A tenor trombone is always tuned in Bb, but unlike the trumpet, it is a non transposing instrument. (I suppose that is because trombone players like to call a bone for a bone instead of a Bb for a C…) There are two main types of tenor trombones, the small bore trombone and the large bore trombone. Both can be fitted with an F attachment. The bore refers to the actual size of the tubing, measured at the point where you insert the mouthpiece. This results in the need of two series of mouthpieces, built to fit either small or large bore horns.

The small bore trombone is typically used by jazz players, and has a bright sound. Due to the larger tubing, the large bore trombone is more mellow, and is the first choice among classical trombone players. I use to describe the difference in sound by comparing the sound of a jazz or pop singer with an opera singer´s, although the difference is not that big on small and large bore trombones.

Small bore trombone
Small bore trombones, often called jazz trombones, usually have a bore spanning between .480″ to around .510″ (or 12,2-13mm), and the bell size is usually between 6,5″-8″ (165-203mm). The typical mouthpieces used with small bore horns have the size of a Bach 11 (small) to Bach 6 1/2 (medium). Some trombones have dual bore, meaning that the two tubes on the slides have slightly different sizes.

Small jazz trombones rarely have F-attachement, but it not uncommon on medium sized jazz trombones (8″ bell). There are a lot of well known small bore trombones on the market, including a bunch of top notch hand built instruments by manufacturers like Shires, Rath, Greenhoe and Edwards. There are also a number of well known trombone manufacturers that has been around for many decades, such as King, Conn, Bach, Getzen and Yamaha.
Some famous models:
King 2B .481/.491 dual bore, 7.38″ bell
Bach 16 .495″/.509″ dual bore, 7.5″ bell
Conn 6H .500″ bore, 8″ bell
King 3B .508″ bore, 8″ bell
Bach 36 .525″ bore, 8″ bell (semi large trombone, still using small bore mouthpiece)

The range on a small bore trombone starts on the low E, going up as high as the chops allows.

The extreme low range consists of the pedal tones, available one octave below the root on each position.

Large bore trombone
Large bore trombones, or symphonic trombones, usually have a .547″ bore and a bell size of 8.5″ (215mm). Typical mouthpieces used with large bore horns are Bach 6 1/2 (medium) to Bach 4 (large). Most large bore instruments have F-attachment, making the lower range more accessible. Where the small bore horns have a light and agile feel, the large bore models have a darker, full sound with better control in the low range, making them more suited for symphonic and sacred music.

On trombones without F-attachment, there is a gap in the range between low E and the contra Bb. This is solved with the F-attachment (except for the contra B which is still missing).

Since the F-attachment makes the horn longer, the slides are not exactly the same as without, and there are only 6 available positions with the F-attachment activated. Newer trombones often have a so called open wrap F-attachment, making the instrument more responsive and minimizing the difference between playing with out without activating the attachment (the latter pic above).

All the above mentioned trombone manufacturers make large bore trombones. Well known models include:
Conn 88 .547″ bore, 8.5″ bell
Bach 42 .547″ bore, 8.5″ bell
Yamaha YSL682 .547″ bore, 8.5″ bell

Bass trombone
Bass trombones are actually tuned as tenor trombones, but have significantly bigger tubing and bells. They are also large bore trombones, but usually they have both F and D-attachments and are fitted with larger mouthpieces (typical Bach 4 or Bach 3). They usually have a .562″ bore and bells ranging from 9,5″ to 10,5″ (241-266mm). The extra attachment makes it easier and more convenient to use the low range, and the contra B is now available.

If you think about the good bass trombone players you know, chances are great that they actually have a deep and overtone rich speaking voice – is it the voice that fits the instrument or the instrument that brings out the voice?

Alto trombone
The alto trombone is the least known model, and is smaller than tenor trombones. Where the tenor have a Bb on first position, the alto trombone have an Eb a fourth above. It is mainly used in classical music, both as a solo instrument and playing in the trombone section.

A common alto trombone size is 470″ bore with a 7″ bell. A standard small bore mouthpiece will fit. It´s a cute little thing that has a distinctive sound, but make sure you don´t pull the slide of when reaching for 7th position!

