range a bit higher.”

[14] Trombone seventh position harmonic series.

As with all brass instruments, progressive tightening of the lips and increased air pressure allow the player to move to different partial in the harmonic series. In the first position (also called closed position) on a B♭ trombone, the notes in the harmonic series begin with B♭ 2 (one octave higher than the pedal B♭ 1 ), F 3 (a perfect fifth higher than the previous partial), B♭ 3 (a perfect fourth higher), D 4 (a major third higher), and F 4 (a minor third higher).

F 4 marks the sixth partial, or the fifth overtone. Notes on the next partial, for example A♭ 4 (a minor third higher) in first position, tend to be out of tune in regards to the twelve-tone equal temperament scale. A♭ 4 in particular, which is at the seventh partial (sixth overtone) is nearly always 31 cents, or about one third of a semitone, flat of the minor seventh. On the slide trombone, such deviations from intonation are corrected for by slightly adjusting the slide or by using an alternate position.[14] Although much of Western music has adopted the even-tempered scale, it has been the practice in Germany and Austria to play these notes in position, where they will have just intonation (see harmonic seventh as well for A♭ 4 ).

The next higher partials—B♭ 4 (a major second higher), C 5 (a major second higher), D 5 (a major second higher)—do not require much adjustment for even-tempered intonation, but E♭ 5 (a minor second higher) is almost exactly a quarter tone higher than it would be in twelve-tone equal temperament. E♭ 5 and F 5 (a major second higher) at the next partial are very high notes; a very skilled player with a highly developed facial musculature and diaphragm can go even higher to G 5 , A♭ 5 , B♭ 5 and beyond.

[14] Trombone with F attachment slide position second harmonics.

The higher in the harmonic series any two successive notes are, the closer they tend to be (as evidenced by the progressively smaller intervals noted above). A byproduct of this is the relatively few motions needed to move between notes in the higher ranges of the trombone. In the lower range, significant movement of the slide is required between positions, which becomes more exaggerated on lower pitched trombones, but for higher notes the player need only use the first four positions of the slide since the partials are closer together, allowing higher notes in alternate positions. As an example, F 4 (at the bottom of the treble clef) may be played in first, fourth or sixth position on a B♭ trombone. The note E 1 (or the lowest E on a standard 88-key piano keyboard) is the lowest attainable note on a 9-foot (2.7 m) B♭ tenor trombone, requiring a full 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 m) of tubing. On trombones without an F attachment, there is a gap between B♭ 1 (the fundamental in first position) and E 2 (the first harmonic in seventh position). Skilled players can produce “falset” notes between these, but the sound is relatively weak and not usually used in performance. The addition of an F attachment allows for intermediate notes to be played with more clarity.

Pedal tones [ edit ]

The pedal tone on B♭ is frequently seen in commercial scoring but much less often in symphonic music while notes below that are called for only rarely as they “become increasingly difficult to produce and insecure in quality” with A♭ or G being the bottom limit for most tenor trombonists.[14] Some contemporary orchestral writing, movie or video game scoring, trombone ensemble and solo works will call for notes as low as a pedal C, B, or even double pedal B♭ on the bass trombone.

Glissando [ edit ]

The trombone is one of the few wind instruments that can produce a true glissando, by moving the slide without interrupting the airflow or sound production. Every pitch in a glissando must have the same harmonic number, and a tritone is the largest interval that can be performed as a glissando.[14]: 151

‘Harmonic’, ‘inverted’, ‘broken’ or ‘false’ glissandos are those that cross one or more harmonic series, requiring a simulated or faked glissando effect.[19]

Trills [ edit ]

Trills, though generally simple with valves, are difficult on the slide trombone. Trills tend to be easiest and most effective higher in the harmonic series because the distance between notes is much smaller and slide movement is minimal. For example, a trill on B♭ 3 /C 4 is virtually impossible as the slide must move two positions (either 1st-to-3rd or 5th-to-3rd), however at an octave higher (B♭ 4 /C 5 ) the notes can both be achieved in 1st position as a lip trill. Thus, the most convincing trills tend to be above the first octave and a half of the tenor’s range.[20] Trills are most commonly found in early Baroque and Classical music for the trombone as a means of ornamentation, however, some more modern pieces will call for trills as well.

Spelling [ edit ]

Unlike most other brass instruments in an orchestral setting, the trombone is not usually considered a transposing instrument. Prior to the invention of valve systems, most brass instruments were limited to playing one overtone series at a time; altering the pitch of the instrument required manually replacing a section of tubing (called a “crook”) or picking up an instrument of different length. Their parts were transposed according to which crook or length-of-instrument they used at any given time, so that a particular note on the staff always corresponded to a particular partial on the instrument. Trombones, on the other hand, have used slides since their inception. As such, they have always been fully chromatic, so no such tradition took hold, and trombone parts have always been notated at concert pitch (with one exception, discussed below). Also, it was quite common for trombones to double choir parts; reading in concert pitch meant there was no need for dedicated trombone parts. Note that while the fundamental sounding pitch (slide fully retracted) has remained quite consistent, the conceptual pitch of trombones has changed since their origin (e.g. Baroque A tenor = modern B-flat tenor).[21]

Trombone parts are typically notated in bass clef, though sometimes also written in tenor clef or alto clef. The use of alto clef is usually confined to orchestral first trombone parts, with the second trombone part written in tenor clef and the third (bass) part in bass clef. As the alto trombone declined in popularity during the 19th century, this practice was gradually abandoned and first trombone parts came to be notated in the tenor or bass clef. Some Russian and Eastern European composers wrote first and second tenor trombone parts on one alto clef staff (the German Robert Schumann was the first to do this). Examples of this practice are evident in scores by Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich. Trombone parts in band music are nearly exclusively notated in bass clef. The rare exceptions are in contemporary works intended for high-level wind bands.

An accomplished performer today is expected to be proficient in reading parts notated in bass clef, tenor clef, alto clef, and (more rarely) treble clef in C, with the British brass-band performer expected to handle treble clef in B♭ as well.

Mutes [ edit ]

A plunger in use

A variety of mutes can be used with the trombone to alter its timbre. Many are held in place with the use of cork grips, including the straight, cup, harmon and pixie mutes. Some fit over the bell, like the bucket mute. In addition to this, mutes can be held in front of the bell and moved to cover more or less area for a wah-wah effect. Mutes used in this way include the “hat” (a metal mute shaped like a bowler hat) and plunger (which looks like, and often is, the rubber suction cup from a sink or toilet plunger). The “wah-wah” sound of a trombone with a harmon mute is featured as the voices of adults in the Peanuts cartoons.

Variations in construction [ edit ]

Bells [ edit ]

Trombone bells (and sometimes slides) may be constructed of different brass mixtures. The most common material is yellow brass (70% copper, 30% zinc), but other materials include rose brass (85% copper, 15% zinc) and red brass (90% copper, 10% zinc). Some manufacturers offer interchangeable bells. Tenor trombone bells are usually between 7 and 9 in (18–23 cm) in diameter, the most common being sizes from 7+1⁄2 to 8+1⁄2 in (19–22 cm). The smallest sizes are found in small jazz trombones and older narrow-bore instruments, while the larger sizes are common in orchestral models. Bass trombone bells can be as large as 10+1⁄2 in (27 cm) or more, though usually either 9+1⁄2 or 10 in (24 or 25 cm) in diameter. The bell may be constructed out of two separate brass sheets or out of one single piece of metal and hammered on a mandrel until the part is shaped correctly. The edge of the bell may be finished with or without a piece of bell wire to secure it, which also affects the tone quality; most bells are built with bell wire. Occasionally, trombone bells are made from solid sterling silver.

Valve attachments [ edit ]

Many trombones have valve attachments to aid in increasing the range of the instrument while also allowing alternate slide positions for difficult music passages. In addition, valve attachments make trills much easier. Valve attachments appear on alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass trombones. It is rare on the alto, but when the instrument does have it, the valve attachment changes the key of the instrument from E♭ to B♭, allowing the alto trombone to play in the tenor trombone range. Tenor trombones commonly have valve attachments, the most common being the F-attachment, which changes the pitch of the instrument from B♭ to F, increasing the range of the instrument downward and allowing alternate slide positions for notes in 6th or 7th position.

Bass trombones also very commonly have F-attachments, which serve exactly the same function as on the tenor trombone. Some single valve bass trombones have E-attachments instead of F-attachments, or sometimes there is extra tubing on the F-attachment to allow it to be used as an E-attachment if desired. However, many bass trombones have a second valve attachment instead, which increases their range downward even more. The most common second valve attachment is the G♭-attachment, which changes the instrument’s key to D when used in combination with the F-attachment (or D♭ if used with the less common E-attachment). There are other configurations other than the G♭-attachment however.

