How does a trombone work?

Trombones work by using the slide to change the length of the tubing, which controls the pitch of the sound. The slide has seven positions, counted in order from the 1st position (toward you) to the 7th position (fully extended). However, there are no position markers on the tubing.

What is unique about the trombone and its sound?

On the trombone, as with most modern brass instruments, the mouthpiece is detachable from the body. What makes the trombone unique from other brasses is its method of changing pitch. Most brass instruments, including the trumpet, French horn, and tuba, change their pitch when the performer depresses a key or valve.

What kind of sound is trombone?

trombone, French trombone, German Posaune, brass wind musical instrument sounded by lip vibration against a cup mouthpiece. It has an extendable slide that can increase the length of the instrument’s tubing.

How would you describe the sound of a trombone?

Brassy, brilliant, powerful, overpowering, solid, tense, penetrating, dramatic, hard, full, sinister, soft, round. The sound of the trombone remains homogeneous throughout its entire range. There are no big differences between the registers such as those found in the clarinet or the bassoon.

Is trombone an instrument C?

Many instruments are C instruments. For example, piano, organ, oboe, violin, guitar, and trombone are all C instruments. A pianist who sees a written C will play a note that the violinist would agree is a C.

Is trombone a woodwind instrument?

Wind instruments include the woodwinds, such as the flute, the clarinet, the oboe, and the bassoon. Wind instruments also include brass instruments, such as the trumpet, the horn, the trombone, and the tuba. The saxophone is considered a woodwind, but it may be made of brass.

What is the timbre of a trombone?

Timbre on the trombone is more varied than most instruments. Trombones can produce a very harsh, very loud sound, or a very smooth warm mellow tone, depending on how they are played. Generally, the higher register is more smooth, simply because in the upper register slide positions are closer together.

Is the trombone loud?

A trombone needs to produce sound that is loud enough to reach members of the audience in the back row — all the way from the rear of an orchestra that may have more than 80 members. A symphony trombone can actually be one of the loudest instruments in the orchestra.

What is trombone made of?

Silver-colored brass (a copper and zinc alloy) is used to create the outer slide of a trombone, while a metal that combines brass and nickel called “nickel silver” is used to create the inner slide.

What key is trombone pitched in?

B-flat
The Trombone sounds by blowing into a mouthpiece too. Although it is pitched in the key of B-flat, it is written in C and notated in bass clef and tenor clef for the upper register.

Why is a trombone called a trombone?

The word “trombone” derives from Italian tromba (trumpet) and -one (a suffix meaning “large”), so the name means “large trumpet”.

How much are trombones worth?

Beginner trombones usually range in cost from $400 to $1,500. Intermediate, or step-up trombones usually range in cost $1,400 to $2,800 and entry level pro trombones (still largely played by advanced students) around $2,800 and up.

Who made the trombone?

The trombone was invented in the late 15th century by Flemish instrument makers in Burgundy, a region of modern-day France. It was constructed as an improved version of the slide trumpet.

Can a trombone play in any key?

The trombone can play in any scale, however generally the easiest and most common are the first few flatted keys. Bb, Eb, Ab, Db. These are the keys most commonly played in beginning trombone music.

How old is the trombone?

The trombone is said to have been created in the middle of the 15th century. Until the 18th century the trombone was called a “saqueboute” (in French) or a “sackbut” (in English).

What is the loudest brass instrument?

French Horn

It’s essentially a long series of pipes that the musician blows in through a mouthpiece and the sound is then amplified and projected at the flared bell at the other end. At its loudest, the French horn can reach between 90 and 106 decibels, one of the loudest brass instruments in an orchestra.

How heavy is the trombone?

A typical professional model tenor trombone with F attachment weighs around 4 pounds, 10 ounces. Bass trombones or instruments with heavy bells can weigh in excess of 5 pounds.

What did the trombone evolve from?

the trumpet
The trombone evolved from the trumpet. Its immediate precursor was an instrument that has come to be called the renaissance slide trumpet: it had a single telescopic slide that was capable of playing the notes of about four adjacent harmonic series.

How loud can a trombone play?

85 to 114 db
Below is a list of common instruments and their decibel outputs when played at their loudest: Trombone: 85 to 114 db. Flute: 85 to 111 db.

What instrument is the loudest?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the loudest (and largest) instrument in the world is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ.