Brass Instruments (Trombone)

[Kevin]

The trombone has been around for about 400+ years. It has always been a chromatic instrument. It is capable of playing in nearly all ensembles from orchestral through to jazz and brass bands.

Here as a trombone quartet:-





Playing Dixie Jazz:-



As a soloist in the orchestra:-

Attachments:

[David Stowell]

Link to a webpages about Trombone mutes:-

michaelclayville.com/2011/09/26/trombone-mutes-the-basics-for-composers/

michaelclayville.com/2011/08/25/trombone-mutes-what-not-to-do/

[ceg]

There are actually two trombones around in active use, the tenor trombone (pitched in Bb) and the bass trombone (the same size as a tenor trombone, but a bigger bore and a fuller weightier tone in the low register) (and occasionally an alto trombone, pitched in Eb. Historically, there was a bass trombone pitched in F which obviously could go lower. Nowadays, there is a "trigger trombone", which switches in an extra piece of piping to allow a Bb pitched trombone to go down a fourth to F, allowing the instrumentalist to play both the tenor range, plus 6 extra notes at the bottom.

Orchestrally, it is a non-transposing instrument.

[Ed Sharpe]

There is also a Soprano Trombone in Bb, which is different than a "slide" trumpet. There is also an Alto Trombone in F.

And a Contra-Bass Trombone.

The Don Ellis orchestra had a Contra-bass Trombone. (I think the tuba player double on it).

[Ed Sharpe]

PS: The Alto trombone is notated in Alto Clef like the viola.

[Kevin]

There is a whole family of trombones. They tend to come out on a full moon when the beer is free! But you only commonly see two, possibly three.

For me this is how a trombone should sound.

[adrianallan]

I want to know a little more about pedal notes.

How many are there, and what are they used for?

Would they only be scored for the more advanced player?


Thanks.

Ps do all brass instruments have pedal notes?

[Ed Sharpe]

Yes all brass instruments have pedal tones and depending on the instrument they may or may not be usable. Most instruments will have only 7 pedal tones, but a four valued instrument might have more. This is related to the overtone series which is a fundamental aspect to brass instruments. Pedal tones do exist on the trumpet but are not very practicable. The pedal tones are the fundamental of the length of the brass instrument. Brass instruments usually use the second harmonic and higher for their playing range. As stated above the use of triggers and additional values allow the instrument to bridge the gap between the fundamental pedal tones and the second partials.




See: www.virtualtrumpetstudio.com/How.htm

[Joseph]

a good source as a starting point for questions such as these would be Berlioz's Treatise On Instrumentation. Building on that of course is personal experience related by the various instrumentalists compiled here. I'm sure at least some of the Treatise must be updated in other texts as techniques have expanded. The player [Kevin] is probably the best source for answers. To Ed's points, you also might want to pick up a text on the Physics of sound, i.e. an old text "The Acoustical Foundations of Music" by John Backus though again I am sure there are many other choices. Joseph

[adrianallan]

Thanks for the advice, from both of you.

I learned quite a lot from the link that Ed posted, such as that the shape rather than the material of the wind instrument is the factor that influences its tone. That is one of the common misconceptions in music. I have a Bechstein piano with beautiful satin casework. However, the case will have no bearing whatsoever on the instrument's tone, only the soundboard and other elements of its construction will influence that.

I have just purchased a plastic trombone to get a cheap insight into the workings of the instrument. I can play a few basic tunes, badly. It might be plastic, but in the hands of a very good player it can yield great results. The low notes are proving an unexpected challenge. I am yet to get lower than a B3. I wouldnt have a clue how to produce a pedal note at this stage.

[Kevin]

Without going into the physics of them and purely from a players point of view here are my thoughts.

Pedal tones, are just another name for "fundamentals".

An average player can get, after some practice, about two (Bb and A). A really good player can usually get about 5. However the first two are the ones that we see the most, if any.

The are not really melodic tones as such but they can be incorporated into a phrase but beware where you are coming from and going to!

[Ed Sharpe]

Just a final last though: Understanding the overtone series is fundamental in understanding how brass instruments work. And is is also fundamental in understanding various alternative tuning systems.