The two valves on a bass trombone can either be independent or dependent. Double rotor dependent valve bass trombones were created in the late 1950s, and double rotor independent valve bass trombones were created in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Dependent means that the second valve only works when used in combination with the first, as it is located directly on the F- or E-attachment tubing. Newer bass trombones have independent (in-line) valves instead, meaning that the second valve is located on the neckpipe of the instrument and can therefore operate independently of the other.[22] Contrabass trombones also can have valve attachments. Contrabass trombones in the key of F typically have two valves tuned to C and D♭ respectively. Contrabass trombones in B♭ on the other hand typically only have one valve, which is tuned to F, though some have a second valve tuned to G♭.

The most common type of valve seen for valve attachments is the rotary valve. Some trombones have piston valves used instead of rotary valves for valve attachments, but it is very rare and is today considered unconventional. Many variations of the rotary valve have been invented in the past half-century, such as the Thayer valve (or axial flow valve), the Hagmann valve, the Greenhoe rotor, and several others, all of which were designed to give the trombone a more open, free sound than a conventional rotary valve would allow due to the 90° bend in most conventional rotary valve designs. Many of these new trombone valve designs have enjoyed great success on the market, but the standard rotary valve remains the most common for trombone valve attachments.

Valve attachments The Thayer valve is an advanced, conically shaped rotary valve that has become very popular in recent trombone design due to the open air flow it allows. The Thayer valve bends the air flowing through the trombone as little as 25 degrees.

The Hagmann valve is a rotary valve variation that has become popular in recent years. It was invented following the Thayer valve as a response to maintenance issues of the Thayer valve.

The standard rotary valve, like the one seen on this tenor trombone, is the most common valve type seen on slide trombones today.

Valves [ edit ]

Some trombones have valves instead of a slide (see valve trombone). These are usually rotary valves, or piston valves.

Valves Matt Belanger formerly of ska punk band We Are the Union playing a valve trombone

A military 6-valve trombone, by Adolphe Sax. Paris, 1866

Tubing [ edit ]

More often than not, tenor trombones with an F attachment, or trigger, have a larger bore through the attachment than through the ‘straight’ section (the portion of the trombone through which the air flows when the attachment is not engaged). Typically, for orchestral instruments, the slide bore is 0.547 in (13.9 mm) and the attachment tubing bore is 0.562 in (14.3 mm). A wide variety of valve attachments and combinations are available. Valve attachment tubing usually incorporates a small tuning slide so that the attachment tubing can be tuned separately from the rest of the instrument. Most B♭/F tenor and bass trombones include a tuning slide long enough to lower the pitch to E with the valve tubing engaged, enabling the production of B 2 .

Open wrap (left) and traditional wrap (right) F attachments

Whereas older instruments fitted with valve attachments usually had the tubing coiled rather tightly in the bell section (closed wrap or traditional wrap), modern instruments usually have the tubing kept as free as possible of tight bends in the tubing (open wrap), resulting in a freer response with the valve attachment tubing engaged. While open-wrap tubing does offer a more open sound, the tubing sticks out from behind the bell and is more vulnerable to damage. For that reason, closed-wrap tubing remains more popular in trombones used in marching bands or other ensembles where the trombone may be more prone to damage.

Tuning [ edit ]

Some trombones are tuned through a mechanism in the slide section rather than via a separate tuning slide in the bell section. This method preserves a smoother expansion from the start of the bell section to the bell flare. The tuning slide in the bell section requires two portions of cylindrical tubing in an otherwise conical part of the instrument, which affects the tone quality. Tuning the trombone enables it to play with other instruments which is essential for the trombone.

Slides [ edit ]

Common and popular bore sizes for trombone slides are 0.500, 0.508, 0.525 and 0.547 in (12.7, 12.9, 13.3 and 13.9 mm) for tenor trombones, and 0.562 in (14.3 mm) for bass trombones. The slide may also be built with a dual-bore configuration, in which the bore of the second leg of the slide is slightly larger than the bore of the first leg, producing a stepwise conical effect. The most common dual-bore combinations are 0.481–0.491 in (12.2–12.5 mm), 0.500–0.508 in (12.7–12.9 mm), 0.508–0.525 in (12.9–13.3 mm), 0.525–0.547 in (13.3–13.9 mm), 0.547–0.562 in (13.9–14.3 mm) for tenor trombones, and 0.562–0.578 in (14.3–14.7 mm) for bass trombones.

Mouthpiece [ edit ]

A tenor trombone mouthpiece

The mouthpiece is a separate part of the trombone and can be interchanged between similarly sized trombones from different manufacturers. Available mouthpieces for trombone (as with all brass instruments) vary in material composition, length, diameter, rim shape, cup depth, throat entrance, venturi aperture, venturi profile, outside design and other factors. Variations in mouthpiece construction affect the individual player’s ability to make a lip seal and produce a reliable tone, the timbre of that tone, its volume, the instrument’s intonation tendencies, the player’s subjective level of comfort, and the instrument’s playability in a given pitch range.

Mouthpiece selection is a highly personal decision. Thus, a symphonic trombonist might prefer a mouthpiece with a deeper cup and sharper inner rim shape in order to produce a rich symphonic tone quality, while a jazz trombonist might choose a shallower cup for brighter tone and easier production of higher notes. Further, for certain compositions, these choices between two such performers could easily be reversed. Some mouthpiece makers now offer mouthpieces that feature removable rims, cups, and shanks allowing players to further customize and adjust their mouthpieces to their preference.

Plastic [ edit ]

Quartet with plastic trombones

Instruments made mostly from plastic, including the pBone and the Tromba plastic trombone, emerged in the 2010s as a cheaper and more robust alternative to brass.[23][24] Plastic instruments could come in almost any colour but the sound plastic instruments produce is different from that of brass. While originally seen as a gimmick, these plastic models have found increasing popularity of the last decade and are now viewed as practice tools that make for more convenient travel as well as a cheaper option for beginning players not wishing to invest so much money in a trombone right away. Manufacturers now produce large-bore models with triggers as well as smaller alto models.

Regional variations [ edit ]

Germany and Austria [ edit ]

German trombones have been built in a wide variety of bore and bell sizes. The traditional German Konzertposaune can differ substantially from American designs in many aspects. The mouthpiece is typically rather small and is placed into a slide section with a very long leadpipe of at least 12 to 24 inches (30–60 cm). The whole instrument is typically made of gold brass. They are constructed using very thin metal (especially in the bell section), and many have a metal ring called a kranz (“crown”) on the rim of the bell.[25] Their sound is very even across dynamic levels but it can be difficult to play at louder volumes.[26] While their bore sizes were considered large in the 19th century, German trombones have altered very little over the last 150 years and are now typically somewhat smaller than their American counterparts. Bell sizes remain very large in all sizes of German trombone and a bass trombone bell may exceed 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter.

Valve attachments in tenor and bass trombones were first seen in the mid 19th century, originally on the tenor B♭ trombone. Before 1850, bass trombone parts were mostly played on a slightly longer F-bass trombone (a fourth lower). The first valve was simply a fourth-valve, or in German “Quart-ventil”, built onto a B♭ tenor trombone, to allow playing in low F. This valve was first built without a return spring, and was only intended to set the instrument in B♭ or F for extended passages.[citation needed] Since the mid-20th century, modern instruments use a trigger to engage the valve while playing.

As with other traditional German and Austrian brass instruments, rotary valves are used to the exclusion of almost all other types of valve, even in valve trombones. Other features often found on German trombones include long water keys as well as Schlangenverzierungen (snake decorations) on the slide and bell U-bows.

Since around 1925, when jazz music became popular, Germany has been selling “American trombones” as well. Most trombones made and/or played in Germany today, especially by amateurs, are built in the American fashion, as those are much more widely available, and thus far cheaper. However, some higher-end manufacturers such as Thein make modern iterations of the classic German Konzertposaune, as well as American-style trombones with German features like the kranz and snake decorations.

France [ edit ]

French trombones were built in the very smallest bore sizes up to the end of the Second World War and whilst other sizes were made there, the French usually preferred the tenor trombone to any other size. French music, therefore, usually employed a section of three tenor trombones up to the mid–20th century. Tenor trombones produced in France during the 19th and early 20th centuries featured bore sizes of around 0.450 in (11.4 mm), small bells of not more than 6 in (15 cm) in diameter, as well as a funnel-shaped mouthpiece slightly larger than that of the cornet or horn. French tenor trombones were built in both C and B♭, altos in D♭, sopranos in F, piccolos in B♭, basses in G and E♭, and contrabasses in B♭.

