Play the Trombone

Nothing can stop a trombone when it whips out its power. It's one of the deepest symphonic instruments, and one of the most powerful. There aren't many things that are more impressive than a rank of marching trombones playing. Trombones can also be lyrical, and their origins are in church music. There are a number of different sizes. Some claim there's a soprano trombone, while others argue that it's a slide trumpet; the other sizes being alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass. The one you will see most frequently is the tenor trombone, as well as likely the tenor/bass trombone or the B flat/F trombone mentioned further on here as well. Whether it is in the Symphony, Marching Band, Brass Ensemble, Concert Band or Jazz Band the Trombone always is heard and enjoyed. Many consider the trombone to be the greatest instrument in the world. It surpasses all.

Steps

  1. Assemble the trombone by carefully placing the screw-end of the bell section to the screw end of the slide and twist to form a right angle then from here adjust to your hand size, with the bell facing away from you making sure that when you hold it the bell is on the left. Tighten the thumbscrew. Place the mouthpiece in the remaining tube end on the slide. Twist the mouthpiece gently into the lead-pipe. Don't force or push the mouthpiece in because it can cause the mouthpiece to become stuck. It makes a cool noise when you pop it with the palm of your hand, however, the mouthpiece will become stuck and require a special tool to unstick it.
  2. Hold the assembled trombone by supporting the tubing around the screw-joint with the left hand and putting your right hand on the movable part of the slide. Make sure the slide is "locked". If you aren't playing the horn, it should locked otherwise the slide can fall off with a damaging and embarrassing clatter. This is very important because the slide is everything on a 'slide trombone'. One small dint in the slide can cause it to become stuck and unmovable.
  3. Pick up the trombone. If you are right-handed, you need to make a gun with your left hand and have your index finger touching the mouthpiece and your thumb around the bar right by it. Your other three fingers should not be in the same space as your index but one over. To hold the slide all you are doing is gently pinioning the slide with the tips of your index and middle fingers and your thumb.
  4. Keep your body centered when playing. This allows for a less restricted chest and stomach, allowing your diaphragm fill up with more air then when you are slouched and allow for a faster intake of breath. If you are sitting, against what a lot of non brass oriented music teachers will tell you, trombonists need to sit as far back in the chair as possible, making sure you sit up against the back of the chair and are not slouched. By sitting on the edge of your seat (like most music teachers tell you) you will be restricting the air flow from your lunges. Your feet should be planted firmly on the ground, still remaining centered.
  5. To make sound come out of the instrument, you need to make an 'o' shape with your lips, the corners tight, leaving the centre of your lips loose. Before you can make a decent sound through the instrument, it is best to practice making the 'buzz' sound without the mouthpiece. To do that, you need to keep your lips tight and blow fast, even air, as if blowing a raspberry on your own arm. Remember, this will be instantly easier with the mouthpiece. Note: Do NOT puff your cheeks out when playing, you will become short of breath quickly, and your note will effectively be rough and spluttered.
  6. To play higher pitched notes, you must make your lips tighter, your jaw should raise naturally and your air blowing in a more downward motion. In order to do that, pull back the corners of your mouth engaging them and making them more firm as you play higher. Also make sure that you stay relaxed when playing higher and blow faster air through the instrument, don't make any weird faces that would cause tension in the sound.
  7. To play lower notes, you need to loosen the centre of your lips and drop your jaw. Your air still needs to remain somewhat fast and definitely steady, but there needs to be a lot more, to maintain a good quality sound. Trombones, especially bass trombones or tenor trombones with trigger attachments, need a lot more air to play a well supported note because of all the extra tubing. When you first start playing the lower register, it may be very challenging. To do well, increasing your lung capacity is the key.
  8. If you have never played a brass instrument before this could be challenging. To play louder, blow harder and more "openly." (Note: It will feel natural to press against the mouthpiece for higher notes. Resist this temptation, as it will lead to problems later.) Playing 'openly' does not mean loosening your lips. It means dropping your jaw and somewhat parting your lips to achieve a rounder, brassier sound.
  9. If you want to learn more than just how to mess about with it, there are seven positions for the slide.
    • First position, the slide is almost all the way in. (Make sure when returning to first position you do not slam the slide in).
    • Third position is slightly after the bell, but will vary depending on the register in which the note is played.
    • Second position is a little more than halfway between 1st and 3rd. Again, this position will vary. The higher the note, the higher the slide tends to need to be.
    • Fourth is just past the bell.
    • Sixth is "almost" all of the way out. Fifth is between fourth and sixth.
    • Seventh is all of the way out. On most trombones, there is a 'lip' or marking where seventh position is, due to the end of the trombone being slightly after, this is to allow for players with long arms.
    • The positions may vary slightly for the instrument you play for there are five different types of trombones. Soprano and Alto Trombones are smaller then the regular, so the slide positions won't be far apart. Bass and Contrabass Trombones are much larger. The bass trombone used to be quite a deal longer than the tenor or 'normal' Trombone. Now days, most have a double trigger system attached to them. It is rare to find an old fashioned Bass Trombone. Contrabass trombones are much the same except a deal larger.
  10. Increase your range of notes by practicing regularly (preferably once a day for at least half an hour) and increase your lip flexibility by moving from one note to a higher one and back, gradually getting faster, and trying to keep an even sound. Improve how long you can hold your breath by practicing long notes. Scales are an important exercise to do regularly, increasing from one octave upwards. Remember, trombone technique workbooks are available from most music stores. if you are serious about learning to play the Trombone, it is recommended to check them out.
  11. Increase your lung capacity. To do this there are different techniques or activities you can do. Get in shape. Run. Bicycle. Swim. Any cardiovascular activity will benefit your playing. Not only that, but breathing exercises help as well. If you can't breathe properly, you won't be able to get a well supported note out of the instrument for long periods of time. There are many exercises you can check out on the internet and in workbooks. Have a browse.



