Trombones, along with trumpets, horns, and tubas, make up the brass instrument family’s main groups. They were named after the word “trombone,” which means “large trumpet.”
The slide trombones — soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass trombones — and the valve trombone, which has valves instead of a slide, make up the group. The alto, tenor, and bass trombones are used in modern orchestras, with the tenor trombone being the most popular in jazz.
A valve or trigger on some slide trombones lowers the pitch and expands the range. This is not the case with the valve trombone, which does not have a slide. The tenor trombone may be referred to as a tenor-bass trombone if it has a F attachment, whereas the bass trombone may have both a F and an E or D valve.
Trombones have six or seven playing positions, which are specific slide placements with multiple pitches available at each. The slide is completely out in sixth or seventh position, depending on the instrument. Furthermore, some pitches can be created at multiple positions, while others can only be played at one. It will be easier to play a passage in which the player moves primarily between adjacent positions than one in which the player must move between extreme positions.
The trombone can be used as a solo instrument or to add harmony to other instruments. The following are some of the most well-known trombone solos:
Solo for Sliding Trombone John Cage
Elegy for Mippy II Leonard Bernstein
The Third Symphony Gustav Mahler
Requiem Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Trombone Concerto Christopher Rouse
Fantasy for Trombone Paul Creston
“I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” Tommy Dorsey
Morceau Symphonique Alexandre Guilmant
The Firebird Igor Stravinsky
Christian Lindbergh, Alan Ralph, Bill Watrous, Joseph Alessi, Tito Puente, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Rosolino, Arthur Pryor, Don Lusher, Nick Hudson, Denis Wick, J.J. Johnson, Ian Bousfield, and Glenn Miller are just a few of the notable players. Leroy Kenfield, August Mausebach, and Carl Hampe, as well as Urbie Green, Kai Winding, Ronald Borror, Ralph Sauer, and Henry Charles Smith, are all well-known players. The song “Seventy-Six Trombones” from Meredith Wilson’s musical The Music Man may be the most famous trombone reference.