Didactics [ edit ]

Several makers have begun to market compact B♭/C trombones that are especially well suited for young children learning to play the trombone who cannot reach the outer slide positions of full-length instruments. The fundamental note of the unenhanced length is C, but the short valved attachment that puts the instrument in B♭ is open when the trigger is not depressed. While such instruments have no seventh slide position, C and B natural may be comfortably accessed on the first and second positions by using the trigger. A similar design (“Preacher model”) was marketed by C.G. Conn in the 1920s, also under the Wurlitzer label. Currently, B♭/C trombones are available from many manufacturers, including German makers Günter Frost, Thein and Helmut Voigt, as well as the Yamaha Corporation.[27]

Manufacturers [ edit ]

Trombones in slide and valve configuration have been made by a vast array of musical instrument manufacturers. For the brass bands of the late 19th and early 20th century, prominent American manufacturers included Graves and Sons, E. G. Wright and Company, Boston Musical Instrument Company, E. A. Couturier, H. N. White Company/King Musical Instruments, J. W. York, and C.G. Conn. In the 21st century, leading mainstream manufacturers of trombones include Vincent Bach, Conn, Courtois, Edwards, Getzen, Greenhoe, Jupiter, Kanstul, King, Michael Rath, Schilke, S.E. Shires, Thein, Willson and Yamaha.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

Key of a trombone [ edit | edit source ]

The traditional straight tenor trombone is written in the key of C and in “Concert Pitch”. This means that unlike many other wind instruments, the trombone has the same notes and note names as a piano.

Many trombones have an “F key” or “F attachment” that adds whistles to the trombone that allow it to play in the key of F. This is often used to improve the tuning of the instrument as it gets further down the scale, making faster passages less difficult to play.

Bass trombones often have two rotor valves, which can have an F embouchure or a Db embouchure. sometimes these can be played simultaneously to produce an even lower tone.

The trombone can be played in any scale, but generally the first flat keys are the easiest and most common. Bb, Es, Ab, Db. These are the keys most commonly played in incipient trombone music.

Scales are often learned in terms of shift position, for example 2 octaves of the B flat scale would be: 1 6 4 3 1 4 2 1 3 1 3 1 #2 2 1. Gradually as the player progresses this should be developed as well Knowing the notes of the scale to promote understanding of what they are playing, not just how.

You may notice the notation “#2” in the scale numbers above, this indicates a “short second”, the slide is moved a little closer to the mouthpiece (a process that requires a lot of practice and a good ear) to a produce more pitched note than the “normal” position for the note. Such “short” registers are generally only used at the very top of a trombone’s range. Flat positions are more commonly used for trombonists in the valve or F embouchure area, such as B. an E under the staff in b2 position.

Each trombone has a maximum draw position that it can be played on. For a tenor trombone, that’s about 60 cm. This is about the maximum distance an average Japanese adult male can stretch his arm.

But what if your arms just aren’t long enough? A clever way around this is to attach a string to the slide that allows you to reach the furthest slide position.

The reason you extend your arm at the end is to increase the length of the hose. Trombone makers then had an idea. Why not attach another piece of tubing somewhere on the instrument? This would allow the player’s breath to flow through this new piece only when needed.

This additional tubing also helps extend the bass range of the trombone. For tenor trombones, this extends the range from B♭ (their fundamental pitch) to A, G, and F. The extra tubing is therefore called the “F attachment”. Also, a valve must be installed to use this extra hose.

This makes it possible for smaller people to play the trombone.

understand trumpet

Hello everyone! Again, I’m Zachary Belles and I’m the brass teacher here at the Jerry Evans School of Music. Today we’re going to talk about different aspects of Trumpet and why it’s important for you to know it. We visited the approach last time and went through it very thoroughly, and today we’re going to briefly touch on it again. Working with my students, I’ve noticed that not many students are taught the idea of ​​partials on the trombone. I want to focus mostly on partials and slide positions, including why there are actually more than seven slide positions.

So first things first is approach. As we discussed last time, there is a right way and a wrong way to set up your embouchure on your instrument. Your approach determines both your tone and scope. So if you have developed bad approach habits, they will suffer. If you feel like you have any of these issues, I recommend reading my previous article linked above. This all comes from your mouth and mouthpiece, creating that “M” shape with your mouth. If you put your lips right in the middle of the mouthpiece, you can get better tone out of your trombone.

The next is one of the most important aspects of the trombone and all brass instruments. Of course I’m talking about the partials of the brass instruments. Partials are made up of a series of notes in the harmonic series. Without making it too complicated, all you need to know is that the harmonic series is defined by the number of times sound waves pass through a medium (or the line through the waves in the image at right) in one second. The more often the sound wave penetrates a medium, the higher the tone! Increasing the bottom number by one each time (½ ⅓ ¼ ⅕ etc.) creates a different note.

After doing this through all the possible numbers, you get the harmonic series. With each slide position in the trombone you can play up to 7 different notes in the harmonic series. For example: In 1st position you can play in order from lowest to highest: Bb1, Bb2, F3, Bb3, D4, F4 and Bb4 (the numbers indicate the octave). You can notate these as different partials or “harmonic intervals” where Bb1 is the first partial and Bb4 is the 7th partial. You can see the different notes for each partial in each position in the image above. When you get to the higher partials like 6 and 7 or even 8 and 9, playing requires more air and a firmer embouchure to get the instrument to ring. The image on the left shows all possible notes in each slide position based on the harmonic series.

As you may know, there are seven main positions when using a trombone. But there are actually many, many more than just seven when it comes to the essentials. There are many tiny changes that need to be made in certain partials. For example: If you play a high Eb in 3rd position, it won’t be in a “true 3rd” because the 6th partial is inherently sharp, so you’ll need to bring the Eb out very slightly to make it possible is to be consistent. The same is true if you play a D above the staff in its alternate 4th position. This partial is inherently sharp, so you only need to raise it a hair to play it right. Students begin to discover this when they learn a high G over the staff. This is because the 7th partial is VERY flat. So if you play a G, it’s more of a 1.5 than playing it in 2nd position.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, next time we will talk about the similarities between trombone, euphonium and tuba and how to play all three.

We are blessed to have Zachary as an instructor at JESM. We invite students from Wheaton, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Lisle, West Chicago, Naperville and the other DuPage suburbs to contact us for their first class. Call us today at 630-359-7725 or email us at [email protected] to schedule your first lesson.

Brass instrument played with a slide

The trombone (German: Trombone, Italian, French: Trombone) is a musical instrument from the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips (embouchure) cause the column of air inside the instrument to vibrate. Most brass instruments use valves to change pitch, but trombones have a telescoping slide mechanism instead. Many modern trombone models also have a valve attachment that lowers the pitch of the instrument. Variants such as the valved trombone and superbone have three valves similar to the trumpet.

The word “trombone” derives from the Italian tromba (trumpet) and -one (a suffix meaning “big”), so the name means “big trumpet”. Like the trumpet, the trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore, in contrast to the more conical brass instruments such as the cornet, euphonium and French horn. The most commonly encountered trombones are the tenor trombone and the bass trombone. These are treated as non-transposing instruments and are tuned in B♭, one octave below the B♭ trumpet and one octave above the pedal B♭ tuba. The once-common E-flat alto trombone became less common as improvements in technique expanded the upper range of the tenor, but it is now revived for its lighter sonority, prized in many classical and early Romantic works. Trombone music is usually written in concert tone in either bass or tenor clef, although exceptions occur, notably in British wind music where the tenor trombone is represented as a B♭ transposing instrument written in treble clef. and the alto trombone is usually written in alto clef in concert tone.

A person who plays the trombone is called a trombonist or trombonist.

construction [edit]

Basic Trombone Anatomy Tuning Slide Counterweight Mouthpiece Slide Lock Ring Bell Knob/Shock Water Key/Spike Valve Main Slide Secondary Rod/Bridge First Rod/Staggbell Locknut

The trombone is a mostly cylindrical tube bent into an elongated “S” shape. Although roughly cylindrical, the tube is actually made up of a complex series of tapers. The design of these cones affects the intonation of the instrument. As with other brass instruments, the sound is produced by blowing air through pursed lips, creating a vibration that creates a standing wave in the instrument.

