Trombone: The Basics

By: Lindsay Baker, Danny Filipski, Cera Foote, Drew

Hayden, Dylan Keiser, Toni Meyer

Trombone: The History

Invented in the mid 1400s and originally named the sackbut

The inventor of the instrument still remains a mystery
The slide was made to make it more easy to play
The early instrument was known to have crooks to lower the pitch or drop the range to the next
register
First ever version of the alto trombone in E flat created in 1540
The smaller trombone was introduced in 1685, was never given a name, and did not survive the early
times because of the difficulty to play
In 1780 the trombone started to appear in operas
During the first half of the 1800s the E flat alto, B flat tenor, and F bass trombones were used in
orchestras
Late 1800s to early 1900s the contrabass trombone was invented with a B flat double tubed slide
In 1939 the trombone became worldwide and used in bands, operas, and orchestras
Present day many trombones are used in many different bands and small trombones are rarely seen,
and valve trombones can be found in jazz because it is an important solo instrument.

Trombone: The Family

Todays trombones come in five ranges:

Soprano, or slide trumpet

Alto
Tenor
Bass
Contrabass

There are also special order trombones:

Piccolo
Sopranino

Maintenance and care of the Trombone

Cleaning the Trombone

Lubricating the Main Slide

Fill the bathtub with warm (NOT hot) water

Take all of the slides out and soak all parts
Use a snake to clean all of the slides
Run water through the bigger parts (i.e. main slide, bell)
Dry everything (AIR DRY), lubricate, and reassemble
Use oil or silicone cream on the inner slide
Spray the inner slide with water
Work the outer slide back and forth over the inner slide, wiping off excess cream as needed

Cleaning Supplies

Mouthpiece Brush
Slide snake
Water spray bottle
Oil or silicone cream

Putting the Trombone Together

Hold the main tuning slide with the rubber stopper on the ground,
Take out the bell, and screw it on so that it forms a right angle

Tighten the bell lock

Insert mouthpiece

The bell should be to the left side of the main slide

Give it a little twist as you put it in

Hold the weight of the trombone in your left hand, and hold the slide loosely in
your right hand
Lock or unlock the slide as needed

Playing Position

Playing position on the trombone involves the left hand supporting the entire
weight of the instrument
The left hand index finger is placed on the shank and the thumb is wrapped
around the bell brace. The other three fingers rest comfortably on the
stationary slide brace
The right hand is used to move the slide
The thumb, index, and middle finger should hold the slide but should not touch
the lower tubing of the slide
The trombone should be brought to the face to play
Trombones angles should have a slight downward angle
While playing, the the optimal position would be to have the slide be
underneath and to the left of the stand

Embouchure!

Trombone embouchure is formed by saying M keeping the corners of the

mouth firm but not tense.
The mouthpiece is placed centered over the mouth
To create the buzz, air should moved through the aperture formed in the center
of the mouth
The vibrations from the moving air and aperture create the buzz. This should be
practiced first without the mouthpiece then with the mouthpiece only.
Finally, with the mouthpiece on the instrument, you can create a tone.

Intonation Tendencies

No valve combinations = No problems?

Consistency is key

Centered blowing- corrections made by slide not embouchure

Listen ahead- encourage students to audiate the proceeding pitch

Develop muscle memory- strive for the exact pitch, dont always make
adjustments

Warm-up and Practice Techniques

Student should apply a warm up to every practice

Buzzing

Easy Scales

Long and short tone scale patterns

Lip slurs in a moderate range

Extended Techniques

Glissando

Vibrato (3 Type)

Trombonists must know Bass, Tenor, Alto, rarely Treble (as written), and sometimes B-flat
treble clef (sounding down an octave and a second)

Lip Trills

Lip/Jaw vibrato, Slide, and Air-Stream Vibrato

All of The Clefs

Portamento - Scored within a partial (up to TT), played by sliding from one note to another

A trill created by rapid back-and-forth lips slurs between adjacent notes.

Multiphonics

Singing and Playing at the same time!

Beginning A Player on Trombone

Not usually a good idea to start till 4-5th grade (unwieldy to even 10-11 year
olds)
Long arms not necessarily needed, most beginners cannot reach outer positions
Most important is Musical Readiness - singing in tune, predicting pitches, and
discerning when pitches do not match
Beginning small bore (.5 inch) trombones are readily available for the new
trombonist, most of which are built for sturdiness more than craftsmanship

Dont buy a trombone with the F attachments - unnecessary extra weight and can affect tone
production, posture, and ease of playing...

Types of Music the Trombone is used in

The Trombone is used in a number of different genres of music.
The trombone is used in Symphonic Music
The Trombone is used in Jazz
The Trombone is used in Reggae
The Trombone is used in Funk
The Trombone is used in Ska

Famous Trombone Players

Christian Lindberg: Swedish Classical Trombonist that is heralded as one of the best
trombonists of all time and has been able to be a full-time soloist.
Joseph Alessi: American trombonist and current principal trombonist for the New
York Philharmonic and a soloist.
Curtis Fuller: American Jazz Trombonist famous for being one of Art Blakeys Jazz
Messengers and being very very prolific in solo work and as a sideman.
Slide Hampton: American Jazz Trombonist considered one of the best Jazz
trombone players of all time, I mean just look at his nickname.