Contrabass trombone
The contrabass trombone is a rare but intriguing species, usually tuned a fourth below the tenor trombone making the low F the fundamental of the first position. They usually have two valves, making up for the fact that only major league basketball players would be able to reach 7th position… The length of the spit valve is a good indicator of the size of the beast.

Soprano trombone
The soprano trombone is basically a slide trumpet. It is tuned one octave higher than the standard tenor trombone. Since it uses a trumpet mouthpiece, it is quite different to play than a regular trombone. The bore is usually around .450″ and the bell is the size of a trumpet bell, and the slide often only have six positions. Due to the different embouchure, the soprano trombone is usually played by trumpeters.




I hope that you find this guide useful. Please leave a comment with your thoughts about your preferred trombone models! And as always, correct me if I got something wrong, such as my opinions…


Links to an overview of
current trombones and
discontinued trombone models




Did you make it all the way down here? That calls for some Czech alto trombone jazz!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cVuMJHGNSg

or more accurate:
A TROMBONE LESSON ABOUT INTONATION

“The Trombone is the only instrument that in theory can play in perfect tune, but in practice never does.”

Sokrates, March 17, 421 B.C.

Luckily, since his days, trombones has evolved and are now made of metal instead of clumsy and heavy marble. And many trombone players have learned to actually play in tune as well! But Sokrates was on to something. Since we have a slide instead of valves, we can actually adjust the pitch and make it perfect without compensating with the lips. On a valve brass instrument, you have to do the work with the embouchure, or maybe a trigger on some notes.

So, what about that 20 positions trombone???
While most text books and teachers argue that the standard trombone has 7 positions, I would say that any trombone in practice has more than 20 positions, so the trombone on the picture is actually your trombone!

There are tones on the trombone where you have to adjust with the slide to play them in tune. A good example is the high G on 2nd position, where you have to adjust the slide to somewhere in between 1st and 2nd position.

Try playing G, B and D on 4th position without moving the slide it on your trombone. Can you hear that it is out of tune? Now try it with small adjustments and make sure every note is in pitch.

Take a look at the slide chart below. Here you can see that there are many variations of each slide position, depending on the note you play. You should be aware of all the minor changes and try to incorporate it into your playing without having to think about it.

Intonation of major triads
Now, to make it a bit more confusing, you might know that in general when you play a major triad, the third should be kept down and the fifth should be kept up. Looking at for example the G major triad on 4th position, I just suggested that on the trombone, you should keep the third (B) up a bit and the 5th (G) slightly down. This is basically the physics of the trombone overruling the standard intonation practice of triads!

So, in practice, is this how pro players make sure that they play in tune? No. Not really. It all comes down to being able to hear the note you are about to play before you play it, and have the correct pitch in your head. This way you can actually play in tune without having the slide in the exact position. But knowing about about all these sub-divided positions will help you hit the pitch you are aiming for.

So when playing in an ensemble, there is only one way to play in tune:
Listen, listen and then listen some!

PS. Remember that when play a long note, you might actually have to correct the pitch half way if the chord is changing! Try playing these two chords with some fellow musicians and see what happens with the top note when the other two change.

Have fun playing in tune!

Check out some of the many other online trombone lessons!

There are a series of articles here on Digitaltrombone about flexibility for brass players, and they all have their distinct advantages. Many trombone flexibility exercises tend to have a rather uninspiring rhythm and focus mainly on changing notes.

With these trombone exercises, I have added some rhythmical flavor, making them a bit more fun to play, but most of all, adding a new challenge to the concept of flexibility.

You should focus on playing these patterns as effortless as possible. Whenever you are changing note or changing from quarter notes to eight notes, think light and easy, rather than trying to nail it with force. More ballet, less sumo. More vegetables, less steak. More summer breeze, less snow storm…

Exercise 1-3 are (quite) easy, 4-5 are easy/medium. For some reason, the triads in no 6 are quite tricky to get in place. No. 7-11 are to be considered advanced, gradually getting tougher. And no 12 is just plain stupid… But if you can play it without having to change embouchure to much for the pedal tones, it is quite rewarding.

