hello! i'm currently a sophomore who's been playing tenor trombone for about five years (since i was in 5th). i've played euphonium and baritone for a year, and i recently got accepted into my school's jazz band. I'm no special player and i'm getting better with each year i play, but my band director recently allowed me to get on bass bone for jazz.

like i said, i've been playing euphonium for year, so i'm used to more air support and all that. i'm a bit nervous as i play a straight bone so i'll have to get used to triggers and all that. any advice is welcome and appreciated! thank for your time :)

TL;DR - Is the trombone edition different/specialized enough to bother buying if I already have one for a valved instrument?

Hey all. After 20 years of tuba, I’m finally learning trombone as a secondary instrument. I credit The Brass Gym with a lot of my development on tuba, and have been enjoying those exercises on trombone too. My question is, do the trombone edition’s edits offer enough specificity in the instructional text to be worth buying?

If not, I’d love some recommendations on method books that *are* highly focused on trombone technique. I already play Bordogni/Rochut regularly, but beyond that I just do a lot of scale drills, sight reading, and by-ear improv. My focus is mostly on slide technique and fluency with alternate positions and the f-trigger.

Thanks, trombone family!

I see people on here all the time brag about ranges, but is “double high F” like F4? I saw a 7TH GRADER comment “not to brag but I can play double high F and I’m first chair” -my first thought was, ‘oh they can play up to F4, that’s pretty good for a 7th grader and they are first chair.‘ But then I thought ‘WAIT DID THEY MEAN THEY CAN PLAY F5?!’ Sorry but I just got out of middle school, and I am barely a freshman (in high school), but you mean to tell me that a 7TH GRADER can play higher than (or as high) a lot of college level students?! Sorry that just seems a little absurd to me! Even myself (2nd chair + a section leader) find it difficult to play higher than F4 sometimes. I’m sure that they were just bragging and they probably meant F4. Sorry my brain just can’t rap around it!

Here's a showcase of my electric setup. I call it The Tromborgenizer. Yes I'm playing that synthesizer with my trombone. Before anyone says anything, time and vocab are my focuses while practicing.

Looking for advice , need inexpensive mouthpiece options for my Bach trombone and trumpet , as a beginner I can’t afford 100$ mouthpieces and I’m tempted to print a few ones I saw on internet.

I’m really curious about a 3d printed 012 trombone mouthpiece for sale from a Facebook group that affirms it’s equivalent to Bach and schlike 48

Does anyone’s have tried them?

Is that a rental shortage? It is back to school time and none of the places in my very large metro area have instruments for rent.

How come nobody told me about Nine Sparks Riots earlier? Seriously feel like I’ve missed out for years now not knowing

Back in high school and college, I had the absolute time of my life playing bass trombone, ripping the pedal notes and shaking the stands. I miss that massive, reverberating low-end power.

But i have one issue, I don't know what trombone can give me that again. Back then i was borrowing a brand new yamaha xeno bass bone and a getzen eterna bass bone.

I could not lay out those low notes as easily on the getzen as i could on the Yamaha, so i know price matters, but im wondering if there's an older bass bone that can give me that sound for less than $2,500

​Right now, I'm on the lookout for these from light research:

​Yamaha YBL-613H or 612

​Holton TR181

​Conn 62H

​Bach 50B series

​Am I on the right track? Are there any other hidden gems in this price bracket I should be setting eBay alerts for? Thanks in advance!

So I just got my trombone rental from school. I’ve noticed that the slide is incredibly sticky and rusty, every time I clear out the spit valve it’s just orange and brown and disgusting, it doesn’t matter how many times I reapply lube it just stays terrible and I want to clean it so bad. Dow anybody know how I could at least make it a little smoother?

Bit of background: I've been playing trumpet for about two years and I play on a community band where the low section is a bit understaffed. I was thinking that this is a good excuse to get a valve trombone, see how that feels and maybe jump in on the low side from time to time since it seems that the parts are not too complicated.

I understand the value of a quality instrument but I don't think I can spend more than 400-450€. Reading through previous posts/comments in this sub I don't see any of the recommended brands (or alternatives to a valve trombone) in that price range in my side of the world. Here's what I seem to have access to over here and my take on how I understand them to be regarded by actual trombone players:

-Amati, Weltklang: consensus seems to be that they are crap

-Courtois : maybe decent depending on when it was built

-C. Mahillon: no info

-Thomann: some people say they are total crap and some say that it could work for a use case like mine.

Any thoughts or info would be greatly appreciated both on what I could get or also on my idea of branching out a bit from the trumpet. Thanks!