Tips

  • Try not to dent your slide! It is very easily damaged and gets stiff if damaged.
  • There is a water key (commonly known as a spit valve) on the end of your slide that you should press about every five minutes of playing to release condensed water at the end. Oil this as well to keep it movable and prevent the spring from braking.
  • Playing long tones (holding one note for a long time) does two good things. 1) It will improve your tone. 2) By having to sit on one note, you will learn how to control your airflow. Ideally, you will have a constant flow of air.
  • If you drop your slide, never pick it up and put it back in. Clean the slide first so the sand or other particles won't scratch, ruin or dent your slide.
  • Listen to CD's
  • Join a beginners band or orchestra, or take private lessons with a tutor. It will take years for most people to play a trombone well.
  • Listen to professional trombonists such as Joe Alessi, Christian Lindberg, or Wycliffe Gordon. Listening to a professional will give you an idea of what you can sound like on the trombone.
  • Make sure you practice your scales every day, it will help with your embouchure control.
  • Keep the instrument in a playable condition; clean the inner slide off and re-cream/re-oil it weekly, bathe the bell section (yes, bathe, with lukewarm water and some detergent), grease the tuning slide (at the "top") with petroleum jelly or "slide grease" (they're both petroleum jelly), and if there is a valve, oil it with the appropriate valve oil.
  • When packing up the instrument, push all tuning slides all the way in. This keeps them from rusting and becoming stiff.
  • 'Warm-Up' before you play, and 'Warm-Down' afterward. By warming-up you stretch the muscles in your mouth used to play the trombone properly. When warming up, play a variety of scales until you feel comfortable playing every note. Warming-up also allows you to play,practice,perform for a longer period of time, and with a better quality of playing. When warming-down you should play quietly and continue using scales, or chromatically descend down the slide. It is important to warm-up and warm-down and should be done every time you play.
  • The basic notes:
    • 1st position: Move your slide out just a little bit (1 cm or so). The notes here you can play are B-flat, F, B-flat, and D. If you are ambitious, you can try for an even higher F.
    • 3rd position: Move your slide down until the crossbar you are holding is even with the bell. The first low note you can play in this position is an A flat and the next higher note is an E flat, above that is another A-flat and then C. Try to hold each one as long as you can.
    • The next position is 4th, which is approximately where the top of the outer slide is even with the bell, however some models of trombone require the top of the slide to be a little lower than the bell. The first low note you can play on this is a low G and the next higher is a D, then another G and a B. Try to hold each as long as you can.
    • The next position is 6th, in which you can play a C. You get to sixth by stretching your arm out a ways but not too far or you will reach 7th. The lower notes are harder from here to 7th. Try to hold the C as long as you can.
  • Take good care of your slide by spreading the inside very thinly with slide oil or cream everyday. A few squirts of fine water spray will add an extra touch of smooth move-ability.
  • Practice! Every day for at least 30 minutes, or about 210 minutes all week. Try to spread it out, but if you need to do a lot on one day that's fine. If you do more, awesome!
  • A good way to warm up is to practice playing different notes where you don't have to move the slide. Also, change notes with one smooth stream of air. These are called lip slurs, and are used by both professionals and beginners alike.

Warnings

  • Do not force yourself to go to a certain position, this WILL hurt your arms. Many beginner players- especially younger ones- cannot reach 6th or 7th position. If you can't, that's okay.
  • Do not eat candy, gum, or any other kind of food at all shortly before or while playing your trombone, or any brass instrument for that matter. This is like putting syrup in your horn, and over time that syrup will build up and restrict airflow, until it is completely clogged. You should also wait about 15-20 minutes after eating any kind of food before playing your trombone. Rinse out your mouth with water before playing.
  • Do not jam the mouthpiece into your lips when playing. Over time, this can cause scarring, which will eventually diminish your performing abilities.
  • When laying down your horn, do not let it rest on the slide. This will cause it to eventually warp, requiring repairs.
  • Never, ever use "Brasso" on a brass instrument, it removes the lacquer and allows the metal to erode. You can buy instrument lacquer from most music stores or brass instrument specialists.
  • Be careful putting in your mouthpiece. It is possible it could get stuck, and extractions are expensive.
  • Do not use all of your chops just to play loud. It may lead to an irritating, burning sensation in your lips afterwards, making it difficult and/or virtually impossible to play for a couple minutes. Additionally, you may run out of air halfway through the song,
  • F attachment horns are great for beginners, but please remember to use the trigger in moderation. The F attachment is useful for certain musical passages and alternate positions. Many students use the F attachment as a crutch. Some musicians use this specifically, as it allows for a key into lower register notes played on seventh position. Alternatively, most bass trombones today have an F and G/Db trigger attachment.

Things You'll Need

  • A Trombone
  • A few beginning etude books. Try the Arban's Famous Method for Trombone for starters.
  • Another Etude book is Melodious Etudes for Trombone (3 books) written by Rochut. It is great for working on smooth playing. Both can be bought on Amazon.com. Also try all the Rubank series.
  • "Tune a day" books are brilliant for the beginner!
  • A lubrication substance made for trombone slides. Trombotine is a great product used by many fine trombonists. Trombotine is easily applied and can be revived by spraying water on the slide. DO NOT use Trombone and slide oil together! Clean the slide thoroughly first before applying a new type of lubricant.
  • A mouthpiece brush and a "snake" brush.

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