A last important note: all changes (pitch and rhythm) should be controlled mainly by the embouchure and not so much with the air. Try avoiding blowing harder when shifting note!

Enjoy and improve…

Ok, it does not have to be about hardcore breathing exercises and tongue wrecking scale patterns al the time… With christmas is coming up, I believe that it is time to chill out a bit and just relax. So, as a warm up before long hours in the TV sofa, watching ten year old romantic action thrillers, here´s a bunch of clips from the world of cartoons with focus on the TROMBONE. If you actually learn anything from this, my mission has failed…

Let´s start out with one of the really good ones, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkIrdmY3GlQ

Another Disney classic, a bit less trombone centered, but still great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErXg5kBXXg

If someone gets the point of this one, please leave a comment below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-OyIuTPhVU

And this is what happens when you remove the man behind the horn… Horrible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YYcXWU_8zI

An oldschool animation, again with a storyline that exceeds my intellectual capacity, please enlighten me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxi5TNQLKAQ

A bunch of alternative ways to use a trombone, this is for all your friends that keep saying they can´t find a good use for your trombone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADH55uThAfA

Iggy Nutmeg practicing his trombone – damn those midi horns Now go back to the first clip with Donald Duck, and see the backwards evolution in cartoons!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN2Ro9gtVE4

And let´s finnish of with some short My Little Pony trombone clips, utterly unuseful – enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqej7KxSswc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bYQ646ypt8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi9Gl43UoJY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We_hc5NMOT4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJTqZB0SvIs

Ok, sorry for that! And with this unusually meaningless post, I wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year! There are great plans for digitaltrombone.com in the pipeline, a brand new design, lots of new posts and ebooks, so stay tuned!

All the best,
The Fast Slide of Larson

Setting up for soundcheck at a club recently, I caught eyes on a mic I hand´t seen before,
Audix i5 Instrument Microphone mounted on the stand in front of me. Being a moderat gear nerd, I noticed the design, and appreciated the fact that the sound guy actually made a deliberate choice, instead of just setting up an old dented
Shure SM57.

“Well, it´s just another mic, let´s get this sound check over with…” But to my surprise, it only took seconds to realize that this was something different. Both in the front speakers and in the monitor the sound was very clear and direct. The Audix i5 microphone actually made the horn it feel easier to play, like when you haven´t cleaned it for a while and give it a good flush (not that I have ever tried that of course…). In my book, that is a big plus – a microphone that allows me not to clean the horn!

I haven´t had the chance of trying the mic in studio yet, but I assume that it this 99$ dynamic microphone will have to get up very early to keep up with a good studio condenser microphone. But for now on, this is my preferred live microphone using a standard microphone stand. When it comes to clip on miss, there is the expensive but amazing DPA 4099T or the cheaper but quite ok
AKG C519 or the
Audio Technica ATM350 Condenser Microphone.

I will buy my own Audix i5 as soon as possible. Just knowing that my trombone sounds way better through the Audix i5 mic than the trumpet player standing next to me with his SM57 is well worth 99$…

So trombone players, let us unite around a great sounding microphone, and please don´t tell the rest of the horn section!

You can get the
Audix i5 dynamic microphone here.

All the best,
Anders Larson

PS. I bet your wife will love one for christmas, and she just might lend it to you occasionally!

How to improve your trombone playing with 5 minutes of theory (and a lot more practice…)
or
The only way to get to the next level of brass playing
or
Get that music-school-trombone-sound out of my life!!!
or
The truth about one of the worst and most common bad habits among brass players

Are you convinced that you continue reading this? Good, then let us get down to business! This post is about attack and tonguing for trombone players and ALL other brass players. This post is about how to discover one of the most common bad habits among brass players – and more important – how to get rid of it.

The correct way of starting a tone is by using a tu-attack. The tone should be started with the airflow controlled by the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, using the tongue only to support the attack. (Actually, lot of players tend to build up air pressure in the mouth “behind the tongue” before playing a note. They then release the air by moving the tongue down, resulting in a minor air explosion and uncontrolled attack. This is another common issue, and I will address it in another post.)

