Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio
F E A T U R E
Explore an Instrument: Trombone
F E A T U R E
Explore an Instrument: Trombone
History:
Trombones are thought to have been invented in the 1400s. They were originally called “sackbuts” and the bell was much smaller and skinnier. Some of them were ornately decorated, like this “Buccin” below. Some historians believe that the name Sackbut came from the french word “sacquer” for drawing a sword, relating to the way the slide is drawn in and out.
Trombones were primarily used for religious music and military purposes until the later classical periods saw composers writing them into the orchestra. In the early 1900s, trombone became a very popular instrument in early jazz, particularly in the New Orleans tradition. Today you can hear trombones across a multitude of styles as diverse as reggae, jazz, classical, ska, salsa, merengue, marching bands, funk and more.
Buccin trombone - Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Europe - CC BY-NC-SA.
https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/09102/_MINIM_UK_45007
How do you make a sound?
Like all other brass instruments, you have to buzz your lips to play the trombone. When you buzz on the mouthpiece, it creates vibrations that travel all the way through the instrument and out the big wide part called the “bell.” The trombone is a bit like a giant megaphone. It amplifies the
buzzing on your lips, and when you use the slide and your lips together, you can play the notes you desire.
What’s with the slide??
The slide is one of the two main ways to change pitch on the trombone. When you extend it, the total tubing of the instrument gets longer, making the pitch lower. Trombonists memorize seven positions where they can move the slide to play different notes. On other brass instruments a similar thing occurs; when you press the valves of a trumpet, they open up more tubing. In effect, this makes the total tubing of the trumpet longer as well, it’s just easier to see when you’re holding a big long slide. An important part of caring for your trombone is making sure your slide moves smoothly. Most people use slide oil or grease similar to valve oil for other brass instruments. While learning the seven positions are key, the slide makes the trombone uniquely able to play in between the twelve notes used in Western music. This is a major reason for its popularity in a lot of the music of the last one hundred years. Its ability to “slide” into, above, and around notes makes it well suited for jazz music and other improvised traditions. The use of the slide, as well as the range of the instrument, give the trombone a sound that can resemble the human voice.
So there are seven positions...are there only seven notes?
No! The other way to change pitch is to use your muscles on your face while you buzz. As you tighten the muscles around your lips, the pitch will go higher, and if you relax it will lower. So in each of the seven positions, there’s essentially an infinite amount of notes you could play, but it depends on your technique and the strength of your muscles. The range of the trombone that is comfortable for most players is similar to the range of the tenor voice, which is part of the reason it was heavily used in religious music, but skilled players can play much higher and lower than the average vocal range.
Examples of Trombone
Trombonists:
J.J. Johnson
Curtis Fuller
Joe Alessi
Jack Teagarden
Christian Lindberg
Wycliffe Gordon
Fred Wesley
Jack Teagarden with Louis Armstrong and his Allstars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDRZSXA0k8s
Flight of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ5yfPqifKM
Wycliffe Gordon uses mutes (a plunger, and a pixie mute) to get this type of sound.
https://youtu.be/I4i1KcqWikY?t=83
Joe Alessi plays Blue Bells of Scotland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH6lcElZr-k
Oscar D’Leon - Lloraras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxlB1B9emDc
Fred Wesley was the trombone player in James Brown’s band and is one of the biggest influences on trombone in popular music
https://youtu.be/NlA1Zl5C7UU?t=79
The Peanuts cartoons use trombone instead of dialogue for all the adults! It sounds like “wah wah” because they are using a plunger mute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss2hULhXf04
Here’s a video of a cool brass technique called multiphonics. James Morrison starts by playing one note by buzzing his laps, then he adds a second note by singing it at the same time!
Eventually he adds a third note; even I don’t know how he does that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB7RJs-r1tA
To learn about our trombone instructors, visit our Brass Page.
Trombones are thought to have been invented in the 1400s. They were originally called “sackbuts” and the bell was much smaller and skinnier. Some of them were ornately decorated, like this “Buccin” below. Some historians believe that the name Sackbut came from the french word “sacquer” for drawing a sword, relating to the way the slide is drawn in and out.
Trombones were primarily used for religious music and military purposes until the later classical periods saw composers writing them into the orchestra. In the early 1900s, trombone became a very popular instrument in early jazz, particularly in the New Orleans tradition. Today you can hear trombones across a multitude of styles as diverse as reggae, jazz, classical, ska, salsa, merengue, marching bands, funk and more.
Buccin trombone - Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Europe - CC BY-NC-SA.
https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/09102/_MINIM_UK_45007
How do you make a sound?
Like all other brass instruments, you have to buzz your lips to play the trombone. When you buzz on the mouthpiece, it creates vibrations that travel all the way through the instrument and out the big wide part called the “bell.” The trombone is a bit like a giant megaphone. It amplifies the
buzzing on your lips, and when you use the slide and your lips together, you can play the notes you desire.
What’s with the slide??
The slide is one of the two main ways to change pitch on the trombone. When you extend it, the total tubing of the instrument gets longer, making the pitch lower. Trombonists memorize seven positions where they can move the slide to play different notes. On other brass instruments a similar thing occurs; when you press the valves of a trumpet, they open up more tubing. In effect, this makes the total tubing of the trumpet longer as well, it’s just easier to see when you’re holding a big long slide. An important part of caring for your trombone is making sure your slide moves smoothly. Most people use slide oil or grease similar to valve oil for other brass instruments. While learning the seven positions are key, the slide makes the trombone uniquely able to play in between the twelve notes used in Western music. This is a major reason for its popularity in a lot of the music of the last one hundred years. Its ability to “slide” into, above, and around notes makes it well suited for jazz music and other improvised traditions. The use of the slide, as well as the range of the instrument, give the trombone a sound that can resemble the human voice.
So there are seven positions...are there only seven notes?
No! The other way to change pitch is to use your muscles on your face while you buzz. As you tighten the muscles around your lips, the pitch will go higher, and if you relax it will lower. So in each of the seven positions, there’s essentially an infinite amount of notes you could play, but it depends on your technique and the strength of your muscles. The range of the trombone that is comfortable for most players is similar to the range of the tenor voice, which is part of the reason it was heavily used in religious music, but skilled players can play much higher and lower than the average vocal range.
Examples of Trombone
Trombonists:
J.J. Johnson
Curtis Fuller
Joe Alessi
Jack Teagarden
Christian Lindberg
Wycliffe Gordon
Fred Wesley
Jack Teagarden with Louis Armstrong and his Allstars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDRZSXA0k8s
Flight of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ5yfPqifKM
Wycliffe Gordon uses mutes (a plunger, and a pixie mute) to get this type of sound.
https://youtu.be/I4i1KcqWikY?t=83
Joe Alessi plays Blue Bells of Scotland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH6lcElZr-k
Oscar D’Leon - Lloraras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxlB1B9emDc
Fred Wesley was the trombone player in James Brown’s band and is one of the biggest influences on trombone in popular music
https://youtu.be/NlA1Zl5C7UU?t=79
The Peanuts cartoons use trombone instead of dialogue for all the adults! It sounds like “wah wah” because they are using a plunger mute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss2hULhXf04
Here’s a video of a cool brass technique called multiphonics. James Morrison starts by playing one note by buzzing his laps, then he adds a second note by singing it at the same time!
Eventually he adds a third note; even I don’t know how he does that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB7RJs-r1tA
To learn about our trombone instructors, visit our Brass Page.