The detachable cup-shaped mouthpiece is similar to that of the baritone horn and is closely related to that of the trumpet. It has a venturi:[1] a small constriction in the column of air that adds drag and greatly affects the tone of the instrument. The mouthpiece is inserted into the slide in the receptacle. The slide section consists of a mouth tube, inner and outer slide tubes, and struts or “bars”. Modern struts are soldered, while sackbutts (medieval precursors to trombones) were made with loose, unsoldered struts.

The “slide”, the trombone’s most distinctive feature (cf. valved trombone), allows the player to increase the length of the air column and lower the pitch. To prevent friction from slowing the movement of the slider, additional sleeves known as stockings were developed during the Renaissance. These “stockings” were soldered to the ends of the inner slider tubes to slightly increase their diameter. The ends of the inner slides of modern instruments are made with a slightly larger diameter to achieve the same end. This part of the slide needs frequent lubrication. Additional tubing connects the slide to the instrument’s bell through a neck tube and bell or back bow (U-bow). The joint connecting slider and bell parts is threaded with a collar to secure the connection. Before the early 20th century, this connection was made exclusively with friction joints.

Trombones have a short tuning slide in the U-shaped bend between the neck tube and the bell, a feature designed by French manufacturer François Riedlocker in the early 19th century. It was incorporated into French and British designs, and later into German and American models, although German trombones were built without tuning slides well into the 20th century. Many types of trombones also include one or more rotary valves, which are used to increase the instrument’s length (and thus lower its pitch) by directing airflow through additional tubing. This extends the bass range of the instrument and creates the possibility of using alternative slide positions for many notes.

Like the trumpet, the trombone is considered a cylindrical-bore instrument because it has extended tube sections, mainly in the slide section, that are of a fixed diameter. Tenor trombones typically bore from 11.4 mm (0.450 in) (small bore) to 13.9 mm (0.547 in) (large or orchestral bore) after the leadpipe and through the slide. The bore extends through the arch to the bell, which is typically between 7 and 8 + 1⁄2 inches (18 and 22 cm). A number of common variations in trombone construction are listed below.

history [edit]

Etymology[ edit ]

“Trumpet” comes from the Italian word tromba (trumpet) plus the suffix -one (big), meaning “big trumpet”.

During the Renaissance, the equivalent English term was “sackbut”. The word first appears in court records as ‘Shakbusshe’ in 1495, around the time King Henry VII married a Portuguese princess who brought musicians with him. “Shakbusshe” is similar to “sacabuche”, attested in Spain as early as 1478. The French equivalent “saqueboute” appears in 1466.[4]

The German “trombone” predates the invention of the slide and could refer to a natural trumpet as early as the 15th century.[5]

origin [edit]

Both towns and courts sponsored shawm and trombone bands. The most famous and influential served the Duke of Burgundy. The main role of the trombone was the countertenor part in a dance band.[6] The sackbut was used extensively across Europe from its appearance in the 15th century to a decline in most places in the mid to late 17th century. It was used at outdoor events, at concerts, and in liturgical settings. With the trumpeters, trombonists were employed as civil servants in German city-states. As civil servants, these trombonists were often relegated to sentry posts in the city towers, but they also heralded the arrival of important figures in the city. This resembles the role of a military bugler and was used in 16th-century German cities as a sign of wealth and strength.

However, these trombonists were often viewed separately from the more experienced trombonists who played in groups such as the alta capella wind ensembles and the first orchestral ensembles. These were performed in religious settings such as St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice in the early 17th century.[7]

Composers who wrote for trombone during this period include Claudio Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, Giovanni Gabrieli and his uncle Andrea Gabrieli. The trombone doubled parts in sacred works, but there are also solo pieces written for trombone in the early 17th century.

By the time the sackbut was in common use again in England in the 18th century, Italian music was so influential that the instrument came to be known as the “trombone”, although in some countries throughout its history the same name has been used, namely trombone. Italian trombone and German trombone. The 17th century trombone was built in slightly smaller dimensions than modern trombones and had a more conical and less flared bell.

In the late Baroque period, Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Handel occasionally used trombones. Bach required a tromba di tirarsi in some of his liturgical cantatas to double the cantus firmus, which may be a form of the closely related slide trumpet.[9] Bach also used a chorus of four trombones to double the chorus in three of his cantatas (BWV 2, BWV 21 and BWV 38) and also a quartet of three trombones and a cornett in cantata BWV 25. Handel used it in the death march of Saul, Samson and Israel in Egypt. All were examples of an oratorio style popular in the early 18th century. Sheet music is rare, as few professional town pipers or alta cappella musicians were available. Handel, for example, had to import trombones to England from a royal court in Hanover, Germany, in order to perform one of his larger compositions. [citation needed] Thus, trombone parts were rather rarely given “solo” roles that were not interchangeable with other instruments.

Classic [ edit ]

Christoph Willibald Gluck was the first major composer to use the trombone in an opera overture, Alceste (1767), but he also used it in operas such as Orfeo ed Euridice, Iphigénie en Tauride (1779) and Echo et Narcisse.

The construction of the trombone has changed relatively little between the Baroque and Classic periods. The most obvious change was in the bell, slightly more flared.

The first use of the trombone as an independent instrument in a symphony was in the Symphonie in E♭ (1807) by the Swedish composer Joachim Nicolas Eggert.[11] But the composer usually credited with introducing the trombone into the symphony orchestra was Ludwig van Beethoven in Symphony No. 5 in C minor (1808). Beethoven also used trombones in his Symphony No. 6 in F major (“Pastoral”) and his Symphony No. 9 (“Chorale”).

Romance[ edit ]

19th Century Orchestra[ edit ]

Trombones have often been included in compositions, operas and symphonies by composers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz, Franz Berwald, Charles Gounod, Franz Liszt, Gioacchino Rossini, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner.

Although the trombone trio was paired with a cornet or two in the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, the disappearance of the cornet as a partner and its replacement by the oboe and clarinet left the trombone’s purpose unchanged: to support the alto, tenor, and bass parts of the choir ( usually in church settings), where harmonically moving lines were more difficult to discern than the melodic soprano line. But the introduction of trombones into the orchestra linked them more closely with trumpets, and soon an additional tenor trombone replaced the alto. The Germans and Austrians retained the alto trombone a little longer than the French, who preferred a group of three tenor trombones until after World War II. In other countries, the trio of two tenor trombones and a bass became standard around the mid-19th century.

Trombonists were less employed by court chapels and cathedrals and should therefore provide their own instrument. Military musicians were provided with instruments, and instruments such as the long F or E♭ bass trombone remained in military use until around the First World War. But orchestral musicians adopted the tenor trombone, the most versatile trombone that could play in the ranges of each of the three trombone parts typically found in orchestral scores.[vague]

Valve trombones in the mid-19th century did little to change the makeup of the orchestra’s trombone section; Despite being ousted from orchestras in Germany and France, the valve trombone remained popular in countries like Italy and Bohemia almost to the point of the slide instrument’s extinction. Composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák composed for a valve trombone movement.

With the ophicleide, or later the tuba, being subordinated to the trombone trio in the 19th century, sections scored for bass trombone seldom fell as low as sections achieved before the addition of any of these new low brass instruments. [vague] Only in the early 20th century did it regain some independence. Experimentation with the trombone section included Richard Wagner’s addition of a contrabass trombone in Der Ring des Nibelungen and Gustav Mahler’s and Richard Strauss’s expansion by adding a second bass trombone to the usual trio of two tenor trombones and one bass trombone. Most orchestral works are still scored for the usual low brass section of the mid to late 19th century, with two tenor trombones, a bass trombone and a tuba.

Wind bands of the 19th century [ edit ]

Trombones have been part of major brass bands since their inception as an ensemble during the French Revolution of 1791. During the 19th century, marching band traditions were established, including circus bands, military bands, marching bands (mainly in Britain) and town bands (mainly in the US). Some of these, particularly military bands in Europe, used back-facing trombones with the bell section pointing behind the player’s left shoulder. These bands played a limited repertoire with few original compositions, consisting mostly of orchestral transcriptions, arrangements of popular and patriotic tunes, and feature pieces for soloists (usually cornetists, singers, and violinists). A notable work for wind band is Berlioz’s 1840 Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, which uses a trombone solo for the entire second movement.

Towards the end of the 19th century, trombone virtuosos began to appear as soloists in American wind bands. The most notable was Arthur Pryor, who played with the John Philip Sousa Band and formed his own.

