About trombones
The trombone is a rare musical instrument whose form has not changed much since the 15th century. It is said that the slide trumpet, the archetype of trombone, sounded the closest to the human voice among all the brass instruments.
Sliding technique is important!
In the middle of the 15th century, the trombone was developed from an S-shaped slide trumpet. The shape of the trombone has changed very little following its invention. The early trombone was a special, prestigious instrument only played in churches, mainly used at royal festivities and weddings, until Beethoven introduced it into the symphony orchestra in the second half of the 18th century.
Trombonists change the pitches of the trombone by pulling out or pushing in a telescopic slide. The slide action enables them to glide from one pitch to another. In other words, since trombonists can easily make subtle pitch changes, the trombone is a good instrument to create harmonies. The range of movement of the slide is up to 60 cm. Have you ever noticed that trombonists almost always lead marching bands? They do so to keep the long slide tube from bumping into the people in front of them.
Find a sound for yourself
The best trombone for a beginner is either the tenor trombone or the tenor bass trombone, both of which are popular. The alto trombone is not so common, and it is used in German music pieces to play the high, long notes softly. The bass trombone has a larger tube and bell in diameter compared to the tenor trombone, and is easier to play low notes.
Since the trombone has nothing to show the pitch of a sound clearly like a valve, each trombonist must find the target sound (position) by using his or her senses while sliding the slide tube. One of the big charms of the trombone is a playing style called a 'glissando', a glide from one pitch to another, using the characteristic action of the trombone described above. Valve trombones were also developed in the 19th century, but they did not seem to become as popular as slide trombones. Incidentally, the type of common trombones used in the orchestra and ones used in jazz and popular music are slightly different. The orchestral models have a larger bore and bell than those of the trombones for jazz and popular music. Therefore, the genre of music you would like to play is another important point to consider when purchasing a trombone.
Range of the trombone