So far so good, but playing a note is not just about at starting it. It is just as much about ending it. Lot of players end the note with the tongue instead of just stop blowing. This results in a very abrupt cut of, similar to stopping a cymbal with the hand instead of letting it ring.

So the first step is to figure out if you do stop the note with your tongue. Try playing a note, and be aware about what happens in your mouth when you stop it. It is very simple – there should not happen anything in your mouth when the note ends. The tongue should be relaxed, laying in the bottom of your mouth, ready to play the next note.

Try to play a series of short notes with breaks in between while watching yourself in a mirror. Does it look like you are chewing a piece of meat while playing? This is a strong indicator that something is wrong with your embouchure, and it could very well be that you cut of notes.

So what happens when you cut off the note with the tongue? Besides sounding bad, you will build up pressure in the mouth and throat making it harder to play the next note with a smooth, relaxed attack. Furthermore you don not let the diaphragm relax between notes, building up tensions in your body. You do not want any of that!

If you are one of the many players with this bad habit, it is about time to get rid of it! It is usually not something you do over night, but with a few exercises and awareness, you can do it. Of course, you can not lock your self into a soundproofed cage for three weeks, focusing on nothing but not stopping the notes with your tongue. Just carry on gigging and making music, but try to set off some time everyday for a period where you focus on this issue. Then it will gradually be integrated in your playing.

Here are some basic exercises to help you end notes properly.
Stand up without the instrument and just blow air without using the tongue at all like this:
1. Hu hu hu hu (tho “u” is silent and just illustrates air)
Make sure that you stop the air flow by relaxing the diaphragm and not by locking up the throat.
2. Hu tu hu tu hu tu huuuu (inhale and repeat)
3. Tu tu tu tu tuuuu (inhale and repeat)

Now get your trombone (or whatever brass instrument you play) and try step 1-3 on a single note. Pick a midrange note, like F or the Bb above on first position. When it is starting to feel comfortable, you can start to apply it on a scale or other patterns. Just keep the tempo slow – no more than 60 bpm!

One thing to be aware of when you no longer end the note with the tongue, is that you don not lock up the throat instead. This is just as bad as ending the note with the tongue! Starting and ending notes should be controlled by the air flow and breathing, nothing else!

So what about the rule-confirming exception?
Well, I actually cut off lots of notes with the tongue while playing! Since it is very abrupt, it is a good special effect. I primarily use it when playing big band and I am supposed to end a long note in time. If the whole section cuts of together on a given beat, you get a rhythmical effect out of ending notes as well.

Also, ending a sfz cresc.-note by cutting of with the tongue underlines the effect of the crescendo. So yes – cutting notes with the tongue is a very useful technique, but make sure that you control WHEN to use it!

Good luck, and please let me know if and how this was helpful to you!

How come the saxes always get to play all the fun parts in big bands? Cool, beautiful and hip melody lines, accompanied by an occasional “bap” or “do-bauw” from the brass section. Ok, it is not the whole truth, but there are some fun sax parts that are (reasonably) playable on trombone as well. Do I need to say how good it will sound when played on trombone?

Thad Jones is known for his brilliant music for big band, and Groove Merchant is one of my favorites. Especially the sax chorus is amazing. Full-fat super-hip lines with intense voicings, this is Thad at his best! And even better, it is actually quite suited for trombone. Admitted, it is a bit technically challenging, but the range is spot on – when playing it an octave below the lead soprano. I wrote out the harmony as well, it´s a fun piece to solo on.

Since you probably already have the good taste of playing the trombone, I assume that you already have a recording of Groove Merchant as well. Use it as a luxury play-along, together with the free PDF sheet music with the trombone transcription. If you don´t have the tune, hurry down to your local iTunes store and grab the album Central Park North with Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra. Don´t settle for only Groove Merchant, the whole album is great!

So at your next gig where Groove Merchant shows up, get up in front of the band and play along with the saxes! They won’t love it, but the audience will! And tell them I said hi…

Have fun and play great!

