Updated 04-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about TROMBONE!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: the trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family . it has a slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch . many modern trombone models also use a valve attachment to lower the pitch the word “trombone” derives from italian tromba (trumpet) and -one (a suffix meaning “large”) the name means “large trumpet” the trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore like its valve exceptions do occur, notably in British brass-band music where the tenor trombone is presented as a B transposing instrument, written in treble clef . a person who plays the tromb the slide section consists of a leadpipe, the inner and outer slide tubes, and the bracing, or “stays” modern stays are soldered, while sackbuts were made with loose, unsoldered stays stockings were soldered onto the ends of the inner slide tubes during the Renaissance . today, the sleeves are incorporated into the manufacturing process of inner slides . the adjustment of intonation is most often accomplished with a short tuning slide between neckpipe and bell . many types of trombone also include one or more rotary valves to increase length of instrument . the trombone is considered a cylindrical bore instrument since it has extensive sections of tubing that are of unchanging diameter . the bore expands through the gooseneck to the bell, which is typically between 7 and 8 12 inches the word first appears in court records in 1495 as “shakbusshe” the German “Posaune” long predates the invention of the slide and could refer to a natural trumpet . the most famous the sackbut was used extensively across Europe, from its appearance in the 15th century to a decline in most places by the mid-late 17th century . with trumpeters, trombonists in german city-states composers who wrote for trombone during this period include Claudio Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, Giovanni Gabrieli and his uncle Andrea Gabrieli . the trombone doubled voice parts in sacred works, but there are also solo the 17th-century trombone was built in slightly smaller dimensions than modern trombones . it had a bell that was more conical and less flared . During the later Baroque period, Johann Sebastian Bach and the construction of the trombone changed relatively little between the Baroque and Classical period . only a few professional “Stadtpfeiffer” or alta cappella musicians were available . hande the first use of the trombone as an independent instrument in a symphony was in the Symphony in E (1807) by Swedish composer Joachim Nicolas Eggert . the composer usually credited with the the introduction of trombones into the orchestra allied them more closely with trumpets . the Germans and Austrians kept alto trombone somewhat longer than the French . they preferred a section of three tenor tromb the trio of two tenor trombones and one bass became standard in other countries by the mid 19th century . orchestral musicians adopted the trombone, the most versatile trombone . valve trombone was ousted from orchestra only in the early 20th century did it regain a degree of independence . the majority of orchestral works are still scored for the usual low brass section . wind band traditions were established, including circus bands, military bands . military bands in Europe used rear-facing trombones where bell section pointed behind player’s left shoulder . a notable work for wind band is Berlioz’s 1840 Grande symphonie fun the trombone began to be taught at the Musikhochschule founded by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy . the Paris Conservatory and its yearly exhibition also contributed to trombone education . at the Leipzig academy, Me championed and popularized Christian Friedrich Sattler’s tenorbass trombone during the 1840s . he introduced features still found on german-made trombones that were copied during the 19th century . a typical concert band trombone section consists of two tenor trombones and one bass trombone . it was not until the swing era of the mid-1920s that the trombone began to be used as examples of early trombone soloists are Jack Teagarden and J.J. Johnson . many european trombone makers prefer a slightly smaller bore than their american counterparts . one of the most significant changes is the popularity of some trombonists prefer “straight” models without triggers for convenience and versatility . in chamber music, it is used in brass quintets, quartets, or trios . the size of a trombone a superbone uses a full set of valves and a slide . some slide trombones have one or two rotary valves operated by a left-hand thumb trigger . some bass trombones have a second trigger with a different length of tubing . the second trigger facilitates playing the otherwise problematic low B . they were common in 19th-century military bands . modern system produces note one semitone lower when played in same partial . tightening and loosening lips will allow player to “bend” note up or down by semitone . a slightly out-of-position slide notes on the next partial tend to be out of tune in regard to the twelve-tone equal temperament scale . deviations from intonation are corrected for by slightly adjusting the slide or using an alternate position . the next higher partial the higher in the harmonic series any two successive notes are, the closer they tend to be . a skilled player with a highly developed facial musculature and diaphragm can go even higher to G5, A note E1 is the lowest attainable note on a 9-foot (2.7 m) B tenor trombone . on trombones without an F attachment, there is a gap between B1 and E a tritone is the largest interval that can be performed as a glissando . trills tend to be easiest and most effective higher in the harmonic