Pedagogy of the 19th century

In the Romantic period, Leipzig became a center for trombone pedagogy. The trombone was taught at the conservatory founded by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The Paris Conservatory and its annual exhibition also contributed to trombone training. At the Leipzig Academy, Mendelssohn’s bass trombonist Karl Traugott Queisser was the first in a long line of respected trombone professors. Several composers wrote works for Quiesser, including Ferdinand David (Mendelssohn’s concertmaster), who wrote the Concertino for trombone and orchestra in 1837, Ernst Sachse and Friedrich August Belcke, whose solo works remain popular in Germany. Queisser helped restore Trombone’s reputation in Germany. He championed and popularized Christian Friedrich Sattler’s tenor bass trombone in the 1840s, leading to its widespread use in orchestras throughout Germany and Austria.

19th century building [ edit ]

Sattler had great influence on trombone design. He introduced a major widening of the bore (the most important since the Renaissance), the innovations of the snake ornaments (snake ornaments), the bell garland, and the wide bell flare – features still found on German-made trombones made during the 19th century. Century.

The trombone was further improved in the 19th century, with the addition of “stockings” at the end of the inner slide to reduce friction, the water key being developed to remove condensation from the horn, and the occasional addition of a valve intentionally, should only be turned on or off, but later become the regular F-valve. In addition, the valved trombone appeared around the 1850s, shortly after the invention of valves, and was widely used in Italy and Austria in the second half of the century.

Twentieth Century[ edit ]

“Miss Trombone” 1908 ragtime by Henry Fillmore; played by The Indestructible Military Band Problems playing this file? See media help.

Newsboy military band with trombone, Toledo, Ohio

Orchestras of the 20th Century [ edit ]

In the 20th century the trombone asserted its important place in the orchestra in works by Béla Bartók, Alban Berg, Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, Edward Elgar, George Gershwin, Gustav Holst, Leos Janacek, Gustav Mahler, Olivier Messiaen, Darius Milhaud , Carl Nielsen, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Arnold Schoenberg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Jean Sibelius, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Heitor Villa-Lobos and William Walton.

With the advent of recorded music and music schools, orchestral trombone sections around the world began to have a more consistent idea of ​​a standard trombone sound. British orchestras abandoned the use of small-bore tenors and G basses in favor of an American-German approach of large-bore tenors and B♭ basses in the 1940s. French orchestras did the same in the 1960s.

Wind Bands of the 20th Century [ edit ]

During the first half of the century, touring and community concert bands in the United States declined in popularity and were severely reduced. However, with the development of music education in the public school system, high school and college concert bands and marching bands became ubiquitous in the United States. A typical concert band trombone consists of two tenor trombones and one bass trombone, but using multiple players per part is common practice, particularly in public schools.

Use in jazz[edit]

In the 1900s, the trombone aided the bass or tuba player’s task of sketching chords for the other instruments by playing a bass line over which the higher instruments could improvise. It was not until the swing era in the mid-1920s that the trombone was used as a solo instrument. Examples of early trombone soloists include Jack Teagarden and J.J. Johnson.[12][13]

20th century construction[edit]

During the 20th century there were design changes, such as B. the use of different materials; Increasing the dimensions of the mouthpiece, bore and bell; and in types of dampers and valves. Despite the universal move to a larger horn, many European trombone makers prefer a slightly smaller bore than their American counterparts.

One of the most important changes is the popularity of the F-Attachment trigger. In the mid-20th century, orchestral trombonists used instruments that lacked a trigger because there was no need for one. But as 20th-century composers like Mahler became popular, tenor trombone parts began to extend into lower registers that required a trigger. Although some trombonists prefer “straight” trombone models without triggers, most have added them for convenience and versatility.

Contemporary usage[edit]

The trombone is found in symphony orchestras, concert bands, big bands, marching bands, military bands, marching bands, and brass choirs. In chamber music it is used in brass quintets, quartets or trios or trombone trios, quartets or choirs. The size of a trombone choir can vary from five or six to twenty or more members. Trombones are also common in swing, jazz, merengue, salsa, R&B, ska, and New Orleans marching bands.

Types [ edit ]

The most commonly encountered types of trombone today are the tenor and bass, although like many other families of instruments such as the clarinet, the trombone was built in sizes from piccolo to double bass. Although trombones are usually constructed with a slide to change pitch, valve trombones instead use the set of three valves common to other brass instruments.

Draw trombones[edit]

Contrabass trombone[ edit ]

Contrabass trombone in F

The contrabass trombone is the lowest trombone and first appears in BB♭ an octave below the tenor with a double slide. This design was commissioned by Wagner in the 1870s for his opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since the late 20th century, however, it has been largely replaced by a less ponderous, single-slide bass-upright instrument tuned in 12′ F. With two valve attachments offering the same full range as its predecessor, this design is effectively a modern bass trombone down a perfect fourth. Although the double bass only appears occasionally in orchestral repertoire and is not a permanent member of the modern orchestra, it is enjoying a revival in the 21st century, particularly in film and video game soundtracks.

bass trombone[edit]

♭ /F/G ♭ /D bass trombone in Bb/F/G/D

Although early instruments were tuned in G, F, or E♭ below the tenor trombone, the modern bass trombone is tuned in the same B♭ as the tenor, but with a wider bore, larger bell, and mouthpiece. These features together make it easier to play in the lower register of the instrument. Modern bass trombones typically have two valves in F and D, providing a fully chromatic range down to the pedal register (B♭1). In Britain, the bass trombone in G was used in orchestras from the mid-19th century and survived into the 1950s, particularly in British brass bands.

Tenor trombone [ edit ]

♭ tenor trombone in B flat

The tenor trombone has a root of B♭ and is usually treated as a non-transposing instrument (see below). Tenor trombones with C as the root were almost equally popular in Britain and France in the mid-19th century. Because the trombone, in its simplest form, has no slurs, valves, or keys to lower the pitch by a specific interval, trombonists use seven chromatic slide positions. Each position progressively increases the length of the air column, thus lowering the pitch.

Moving the slider from one position to the next lowers the pitch by a semitone. Thus, each note in the harmonic series can be lowered by an interval of up to a tritone. The lowest note of the standard instrument is therefore an E♮ – a tritone below B♭. Most experienced trombonists can play lower “falseset” notes and much lower pedal notes (first partials or fundamentals that have a peculiar metallic rumble). Slider positions can be adjusted to compensate for imperfections in the tuning of different harmonics. The fifth partial is fairly flat on most trombones and usually requires a slight shortening of the slide position to compensate; Other small adjustments are usually required throughout the range as well. Trombonists often use alternate positions to minimize slide movement in fast passages. For example, B♭3 can be played in first or fifth position. Alternate positions are also required for a player to produce a glissando to or from a higher note on the same partial.

While the lowest tone of the tenor trombone’s range (excluding root tones or pedal tones) is E2, the upper range of the trombone is theoretically open. The practical top of the range is sometimes considered the F 5 or, more conservatively, the D 5. The pitch range of the C tenor trombone ranges from F♯ 2 to G 5 .

F-Appendix[edit] [14] Trombone with F-mount slide position second overtone.

Many modern tenor trombones have an additional tube attachment – about 3 feet long – that lowers the fundamental pitch from B♭ to F. There are two different forms of this tube: open and traditional (or closed) wrap. The traditional wrap is curved and fits into the main tuning slide, while the open wrap extends beyond the main tuning slide and has only one curve in it. The F cone is activated with a trigger that operates a valve (this differs from the three-valve trombone). This type of trombone is usually built with a larger bore size (.525 or .547 inches (13.3 or 13.9 mm)) and is known as a B♭/F trombone, F-neck trombone, or trigger trombone. Trombones without this feature are called straight trombones.

The F attachment comes from an instrument developed by the German instrument maker Christian Friedrich Sattler in the late 1830s and patented in 1839. It gained popularity at a time when the older German E♭ and F bass trombones had fallen out of favor with orchestral players and had been replaced by a wide-bore B♭ tenor trombone with large bell proportions. This instrument was known as the tenor bass trombone (German tenor bass trombone)—it was a tenor trombone in B♭ with the bore and bell dimensions of a bass trombone, and was used to play both tenor and bass trombone parts.

Tenor trombone with traditional winding F attachment

Sattler used the rotary valve attachment to create a way to play the notes between the root B♭ 1 (first position) and the second partial E 2 (seventh position). The valve allowed players to produce low E♭, D, D♭, C (and with adjustments B), making the full range of the old bass trombone available in 12′ F, and expanding the chromatic range of the tenor trombone through the fundamentals to E 1 .

Sattler’s intention was not to create a trombone to replace the older F and E♭ bass trombones, but rather to create an instrument capable of seamlessly covering the range of bass and tenor trombones. However, the tenor bass trombone replaced the older bass trombones, and the bore and bell size were enlarged later in the nineteenth century to allow models specifically designed for bass trombone parts. Modern bass trombones are derivatives of these late 19th-century B♭/F trombones, used to play parts originally intended for the bass trombone in G, F, or E♭. As valve engagement changes tubing length, additional alternate positions become available for notes. The resulting increase in lightness and the addition of the low E♭, D, D♭, C and B make these instruments popular with experienced orchestral tenor trombonists.

