The trombone is a musical instrument with wind and mouth of the brass family. The term trombone implicitly indicates the slide trombone characterized by the use of a telescopic slide, but there exist also models of valve trombone .

Its register is more serious than that of a trumpet and higher than that of the tuba. Its curved lengthened form as a “S” (which justified the use of this term in French to indicate the ustensil being used to attach papers) and especially its section of cylindrical tube which gives him a sound more shining, distinguish it from the Euphonium S or the Saxhorn S with the comparable register.

It is used in many musical genres, Classical music with the Jazz, while passing by the Salsa, the Ska, the Funk, the Musique military… and played in the symphony orchestras, orchestras of harmony, Fanfare S and others bigs bands…

A trombone player is called a trombonist or trombone .

Origins

The remote origins of the trombone are probably in the buccina , kind of tuba played by the Romains, of which there was an alternative in form of “S” pointing out that of the current trombone - the buccina term was taken again besides at the 19th century to indicate a military trombone of orchestra whose house represented a head of snake.

It is probably at the 13th century that one had the idea to add two gear sliding tubes one in the other to a low trumpet: the slide had been born. The instrument thus created was called the Sacqueboute (" sacquer" meaning to draw towards oneself and " bouter" to push towards the opposite direction). It was not of an instrument radically different from the trombone, but about a version slightly smaller.

It is only as from the 17th century, that the Italian name of trombone was gradually used to indicate the instrument. The origin of the word comes from tromba which means trumpet and of one , suffix which means large . Thus, in the literal sense, a trombone is a large trumpet .

During all its history, the trombone, because of its simple principle, underwent few modifications, mainly size and form. Most remarkable are the appearance of the valve trombone at the beginning of the XIX {{E}}   century in which the slide is replaced by the pistons developped at the point in 1814 by Heinrich Stölzel, and that of the complete trombone by the addition of the barrel patented in 1839 by the German factor Christian Friedrich Sattler.

Anatomy

The trombone consists of a cylindrical tube curved like a S lengthened. The section according to the mouth is called the slide , it makes it possible to the player to vary the length of the instrument and thus to obtain the desired note. Certain trombones have pistons in the place of a slide and are called valve trombones . The widened part by which the sound is emitted names the house .

Principle of play

Emission of the sound

Like all the instruments with mouth, the sound is produced by the setting in vibration of the upper lips and lower, maintained by the air insufflated by the instrumentalist. This pressure is channeled by the mouth in the body of the instrument. The air pressure creates a Standing wave whose Eigen frequency is imposed by the instrument. The quality of the sound will depend then on the quality of the vibration, the airstream (thus of the instrumentalist and the mouth), and of the quality of the body of the instrument (materials, thickness, diameter of the tube, forms tube…)

Articulation of the sound

The sound can be articulated thanks to the language producing various consonants inside the mouth. The most current articulations are detached, the language producing the consonant " t" , and the Legato, with the consonant " l" for the articulated legato. The trombonists use also the double blows of language, by pronouncing the consonants " successively; t" and " k" to play more quickly. Certain musicians are also able to make blows of language triple, quadruple, and even quintuples. (On a piston instrument, the articulated legato will not be necessary.) An absence of articulation between two notes located on same a Harmonique will give a Glissando, a stylistic effect specific to the trombone.

Modulation of the sound

The fact of exerting a more or less important tension and a maintenance of the mask consisted the muscles of the lips and the fact of varying the pressure and the air velocity makes it possible to modify the frequency of vibration of the lips and thus of the air in the instrument. The musician can thus play for a length given of the instrument, from the fundamental one, the continuation of the higher Harmonique S, according to the order of the natural harmonics: octave, fifth, quad, etc: for example, for a trombone in si♭, one will obtain: si♭, si♭, F, si♭, D, F, la♭, si♭… The Harmonic number of S which can be played depends then on the physical capacities of the musician.

This technique makes it possible to play only the limited whole of the notes corresponding to the harmonics of fundamental of the instrument. To be able to play the whole of the notes, a mechanism (slide, barrel or piston) is then also used which modifies this fundamental by lengthening the length of the instrument.