PS. Do you need to refresh the trombone solo on Tip Toe? A big band must-know-tune for trombone players!

It does´t matter if you are a jazz or classical player, you still want to make music. And you should still make music in your practice room. A really good way to get some music into your daily routine at an early stage, is to play some free improvisation. Again, it does not matter what genre you play, as a matter of fact, if you are a non-improviser I would say that this tip is even more important!

Here is what I want you to do:
Find a simple warm up exercise and play it for a few minutes, just to get some air through the horn. Then you play a totally free improvisation for five minutes. Just play, and see where it takes you! Don´t worry about stiff lips, bad sound ore any other detail that probably would distract you if you where playing your standard 4 pages of flexibility exercises.

“But I have never learned how to improvise!” No problem. Here is the key:
1. You play a note.
2. You play another note.
3. Repeat step 1-2 for five minutes.
It really is that simple. You are not playing in front of an audience, or trying to impress your colleagues. Just let go, and focus on making music.

Or, you can choose to focus on a specific idea. Inspiration might not always be divine, so pick a subject and stick to it (or let go, remember it´s about improvising!).
Pick a key or a chord and dig into it, Cm dorian or Db7b13 or Fmaj7, it does´t matter.
Focus on sounds. Go for a non-tonal impro and see what animals you can imitate. Or a steam locomotive or a concorde.
Pick a tempo- slow or fast. Or maybe a feel, straight 8th´s, latin or 12/8 and play random melodies in that mood.
Focus on a rhythmical or melodic pattern. And see how it transforms during the five minutes.
Play a five minute mouthpiece-concerto in G# major.
Grab a plunger and growl on.
Do all of the above in six minutes! Or seven minutes and 14 seconds.

Some people are most creative when they get a clean slate. Others need some structure to get going. You probably know what you need to get going.

I would love to hear from you when you have tried this for a week or so. Please leave a comment, or record yourself and send me a mp3 (I´ll post it here if you ask me to)!

Go make some music!

Yet another flexibility exercise – seems to be that time of the year! These patterns show you some ways to get out of the first-down-to-seventh-position-playing-the-same-pattern-mode, making it more fun to play. This also makes your flexibility practicing come closer to the actual use of it in real music.

Many trombone (and other brass players) tend to do their flexibility home work, but as soon as they start moving the slide around, they put an attack on every note and cut up their airflow. Don´t go there! On of the benefits of flexibility exercises, is that it improves your legato playing – that is, if you actually use your flexibility skills. Both legato and flexibility should focus on constant air flow!

The patterns are quite simple, but skipping slides and moving up and down make them come alive and sound more fresh. You should try to get some speed going, and aim for a totally smooth phrasing. Think of it as one long note played with a steady air flow. And watch the pitch, some of the patterns can be a bit tricky to intonate, especially when you start on 7th position.

As I said, no rocket science here, just some simple but effective tools to help you master the art form called trombone.

Did you miss part 1 in this series? Read more here: Flexibility on trombone and mouthpiece – Part 1.

In this second part with exercises for both trombone and mouthpiece, the focus is on octaves and a mix of staccato and legato playing. The idea is to work on mouthpiece and trombone simultaneously to make sure that you use a similar embouchure. Beware of the pitch on the mouthpiece, especially when playing staccato phrases.

When a task is repeated over time, the muscle memory will be better and better at remembering how to do it, eventually allowing it to be performed without very much effort. This is important when playing on the mouthpiece since there is no tubing to “force” the lips to vibrate with the correct speed. You should combine this with using your ears to be able to hear the next pitch, before you play it.

By practicing the switch from mouthpiece to trombone, you will improve instrument control and your ability to hit the right pitch on the trombone.

The trick with playing on mouthpiece alone, is also to use the muscles at the side of the mouth where the lips meet, without creating tensions elsewhere in your body, disturbing the free air flow.

Good luck!

PS. Remember to sign up for the newsletter and get a free Jazz Etude! Find the sign up form at in the right column of the top of the page.