Since tubing length increases by a factor of one-third, the distance between each position must be one-third longer when the bonnet is engaged. This results in only six positions being available as the slide is too short for an actual 12’F bass trombone. Because of this, the Bb two major lines below the bass staff can only be played by extending the slide past the seventh position.

alto trombone[ edit ]

♭ alto trombone in E

The alto trombone is smaller than the tenor trombone and almost always tuned in E♭ a fourth higher than the tenor, although examples tuned in F are occasionally found. Modern instruments are sometimes equipped with a valve to lower the pitch, either a semitone on D (known as a “trill” valve) or a fourth on B♭. The alto trombone was widely used in church music in the 16th to 18th centuries to strengthen the alto voice, particularly in the Mass. Composers such as Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann began writing for alto trombone in their symphonies in the early 19th century, but the later use and popularity of tenor trombones in the orchestra stretched their use to a modern revival that began in the late 20th century, largely overshadowed.

Soprano trombone[ edit ]

♭ Soprano trombone in B flat

The soprano trombone is usually tuned in B♭ an octave above the tenor and has been rarely used outside of trombone choirs in Moravian church music since its first known appearance in 1677. Built with mouthpiece, bore and bell dimensions similar to the B♭ trumpet, it is more likely to be played by trumpeters. During the 20th century, some soprano trombones – called slide cornets – were made as novelties or for use by jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. A small number of contemporary proponents of the instrument include jazz artists Wycliffe Gordon and Christian Scott, and classical trumpeter Torbjörn Hultmark, who advocates its use as an instrument for young children to learn music.

Sopranino and piccolo trombone [ edit ]

♭ by Wessex piccolo trombone in Bby Wessex

The sopranino and piccolo trombones appeared as novel instruments in the 1950s and are even smaller and taller than the soprano. They are tuned in high E♭ and B♭ respectively, an octave above the alto and soprano trombones. Because they are essentially a slide variant of the piccolo trumpet, they are primarily played by trumpeters.

Trombones with valves[ edit ]

Valve trombone [ edit ]

Valve trombone (tenor trombone) in B♭

In the 19th century, once valves were invented for brass instruments, trombones with valves instead of slides became widely used in orchestras and remain popular in some parts of Europe and in military bands.

Cimbasso[edit]

A modern cimbasso in F

The cimbasso covers the same pitch range as a tuba or contrabass trombone. The term cimbasso first appeared in Italian operatic scores of the early 19th century, originally referring to an upright serpent or an ophicleide. The modern cimbasso first appeared in the 1880s and has three to six piston or rotary valves and a predominantly cylindrical bore. They are most commonly tuned in 12′ F, although models are available in E♭ and occasionally 16′ C and 18′ B♭. The cimbasso is most commonly used in performances of late-Romantic Italian operas by Verdi and Puccini, but has also seen increased use in film, television, and video game soundtracks in the 21st century.

super bones[ edit ]

Schematic of a Holton Superbone

A hybrid, “duplex” or “double” trombone is a trombone design that has both a slide and a set of three valves for changing pitch. Since its first appearance in the 19th century by Besson and later Conn., it has been reinvented several times. Jazz trombonist and machinist Brad Gowans invented his “valid trombone” with a short four-position slide in the 1940s. In the 1970s, Maynard Ferguson and Holton produced the “Superbone”, which was very similar to the earlier Conn. In 2013 Schagerl announced a larger bore variant with rotary valves in collaboration with James Morrison.

Flugafon[ edit ]

Flight tickets in B♭ from Olds

The “flugabone” (or sometimes “flugelbein”), portmanteau of “flugelhorn” and “trombone”, also known as the “marching trombone”, is a marching brass instrument, essentially a valved trombone cloaked in a compact flugelhorn shape.[16th ] It retains the cylindrical bore of the trombone rather than the conical bore of the flugelhorn or bugle and is therefore similar in playing characteristics to a valve trombone. A similar marching trombone is the “trombone” first manufactured by King Musical Instruments, but shaped like a baritone horn or euphonium.

Other variants[edit]

Sackbut [ edit ]

The term “sackbut” refers to the early forms of trombone, commonly used in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, with a characteristically smaller, more cylindrical bore and less flared bell.

Buccin[ edit ]

Bell of a Buccin, Museu de la Música de Barcelona

A particular form of tenor trombone became popular in France in the early 19th century. Called the Buccin, it featured a tenor trombone slide and a bell ending in a zoomorphic (snake or dragon) head. It sounds like a cross between a trombone and French horn, with a very wide dynamic range but a limited and variable pitch range. Hector Berlioz wrote for the Buccin in his 1824 Messe solennelle.

trombone [ edit ]

The Trombone, a portmanteau of Trombone and Bassoon, was created by music parodist Peter Schickele by substituting the reed and scalpel of a bassoon for the mouthpiece of a trombone. It appears in several humorous works by Schickele’s fictional composer P.D.Q. Bach.

technique [edit]

Basic slide positions [ edit ]

shift position diagram (new system); Most trombones are tenor trombones, like the valveless one in the middle.

The modern system has seven chromatic slide positions on a tenor trombone in B♭. It was first described by Andre Braun around 1795.[17]

In 1811 Joseph Fröhlich wrote about the differences between the modern system and an old system that used four diatonic slide positions and the trombone was normally set on A.[18] To compare between the two styles, the following table may be helpful (note, for example, that in the old system the contemporary 1st position was considered “drawn over” and then the current 1st position).[18] In the modern system, each successive outward position (approximately 3+1⁄4 inches [8 cm]) produces a note that is a semitone lower when played in the same partial. Tightening and loosening the lips allows the player to “bend” the note up or down a semitone without changing position, allowing a slight shifting out of position to be compensated for by ear.

New system 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Old system – 1 – 2 – 3 4

Partials and intonation [ edit ] [14] Harmonic series of trombone first position, “where additional overtones may be used to stretch the upper range a little higher.”

[14] Harmonic series of the seventh position of the trumpet.

As with all brass instruments, the progressive tightening of the lips and increased air pressure allow the player to move to different partials in the harmonic series. In the first position (also called the closed position) on a B♭ trombone, the notes in the harmonic series begin with B♭ 2 (an octave higher than the pedal B♭ 1), F 3 (a perfect fifth higher than the previous partial). ). ), B♭ 3 (a perfect third higher), D 4 (a major third higher) and F 4 (a minor third higher).

F 4 marks the sixth partial or fifth overtone. Notes on the nearest partial, for example A♭4 (a minor third higher) in first position, tend to be out of tune with respect to the twelve-tone equal scale. In particular, A♭4, which is on the seventh partial (sixth overtone), is almost always 31 cents, or about a third of a semitone, flat from the minor seventh. With the slide trombone, such deviations in intonation are corrected by slightly adjusting the slide or using a different position.[14] Although much Western music has adopted the balanced scale, in Germany and Austria it was common to play these notes in position where they are currently intoned (see also harmonic seventh for A♭4).

The next higher partials — B♭ 4 (a major second higher), C 5 (a major second higher), D 5 (a major second higher) — don’t require much adjustment for evenly tempered intonation, but E♭ 5 (a minor second higher) is almost exactly a quarter tone higher than in a twelve-tone equal temperament. E♭ 5 and F 5 (a major second higher) on the next partial are very high notes; A very experienced player with highly developed facial muscles and a diaphragm can go even higher to G 5 , A♭ 5 , B♭ 5 and beyond.

[14] Trombone with F-mount slide position second overtone.

The higher in the harmonic series two consecutive notes are, the closer they tend to be (as evidenced by the progressively smaller intervals mentioned above). A by-product of this is the relatively few movements required to move between notes in the trombone’s higher registers. The lower range requires significant movement of the slide between positions, which is exaggerated in lower trombones, but for higher notes the player need only use the first four positions of the slide, as the partials are closer together, allowing higher notes to be alternated positions. For example, F 4 (at the foot of the treble clef) can be played on a B♭ trombone in first, fourth, or sixth position. The note E1 (or the lowest E on a standard 88-key piano keyboard) is the lowest attainable note on a 2.7 m B♭ tenor trombone and requires a full 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) of tubing. For trombones without an F suffix, there is a gap between B♭ 1 (the root in first position) and E 2 (the first overtone in seventh position). Skilled players can produce “wrong” notes in between, but the sound is relatively weak and not typically used in performance. The addition of an F suffix allows intermediate notes to be played more clearly.