The slide

The length of the instrument is modified by a slide which can be lengthened or shortened. The slide is divided into several positions - up to seven for the trombone tenor -. It is in 1st position when it is entirely retracted, and in last position when it is to the maximum of its elongation. The positions are not located or are marked but are not evaluated by the instrumentalist. To increase the length of the slide of a position cause a drop in the height of a note of a semitone. Thus, one can lower the basic note of to the maximum a triton, for example, on the tenor to reach the semi one on the basis of B flat. Intermediate positions are also used with some Harmoniques, or to adjust certain notes.

Additional barrels

In conjugation with the slide, the trombones are often equipped with a device - called Barillet, keys of inch, or pallets - making it possible to the musician to lower the note (of a quad on the tenor) by actuating a key of inch. As with a piston, the length is then increased by ducting the air in an additional tube. This mechanism makes it possible to increase the swiftness and tessiture of the instrument without deteriorating the accuracy of it.

The pistons (valve trombone)

In the valve trombone, the slide is replaced by three Piston S, each one being able to deviate the airstream in a tube different length. These pistons can be actuated together, offering seven combinations distinct length additional are equivalent to the seven positions of the slide. This mechanism allows a dexterity difficult to obtain with a slide, but with the detriment of the accuracy, the intermediate positions not being realizable. The valve trombone is a instrument transposing instrument, like the trumpet, he often is thought and played in Si♭.

Types of trombones

The trombones exist into five registers: soprano, viola, tenor, low and double bass. Without precision on its nature, the word trombone indicates the slide trombone tenor, but there exists also a type of valve trombone.

The trombone tenor

The trombone tenor is the standard trombone, when one speaks about trombone without precision of register, it is of the tenor in question. It has its fundamental note in B flat. Not transposing instrument, its parts are written in key C on of F or C clef 4th line or out of C clef 4th line (seldom, one finds partitions out of treble clef transposed in si♭, in particular in the Fanfare S and the “American Marching band S”). Its slide is subdivided in seven positions.

The trombone complete tenor

It is a trombone tenor to which one added an additional device of tube (barrel), allowing the musician to just lower the note of a Quarte by actuating a key of inch and to thus increase its swiftness and tessiture of the instrument. By opposition, the tenor without barrel is then called simple Trombone tenor . The positions of the simple trombone tenor and the trombone complete tenor are identical if one does not press on the ordering of nut (or barrel) of the trombone complete tenor.

The bass trombone

The bass trombone is designed in B flat and is played in C (not transposing instrument). Its parts are written out of bass clef. It has the same size roughly as the trombone tenor: it has a larger gauge and a more imposing house; it generally has two keys of inch (or barrel or nut), generally F and D (sometimes B flat), which changes the tonality of the instrument and make it easier to play in the low registers. The notes of the bass trombone are played in the same way that for the tenor (unless using the barrels). There is generally a trombone player low by Brass band and Symphony orchestra, and they are also often present in the modern whole of coppers.

The trombones double basses

The trombone double bass with slide rarest and is generally proposed in two models: one granted a octave low than the tenor (fundamental si♭), the other that the low one (fundamental F). There exist several means of increasing the length of the tube, but most widespread consists in using a slide with double rolling up.

It is more particularly used in the operas of Richard Wagner (the Ring of Nibelung…) where it is with the row of 4th trombone of the desk, near two tenors and of low. Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss (in particular in Elektra), also used it.

Rarer still, the model comparable double bass with pistons by its tessiture and its position in the desk, called cimbasso in Italy and that type-setters as Giuseppe Verdi used in their operas.

The trombone viola

The trombone viola is granted in E flat or F, and it is smaller than the tenor. It has, like the trombone tenor 7 positions, on the other hand, its stamp is more brilliant. It is mainly used in symphonic arrangements, but it knew one hour of glory like instrument soloist. Modern type-setters have it besides redécouvert and introduced it into recent parts.

The trombone soprano

The trombone Soprano is even shorter (thus acuter) and its stamp approaches more that of the trumpet no other trombone. One finds partitions for trombone soprano in parts written for whole of coppers, but few traditional works used it. Its origin is dubious besides, it would perhaps not act of a traditional instrument but of a rather modern appearance.