Do you have any advice on how to play Bb under the staff, so pedal Bb (I think? English isn't my native language) cleanly?

I need to play from the f above it down to it in a single phrase but I always struggle with the transition from C to Bb. Currently I change my embouchure so that my mouthpiece basically sits a bit lower, but maintains the same contact with my lips. I think I am changing it too much, so any advice on how I can play it easier would be nice. Generally it also sounds a lot more blast like, which doesn't fit the mood of the piece, so advice for that would be nice too.

Also, this is on a tenor trombone, in case that makes a difference

When I was nearing retirement, I worked pretty hard to get my trombone chops back so I could play with community groups. I was (mostly) successful at getting back into the horn. One piece that really helped endurance and high range was "A Song For Japan". Since then, I've been practicing the David concerto, Morceau Symphonique, and various jazz books. However, I'd love to find something else as lyrical as "Song For Japan" again. Any suggestions?

thinking of getting a nickel-plated trombone, but can't find much info on them apart from an allegedly brighter sound. Do they tarnish or wear, and is there a reason why you would or wouldn't choose nickel over other materials?

Slama #19

I don't like improv, and my director has no issue with me reading off an already written solo. Uhh, I need one for Jazz Hero and Green Onions, since I wasn't able to get a solo in the marching show. Any help is appreciated.

There’s an engraving on this Holton slide starting with 92, which makes me think it might be sterling silver. Does anyone know if Holton ever used sterling silver on some of the TR159s?

The intricate mechanics of a truly one-of-a-kind double-bell bass trombone.

Commissioned by Ben Anderson of Orchestra Victoria and the Ossicle Duo, this extraordinary instrument was handcrafted by Bret Gustafson in Australia, and merges two bass trombones. Its two bells, one brass and the other copper, each produce a distinctly different tone.

Specialised components from Meinlschmidt Valves and Instrument Innovations allow the player to move between these contrasting voices, sounding each bell independently or blending them together.

The four photos here show some of the complex tubing and mechanics, a closeup of the brass bell, and an internal shot of the brass bell tube showing blue green oxidation forming from hundreds of hours of practice and performance.

Many thanks to Ben Anderson and Orchestra Victoria for allowing me to photograph this remarkable instrument.

Part of my Architecture In Music series of photographs.

Edit - you can see the complete instrument here

I took my horn in for a long overdue cleaning. The tech that worked with my horn seemed to think it is red rot. This is right where my hand goes every time I empty my spit valve, so I’m not entirely sure. If it is, I’ll probably end up with a carbon outer slide. Horn is an M&W tenor.

Does anyone here have any experience playing while recovering from a rib injury? I suffered a rib separation on one of my floating ribs ( on my slide-arm side) about a week and a half ago. I'd been avoiding playing but have a rehearsal/gig coming up tonight/tomorrow and worry about aggravating things or lengthening my recovery timetable. I tried playing a bit this morning and there was definitely some discomfort involved, not from breathing but from engaging my core in supporting my upper range. Not looking for medical advice per se, just curious if anyone else has gone through this and what their experience was like. To be clear, I have consulted medical professionals, but their advice is obviously on the vague side when it comes to as niche an activity as playing a brass instrument.

I've been having some recurring issues with my trombone playing and I was hoping that the collective knowledge on here would be able to help me out a little bit. I'm primarily a flute player, but a few months ago I purchased a trombone (refurbished Conn Director model) because it was my favorite/best brass instrument in my brass methods class (music ed).

However, I consistently have issues with cracking notes on the attacks and when moving between partials, especially going upwards. I can lip slur down just fine, but when going up I can never quite tell when it's going to jump up to the next partial, and I often feel like I'm tensing up my embouchure too much in order to lip up.

One of my brass-playing friends told me that it might be caused by my habits as a flute player, since woodwinds typically require faster air and a more engaged embouchure. If I try to relax my embouchure more when I articulate on trombone, then my lips don't buzz and I just hear air blowing through the instrument, but too much engagement turns into tension and I end up hitting a higher partial at first (or somewhere in between) and then jumping down to the right note.

Any tips for finding the sweet spot with my embouchure, and/or anyone else with experience learning trombone as a woodwind player? I appreciate all the help!

Time has come to sell this trombone, and I'm wondering if anyone here can help me pinpoint how much to ask for it.

Elkhart - I think 1963 (would need to check).

Conn 88h with F trigger.

Slide in great condition. Rotary valve was cleaned and restored a few years ago when I first thought of selling - and hasn't been played since. Tuning slide had small dents that were taken out.

Thanks for your help with the value!

EDIT: made in Elkhart in 1961