Pedal tones [ edit ]

The pedal tone on B♭ is commonly seen in commercial score but much less frequently in symphonic music, while notes below it are rarely required as they “become increasingly difficult to produce and uncertain in quality”, with A♭ or G the lower limit is for most tenor trombonists.[14] Some contemporary orchestral compositions, film or video game scores, trombone ensembles, and solo works require notes as low as a pedal C, Bb, or even double pedal B♭ on the bass trombone.

Glissando[edit]

The trombone is one of the few wind instruments that can produce true glissando by moving the slide without disrupting the airflow or sound production. Each pitch in a glissando must have the same harmonic number, and a tritone is the largest interval that can be performed as a glissando.[14]: 151

“Harmonic”, “inverted”, “broken”, or “false” glissandos are those that cross one or more harmonic series and require a simulated or feigned glissando effect.

trill [ edit ]

Trills, although generally easy with valves, are difficult on the slide trombone. Trills tend to be easiest and most effective higher in the harmonic series because the spacing between notes is much smaller and the slide motion is minimal. For example, a trill on B♭3/C4 is virtually impossible because the slide has to move two positions (either 1st to 3rd or 5th to 3rd), but one octave higher (B♭4/C5 ) the tones can both be reached in the 1st position as lip trills. Thus, the most convincing trills tend to fall over the first octave and a half of the tenor’s range.[20] Trills are most commonly found in early Baroque and Classical trombone music as a means of embellishment, but some more modern pieces also require trills.

Spelling [ edit ]

Unlike most other brass instruments in an orchestra, the trombone is not typically considered a transposing instrument. Before the invention of valve systems, most brass instruments were limited to playing one overtone row at a time; Changing the pitch of the instrument required manually replacing a section of tubing (referred to as a “crook”) or picking up an instrument of a different length. Their voices were transposed depending on which slur or length of instrument they were using, so that a particular note on the staff always corresponded to a particular partial on the instrument. Trombones, on the other hand, have used slides since their introduction. As such they were always fully chromatic, so no such tradition caught on, and trombone parts were always notated in concert pitch (with one exception discussed below). Also, it was quite common for trombones to double the choir; Reading in concert pitch meant that no special trombone parts were required. Note that while the fundamental sounding pitch (slide fully retracted) has remained fairly constant, the conceptual pitch of trombones has changed since their inception (e.g. Baroque A tenor = modern B tenor).[21]

Trombone parts are typically notated in bass clef, but are sometimes notated in tenor or alto clef. The use of alto clef is usually limited to orchestral first trombone parts, with the second trombone part written in tenor clef and the third (bass) part in bass clef. As the alto trombone declined in popularity in the 19th century, this practice was gradually abandoned and early trombone parts were notated in tenor or bass clef. Some Russian and Eastern European composers wrote the first and second tenor trombone parts on an alto clef system (the German Robert Schumann was the first to do so). Examples of this practice can be found in the scores of Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich. Trombone parts in band music are almost exclusively notated in bass clef. The rare exceptions are contemporary works intended for high-level concert bands.

An accomplished performer is now expected to be able to read parts notated in the bass clef, tenor clef, alto clef and (less commonly) the treble clef in C, with the British wind musician expected to also be able to handle the treble clef in B♭ can .

mute [ edit ]

A piston in action

A variety of mutes can be used with the trombone to alter its timbre. Many are held in place through the use of cork grips, including the Straight, Cup, Harmoni, and Pixie dampeners. Some fit over the bell, like the Bucket Mute. Additionally, mutes can be held in front of the bell and moved to cover more or less area for a wah-wah effect. Dampeners used in this way include the “hat” (a metal damper shaped like a bowler hat) and the plunger (which looks like, and often is, the rubber suction cup of a sink or toilet plunger). The “wah-wah” sound of a trombone with a harmony mute is used as adult voices in the Peanuts cartoons.

Variations in construction[edit]

Bells [ edit ]

Trombone bells (and sometimes slides) can be made from various brass alloys. The most common material is yellow brass (70% copper, 30% zinc), but other materials include rose brass (85% copper, 15% zinc) and red brass (90% copper, 10% zinc). Some manufacturers offer interchangeable bells. Tenor trombone bells are typically between 18 and 23 cm (7 and 9 in) in diameter, with sizes from 19 to 22 cm (7 + 1⁄2 to 8 + 1⁄2 in) being most common. The smallest sizes are found in small jazz trombones and older narrow-bore instruments, while the larger sizes are common in orchestral models. Bass trombone bells can be as large as 27 cm (10+1⁄2 in) or more, but are typically 24 or 25 cm (9+1⁄2 or 10 in) in diameter. The bell can be made from two separate sheets of brass or from a single piece of metal and hammered onto a mandrel until the piece is the right shape. The rim of the bell can be finished with or without a piece of bell wire for attachment, which also affects the sound quality. Most bells are constructed from bell wire. Occasionally trombone bells are made from solid sterling silver.

Valve attachments[ edit ]

Many trombones have valve attachments to increase the range of the instrument while allowing alternative slide positions for difficult musical passages. In addition, valve attachments make trilling much easier. Valve attachments are found on alto, tenor, bass and contrabass trombones. It is rarely on the alto, but if the instrument has it, the valve attachment changes the key of the instrument from E♭ to B♭, allowing the alto trombone to play in the tenor trombone range. Tenor trombones commonly have valved attachments, the most common being the F attachment, which changes the pitch of the instrument from B♭ to F, increasing the range of the instrument downwards and allowing alternative slide positions for notes in 6th or 7th position.

Bass trombones also very often have F embouchures, which perform exactly the same function as the tenor trombone. Some single-valve bass trombones have E stubs instead of F stubs, or sometimes there is an extra tubing on the F snout to allow it to be used as an E snub if necessary. However, many bass trombones have a second valve attachment instead, which increases their range even further downwards. The most common second valve bonnet is the G♭ bonnet, which changes the instrument’s clef to D when used in combination with the F bonnet (or D♭ when used with the less common E bonnet). However, configurations other than the G♭ appendix exist.

The two valves on a bass trombone can be either independent or dependent. Bass trombones with twin rotor dependent valves were made in the late 1950s, and bass trombones with twin rotor independent valves were made in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Dependent means that the second valve only works in combination with the first, as it is located directly on the F or E connection hose. Newer bass trombones have independent (in-line) valves instead, meaning that the second valve is on the instrument’s neck tube and can therefore operate independently of the other.[22] Contrabass trombones can also have valve attachments. Double bass trombones in the key of F usually have two valves tuned to C and D♭, respectively. Contrabass trombones in B♭, on the other hand, usually have only one valve tuned to F, although some have a second valve tuned to G♭.

The most common valve type for valve attachments is the rotary valve. Some trombones have piston valves used for valve attachments instead of rotary valves, but it is very rare and is now considered unconventional. Many variations on the rotary valve have been invented over the last half century, such as the Thayer valve (or axial flow valve), the Hagmann valve, the Greenhoe rotor, and several others, all designed to give the trombone a more open, freer sound Sounded better than a traditional rotary valve would allow due to the 90° bend in most traditional rotary valve designs. Many of these new trombone valve designs have had great success in the marketplace, but the standard rotary valve remains the most common for trombone valve attachments.

Valve Attachments The Thayer valve is an advanced, conically shaped rotary valve that has become very popular in recent trombone design because of the open airflow it allows. The Thayer valve bends the air flowing through the trombone only 25 degrees.

The Hagmann valve is a rotary valve variant that has enjoyed great popularity in recent years. It was invented after the Thayer valve in response to Thayer valve maintenance problems.

The standard rotary valve, as seen on this tenor trombone, is the most common valve type on slide trombones today.

Valves [ edit ]

Some trombones have valves instead of a slide (see valve trombone). These are usually rotary valves or piston valves.

Valves Matt Belanger, formerly of the ska-punk band We Are the Union, plays a valved trombone

A 6-valve military trombone by Adolphe Sax. Paris, 1866

Hoses [ edit ]

Most often, tenor trombones with an F bellows or trigger have a larger bore through the bellows than through the “straight” section (the part of the trombone that air flows through when the bellows is not engaged). Typically, on orchestral instruments, the slide bore is 13.9 mm (0.547 in) and the attachment tube bore is 14.3 mm (0.562 in). A variety of valve attachments and combinations are available. Valve attachment hoses usually contain a small tuning slide so that the attachment hoses can be tuned separately from the rest of the instrument. Most B♭/F tenor and bass trombones include a tuning slide long enough to drop the pitch to E with the valve tube indented, allowing the production of Bb2.