The valve trombone

The valve trombone has a register comparable with that of the trombones tenor, but the slide is replaced by three pistons. Sometimes it has two interchangeable removable tubes which make it possible to fix its fundamental either in B flat or in C. The articulation is different, nearer to that of the trumpet and it allows a dexterity difficult to obtain with a slide. He is generally regarded as being difficult to play just, and is less and less used nowadays. Contrary to the trombone tenor with slide, the valve trombone is an instrument transposing instrument.

Musical genres

Classical music

The repertory of the trombone in solo and Chamber music starts in Austria during the traditional period of the middle of the 18th century with type-setters such as Leopold Mozart, Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Johann Albrechtsberger and Johann Ernst Eberlin which often jointly used it with a voice. Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used the trombone in many their crowned works, in particular in two Duet S with voice of the Mozart, most known being the Tuba Mirum of sound Requiem . The inspiration for much of this work was undoubtedly due to the virtuosity of Thomas Gschladt which played orchestra of the court of Salzburg.

Trombonists soloists

Many a Concerto S, concerting parts and others work S was written for trombone Solo and Piano or Orchestre. Thus several Tromboniste S excellent to play this kind of parts. See the list of the traditional trombonists.

Examples of parts :

• Ballade of Eugene Bozza;
• Solo of contest of Paul Veronge de Lanux;
• Thoughts off Coils Arthur Pryor.

Jazz

Although the Saxophone is the instrument more symbolic system of the Jazz, the trombone is also very related to this Article the instrument by its flexibility, knew to adapt to the evolution of sonorities and phrased suitable for the history of this kind. The Jazz New-Orleans resulting from the Fanfare S of coppers, it is normal that one finds the trombone there. It is besides with this one that one owes the style “tailgate”: the orchestras ravelled on a carriage trailed by horses. To leave enough space to its cumbersome slide, the Tromboniste opened the forage ladder (" tailgate" in English) and sat down with the back the feet in the vacuum. The visual, but also sound effect was guaranteed: this period is that of large the glissandos to the sound slide and other artifices. Also, in spite of the few virtuosos of the time (most famous being Kid Ory), the trombone was especially used for its comic side.

It is only as from the Twenties with the appearance of the swing and the Big band S that the trombone takes its noble letters in the Jazz. Emphasized by the arrangers and the large soloists of the time the trombone is there very at ease; let us quote in others Jimmy Harrison and Jay C. Higginbotham at Fletcher Henderson, Benny Morton, Vic Dickenson, Dickie Wells at Count Basie, Juan Tizol (valve trombone), Tricky Sam Nanton, Lawrence Brown at Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey…

In the Forties, one thought that the inertia of the slide was a major brake with the use of the trombone in the Bebop and these endiablés tempos (some like Bob Brookmeyer, will pass to the valve trombone). But, it was without counting on Jay Jay Johnson, which removing the instrument from these characteristic effects and developing an original technique, managed to reach the swiftness and phrased Saxophone. It was followed by Curtis Fuller and Slide Hampton. One finds them in the Hard bop of the Fifties.

The Cool jazz was the occasion to hear Bill Harris, Kai Winding, Frank Rosolino or Carl Fontana.

The adaptation of the play of the trombone during these years made him lose its characteristics, like the “Growl” or the effects of slide. The Free jazz D-will adapt them in the Sixties, through in particular of Rowell Rudd (inspired of Kid Ory, he played before in formations of style Dixieland) and Bill Watrous (much plus virtuoso instrument). Albert Mangelsdorff developed the technique of the “polyphonic sound” consisting in playing a note and singing some another simultaneously, then producing a third note, even a fourth.

Today , the evolution continues in the wake of the free. Other musicians, as Ray Anderson also continue to test around the trombone. Among the trombonists of jazz of reference of today, let us quote in other Sarah Morrow, Steve Turre, Glenn Ferris, Denis Leloup or Yves Robert.

Salsa

August 1st Willie Colon, inspired by My Will rivet popularized the instrument in the Salsa. Jimmy Bosch is one of the most famous current trombonists of salsa.

Funk

Fred Wesley, imposing itself like a godfather of instrumental Funk, while having been the musical director of James Brown and is one of the pioneers of most famous of this style still in activity.

See too

Internal bonds

• : Category: Trombonist
• Silencing device

Simple: Trombone

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