series . the distance between notes is much smaller and slide movement is minimal trills are most commonly found in early Baroque and Classical music for the trombone . some more modern pieces will call for trill as well . trombone parts have always been notated at concert pitch . the use of alto clef is usually confined to orchestral first trombone parts . as the alto trombone declined in popularity during the 19th century, this practice was gradually abandoned . some composers wrote first and second tenor trombone parts on one alto clef staff . examples evident in scores by Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shosta 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, while others fit in front of the smallest sizes are found in small jazz trombones and older narrow-bore instruments . the larger sizes are common in orchestral models . bass trombone bells can be as large as 10 12 in (27 valve attachments appear on alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass trombones . valve attachment changes key of alto trombone from E to B . Occasionally, trombone bells are made Tenor trombones commonly have valve attachments, the most common being the F-attachment . many bass trombone have a second valve attachment instead, which increases range downward even more . most common second valve attachment is newer bass trombones have independent (in-line) valves instead . the second valve is located on the neckpipe of the instrument and can operate independently of the other . double rotor dependent valves were created in some trombones have piston valves used instead of rotary valves for valve attachments . piston valve is very rare and is considered unconventional . the most common type of valve seen for valve attaches is a rotary many variations of the rotary valve have been invented in the past half-century such as the Thayer valve or axial-flow valve . many of these new trombone valve designs have enjoyed great success on the market . the standard most B/F tenor and bass trombones include a tuning slide long enough to lower the pitch to E with the valve tubing engaged . modern instruments usually have tubing kept as free as possible of tight bends method preserves smoother expansion from start of bell section to bell flare . tuning slide requires two portions of cylindrical tubing in otherwise conical part of instrument . most common dual-bore combinations are 0.481–0.491 in available mouthpieces for trombone vary in material composition, length, diameter, rim shape . mouthpiece selection is a highly personal decision . for certain compositions, these choices could easily be reversed . plastic instruments could come in almost any colour but sound plastic instruments produce is different from that of brass . manufacturers now produce large-bore models with triggers as well as smaller alto models . the traditional German Konzertposaune can the whole instrument is often made of gold brass, and its sound is usually darker compared with British, French or American designs . german trombones have altered very little over the last 150 years and are now typically somewhat smaller than their American before 1850, bass trombone parts were mostly played on an F-bass trombone . the first valve was simply a fourth-valve, or in German “Quart-ventil” built onto a B since around 1925, germany has been selling “American trombones” as well . most tenors played in germany today, especially by amateurs, are built in the American fashion . a number of ten the short valved attachment that puts the instrument in B is open when the trigger is not depressed . a similar design (“Preacher model”) was marketed by C.G. Conn in the 1920s . leading mainstream manufacturers of trombones include Vincent Bach, Conn, Courtois, Edwards, Getzen, Greenhoe, Jupiter, Kanstul, King, Michael Rath, Schilke, S.E. ISBN 0-571-17724-7. Baines, Anthony (1980). Brass Instruments: Their History and Development. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-11571-3. Bate, Philip (1978). The Trumpet and Trombone. London: Ernest Benn. ISBN 0-510-36413-6. ISBN 0-534-25187-0. Blüme, Friedrich (1997). Instrumentation and Orchestration. Belmont: Schirmer. Carter, Stewart (2011). The Trombone in the Renaissance: A History in Pictures and Documents. Kassel: Bärenreiter. Bucina: The Historic Brass Society Series. Hillsdale, N.Y.: Pendragon Press. ISBN 978-1-57647-206-4. Del Mar, Norman (1983). Anatomy of the Orchestra. ISBN 0-520-05062-2. Gregory, Robin (1973). The Trombone: The Instrument and its Music. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-08816-3. Herbert, Trevor; Wallace, John, eds. (1997). The Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56522-7. Kunitz, Hans (1959). Die Instrumentation: Teil 8 Posaune. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7330-0009-9. Lavignac, Albert, ed. (1927). Encyclopédie de la musique et Dictionnaire du Conservatoire. Paris: Delagrave. George Maxted (1970). Talking about the Trombone. London: John Baker. ISBN 0-212-98360-1. Montagu, Jeremy (1979). Montagu, Jeremy (1976). The World of Medieval & Renaissance Musical Instruments. New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-089-7. ISBN 0-87951-045-5. Montagu, Jeremy (1981). The World of Romantic & Modern Musical Instruments. London: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7994-1. Palm, Paul W. (2010) “Baroque Solo and Homogeneous Ensemble Trombone Repertoire: A Lecture Recital Supporting and Demonstrating Performance at Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). Grove. ISBN 0-19-517067-9. Wick, Denis (1984). Trombone Technique. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-322378-3. Encyclopdia Britannica. 27 (11th ed.). 1911. “Slide Position Chart”, YeoDoug.com Antonio J. Garca. (1997). “Choosing Alternate Positions for Bebop Lines”, GarciaMusic.com.