A contrabass trombone is a brass instrument with the lowest pitch among the trombone family of instruments. The trombone family is distinguished the use of a slide mechanism rather than valves to change notes. On a contrabass trombone, the pitch can be lowered even further using one of two thumb-operated valves. These allow the instrument to play a low note of Ab0, which is the A flat found just past the piano’s very bottom end. Some contrabass trombones have two slides, while older models have a very long slide that requires a handle to operate.
Throughout history, the contrabass trombone has had various appearances. The trombone is always much bigger than a regular trombone, but the design is similar. Some contrabass trombones have two slides that are stacked one on top of the other to change the note produced the instrument. Older models had a long slide with a handle to assist the player in fully extending it. They were so long that a player with his or her mouth on the mouthpiece at the opposite end couldn’t fully extend them.
On a contrabass trombone, valves are used to reduce the range of the instrument. Most contrabass trombones have two valves that are operated with the player’s thumb. These valves allow additional sections of tubing to be opened, lowering the instrument’s pitch. The player has the option of opening one or both of the valves. Most songs don’t necessitate the use of both valves.
The contrabass trombone’s lowest note is A flat, which is slightly lower than the lowest pitch on a piano. This note’s name is Ab0, which refers to its position on a piano. When both valves on the instrument are opened, this note is produced. F1 is the lowest pitch produced the instrument when the valves are not activated. When the first valve is activated, this is reduced to Eb1 and when the second valve is activated, it is reduced to Bb0.
Brass instruments, including trombones, are all members of the brass family. These are notable for their brass construction as well as the way they are played. On brass instruments, the player makes noise buzzing his or her lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece while exhaling. The majority of brass instruments are tuned in B flat and have valves for changing the pitch. A slide mechanism is used to change the note on trombones like the contrabass trombone.