Open Wrap (Left) and Traditional Wrap (Right) F-Attachments

While older instruments fitted with valve attachments typically had the tubing coiled fairly tightly in the bell section (closed coil or traditional coil), modern instruments typically have the tubing kept as free as possible of tight bends in the tubing (open coil), resulting in a freer response with the valve attachment hose engaged. While open-wrap tubing offers a more open sound, the tubing protrudes from behind the bell and is more prone to damage. For this reason, closed-wound tubing remains more popular for trombones used in marching bands or other ensembles where the trombone can be more susceptible to damage.

Tuning [ edit ]

Some trombones are tuned by a mechanism in the slide section rather than a separate tuning slide in the bell section. This method preserves a smoother expansion from the beginning of the bell section to the bell flare. The tuning slide in the bell section requires two cylindrical sections of tubing in an otherwise conical part of the instrument, affecting tone quality. Tuning the trombone allows it to play with other instruments, which is essential for the trombone.

Slides [edit]

Common and popular bore sizes for trombone slides are .500, .508, .525, and .547 inches (12.7, 12.9, 13.3, and 13.9 mm) for tenor trombones and .562 inches (14.3 mm) for bass trombones. The slider can also be built with a double bore configuration in which the bore of the second leg of the slider is slightly larger than the bore of the first leg, creating a stepwise tapered action. The most common double bore combinations are 12.2–12.5 mm (0.481–0.491 in), 12.7–12.9 mm (0.500–0.508 in), 12.9–13.3 mm (0.508–0.525 in), 13 .3-13.9 mm (0.525-0.547 inch). ), 13.9–14.3 mm (0.547–0.562 in) for tenor trombones and 14.3–14.7 mm (0.562–0.578 in) for bass trombones.

Mouthpiece [ edit ]

A mouthpiece for tenor trombone

The mouthpiece is a separate part of the trombone and can be interchanged between similar sized trombones from different manufacturers. Available mouthpieces for trombone (as with all brass instruments) vary in material composition, length, diameter, rim shape, cup depth, throat entry, venturi opening, venturi profile, external design, and other factors. Variations in mouthpiece construction affect the individual player’s ability to make a lip seal and produce a reliable tone, the timbre of that tone, its loudness, the instrument’s intonation tendencies, the player’s subjective comfort, and the instrument’s playability in a given pitch range.

Choosing a mouthpiece is a very personal decision. For example, a symphonic trombonist might prefer a mouthpiece with a deeper cup and a sharper inner rim shape to produce a rich symphonic sound quality, while a jazz trombonist might choose a shallower cup for a brighter tone and easier higher-pitched production. Moreover, this choice between two such performers could easily be reversed for certain compositions. Some mouthpiece manufacturers are now offering mouthpieces with removable rims, cups, and shafts, allowing players to further customize and customize their mouthpieces to suit their preferences.

plastic [ edit ]

Quartet with plastic trombones

Instruments made primarily of plastic, including the pBone and plastic Tromba trombones, emerged in the 2010s as a cheaper and sturdier alternative to brass. Plastic instruments can be almost any color, but the sound plastic instruments make is different than brass. Initially viewed as a gimmick, these plastic models have grown in popularity over the past decade and are now considered practice tools that make traveling more convenient, as well as a cheaper option for beginners who don’t want to invest that much money in a trombone right away. Manufacturers are now producing large bore and trigger models, as well as smaller legacy models.

Regional variations[ edit ]

Germany and Austria[edit]

German trombones were built in a variety of bore and bell sizes. The traditional German concert trombone can differ significantly from American designs in many aspects. The mouthpiece is usually quite small and is inserted into a slide section with a very long leadpipe, at least 12-24 inches (30-60 cm). The entire instrument is typically made of gold brass. They are made of very thin metal (especially in the bell area) and many have a metal ring called a wreath (“crown”) on the rim of the bell.[25] Their sound is very consistent across dynamic levels, but it can be difficult to play at higher volumes.[26] While their bores were considered large in the 19th century, German trombones have changed little over the past 150 years and are now typically slightly smaller than their American counterparts. Bell sizes remain very large for all German trombone sizes, and a bass trombone bell can exceed 25 cm (10 in) in diameter.

Valve attachments in tenor and bass trombones were first seen in the mid-19th century, originally on the tenor Bb trombone. Before 1850, bass trombone parts were mostly played on a slightly longer F bass trombone (a fourth lower). The first valve was simply a fourth valve, or in German “quart valve”, built on top of a B♭ tenor trombone to allow playing in low F. This valve was first built without a return spring and was only intended to adjust the instrument in B♭ or F for longer passages. [citation needed] Since the mid-20th century, modern instruments have used a trigger to operate the valve while playing.

As with other traditional German and Austrian brass instruments, valve trombones use rotary valves to the exclusion of almost all other valve types. Other features commonly found on German trombones include long water keys and snake ornaments on the slide and bell crooks.

Since around 1925, when jazz music became popular, “American trombones” have also been sold in Germany. Most trombones made and/or played in Germany today, especially by amateurs, are built in the American style as these are much more common and therefore much cheaper. However, some high-end manufacturers such as Thein make modern iterations of the classic German concert trombone, as well as American-style trombones with German features such as wreath and serpent ornaments.

France [ edit ]

French trombones were built in the smallest bore sizes up until the end of World War II and while other sizes were made there, the French typically preferred the tenor trombone to any other size. French music thus typically used a group of three tenor trombones until the mid-20th century. Tenor trombones made in France in the 19th and early 20th centuries had bore sizes of around 11.4 mm (.450 in), small bells no more than 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and a slightly larger funnel-shaped mouthpiece than that of the cornet or horn. French tenor trombones were built in both C and B♭, alto in D♭, sopranos in F, piccolos in B♭, basses in G and E♭, and double basses in B♭.

Didactics [edit]

Several manufacturers have started to market compact B♭/C trombones, which are particularly good for young children learning to play the trombone and who cannot reach the outer slide positions of full-length instruments. The root note of the unenhanced length is C, but the short valve attachment that puts the instrument in B♭ is open when the trigger is not depressed. While such instruments do not have a seventh slide position, C and B can of course be conveniently reached with the trigger at the first and second positions. A similar design (“Preacher model”) was developed by C.G. Conn in the 1920s, also under the Wurlitzer label. B♭/C trombones are currently available from many manufacturers, including German manufacturers Günter Frost, Thein and Helmut Voigt, and the Yamaha Corporation.[27]

Manufacturer [edit]

Trombones in slide and valve configurations have been made by a variety of musical instrument manufacturers. For late 19th and early 20th century brass bands, prominent American manufacturers included Graves and Sons, E.G. Wright and Company, Boston Musical Instrument Company, E.A. Couturier, H.N. White Company/King Musical Instruments, J.W. York and C.G. Conn. Leading mainstream trombone manufacturers in the 21st century include Vincent Bach, Conn, Courtois, Edwards, Getzen, Greenhoe, Jupiter, Kanstul, King, Michael Rath, Schilke, S.E. Shires, Thein, Williamson and Yamaha.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

trombone and tuba

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trombone

The trombone consists of a 2.69 m long tube. It is usually made of brass, nickel silver or gold brass. The trombone has a U-shaped, moveable outer slide that produces the different tones. This slider is operated with the right hand. The left hand simply holds the instrument and adjusts the transposition valve. It can be played with different mutes that change its sound, like the horns and trumpet.

The trombone also sounds when it is blown into a mouthpiece. Although it is pitched in B flat major, it is written in C and notated in bass and tenor clefs for the upper register. The range extends from the E 2 to the F 5 . Its low register sounds dense, dark and heavy. The middle register is serious, carrying and rich, while the upper register is brilliant and gentler.

bass trombone

The bass trombone is the big brother of the tenor trombone and the tube length is slightly longer (between 2.69 and 2.9 m). It’s made of the same materials and the only difference is that it’s slightly larger than the tenor trombone, as I said. It can also be played with different mutes.

The sound is created in the same way. Although it is pitched in B flat major, it is written in C and notated in bass and tenor clefs. Its range extends from B 0 to F 5 . Its low register has more or less the same characteristics as the tenor trombone, but the middle register is darker. The upper register is very difficult to play.

tuba

Along with the double bass, the tuba is the lowest instrument in the orchestra. The tuba consists of a tube 3.5 – 4 m long. It is made of gold brass, nickel silver or gold lacquer and has 4 to 6 valves that lower the pitch between 1 tone, ½ tone or 1½ tones. It can also be played with a huge mute.