Trombone
Brass Family / Tenor Voice
Trombone is a powerful and fun instrument, it has an energetic sound which rewards confident playing.
Trombone is in the Cylindrical / Directional Brass family, along with Trumpet and Bass Trombone. This family provides the power, punch and brilliance in a band sound.
The tricky part of trombone playing is that the slide has no marked note positions, so the young student must learn to visually and aurally locate the correct placement for each note.
Physical Attributes
- Lips are medium to thick
- Front 4 adult teeth all present (2 top, 2 bottom)
- Front teeth are straight and even, closed teeth meet evenly
Large overbites are more forgiving on trombone, however the instrument will tend to point down making projection difficult - Arm length at least 50cm, armpit to finger tip
- For smaller students, the Baritone / Euphonium is a possible alternative. The note reading and lip control are identical to Trombone, but don’t require a long arm. The Baritone can also be more comfortable and less tiring to hold for smaller students
Character Attributes
- Good work habits - willing to practice diligently and consistently
Blow Test Achievements
- Demonstrate good lip control with the “flutter” and “fly” exercises
- Aural - sense of pitch is good
(They sing confidently and in tune)
Instrument Progression
Lower Brass - Bass Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium
Trumpet, French Horn
Trombone Family
The Trombone Family in Band includes 3 instruments.
The Tenor Trombone, is what most student begin on and remains the most common for Jazz Players.
The Bb/F Tenor Trombone includes a trigger valve which give the player additional notes at the bottom of the trombone range. This is popular for Orchestral trombonists, and Jazz Players on 3rd and 4th trombone in Big Bands who need to play fast passages in the lower register.
The Bass Trombone is the same length of tubing, but usually includes 2 triggers adding extra tubing to make the very low register easier to manage. It provides a lot of punch and volume for the Brass Section of the band. The bell, bore and mouthpiece are a larger diameter.
