How do you play the trombone

[jasmineseowhuiwen]

I'm in secondary school and I want to know how to play the trombone since I'm going to play it soon after I start my CCA. Any tips? How do I blow properly? What is the correct position to hold the trombone?

[TheK0rnbeef]

I don't understand how flats work, could someone please answer? 

[EpicPhalure]

@TheK0rnbeef If you're a trombone player, it's quite simple. If you want to go from an E natural (2nd position) to an E flat, just go to 3rd position.

The difference between these two notes is called a "half step." When a note is flat, it's played one half step down from the natural note. So a G natural (4th position), when it is marked Gflat is now 5th position.

[APinhert]

so playing a trombone is the same as whistling in terms of intuitiveness for beginners? you just have to know your highest note and your lowest note and your set, except more work is required if you have to get great at it, right?

[lgeklsflz]

the owner of the white sudan... you left your lights on...

[JEWLZPAG]

good........hes good!

[Carnivalcarl]

@soulelemanator embouchure and cheek puffing is up to the person playing the instrument. Louis Armstrong puffed his cheeks.If that feels right for you to play, its how you should play. Its really such a minor thing to get caught up on, nit picking like that can really take the fun out of music for beginners. Too many 'professional' musicians get preachy about perfect form, nit picking posture and hand position... its a load of crap. Music isn't what notes you play, but the spaces between them.

[TMBALAND319]

thanks, this really helped me get the basic(especially switching from euphonium to a trombone), thanks a million

[REXY309]

atleast your better than the idiots and expertvillage!

[tmadyot]

the sliding are not linear at all , it will be better witout cresc and decrescendo and not let the sliding holding alone (too dangerous for beginner)

[zenious1]

What note is 7th position,I relly need to know.

please tell mePLEASE!!!

[videogamesrme]

@zenious1 It can be a B natural or an f flat

[stevenhamlin1000]

@zenious1 B & E

[tekcomputers]

@zenious1 Along the various fundamentals low to high, E, B, E, Ab, B, E

There are lot of notes which have alternate slide positions in different fundamentals, knowing those alternate positions can be useful in speeding up playing of certain passages. For example, it's easier to play a high-D in 4th position up one fundamental around notes played in third, than to set the slide back to first simply to play that D. Or play an middle F in sixth when progressing from low F (which is also 6th)

[ma2183]

I've been seeing "Treme". So fucking want to buy a trombone and learn how to play.

This shit is amazing!

[ibakepies]

When playing the trombone you have a noticably better sound without puffing your cheeks out. Many beginners do it and it should be fixed asap for the best tonal quality. Most bands tune to a Bb. (Unless your in an orchestra you have to tune to an A). F is a naturally sharp note that when played with the slide all the way in will be sharp. When you tune to an F you will tune the rest of your notes flat. At my high school i resquested to my director to tune to a Bb for the low brass.

[shortkid2929]

I've been playing trombone for a couple months now in school. I can get a sound out of it but not really a great sound. does anyone have any tips on buzzing or tones for me?

[gpig13]

@shortkid2929 i play have been for 5 years since the 4th grade sorry no great tips LOTS OF AIR the more the better and LOTS of practice but im sure your doing that. ps dont try to get you sound amazing right away it wont sound clean and clear untill youve been playing for like 10 years

[shortkid2929]

@gpig13 thnx alot!

[PSR2100inUSE]

with air in ur cheacks ur not able to control the air stream which is going in to ur trombone!

[mickdash]

Is that a Tennor Trombone,

Try not to puff your cheaks thats the mistake i made

[AdnarimLove]

This helped a lot! I'm learning to play trombone for marching season. And I'm a flute... :3 tips??

[iloveeatingglue]

i played the trumpet last week and even my band techer said i had to change instruments because of how bad i was. then yesterday he showed me the trombone and he honestly said i played all of the positions perfectly!! well sorta

[Shancus32796]

Oh dear seeing this I can now see it's going to take me long to accomplish the trombone!

...wish me luck...

[JavierWylde]

Thank you very much, i had nobody to ask that!

[JavierWylde]

I want yo play the trombone but i have a problem: I am left handed, can I play the slide with the other hand? I suppose i can because of the form of the instrument. I dont want to play normally, because I actually play guitar and a little piano, and I want to try a instrument in which I haven't got that disadvantage. I hope somebody could help me.

[sagaunleashed]

@JavierWylde yes you can you can turn it around with no problem

[wannawatchu66]

@JavierWylde Yeah, just swing the slide around to the left side, with the bell on your right shoulder. Or, you could just learn to play right-handed since you're just starting out on it. You don't have to play the guitar at a disadvantage; simply invert the strings, putting the highest on the bottom with the neck in your right hand. As for the piano, do your best with whatcha got.

[simmerdude]

Thank you for the reference to the trumpet, that helps so much. Very cool!

[Chrisskateboarding]

i have a trombone it dosn't just go higher or lower if u move ur slide but your air output also changes

[spanishbananafone]

im surprised his slide didnt slide off when he let go

[carcrazy25Onx]

WOW! This makes it a whole lot easier for me to play trombone now. All I have to do is think about what valves to press on my trumpet!

[masterxgt]

AWESOME! this helped alot

[soulelemanator]

you puffed your cheaks you shouldn't do that

[dozy080]

ye your right

[MrVoodooThursday]

Why do people do that? I was taught not to puff the cheeks and I never did. I was the only trombonist who didn't do it. My notes would sound so much better compared to the others. They didn't listen, they probably thought I was arrogant. lol

[xmrwaffles2]

jj johnson puffed his cheeks

[babtrombone]

some situations with very advance players it is okay to do. But not advised to any trombone played who playing below collage level.

[Julia08able]

@soulelemanator

Go back in time and try and tell Dizzy Gillespie that.

[soulelemanator97]

@Julia08able yes but you shouldn't need to cause he was good

[REXY309]

@REXY309 UR SO AWESOME

[notyourplanet]

@soulelemanator Who cares? The guy makes a great sound!

[thehill2240]

Never buy a trombone from ebay, some people walk away happy, but a lot of times there will be problems with it. Like the one I got, the slide is bent to the point where it's un-fixable. If you wanna buy a cheap trombone online, go to Amazon.

[moonpiekid123]

yea i got one and the metal peice which shows the brand name moves and it causes my trombone to vibrate when i play

[dneltki]

I am currently using a trombone that has no trigger!! =(

Whatever! Trombone rocks!

[fitchet101]

i play the trombone it is my first year and me and my friend that play the trombone did a duet and got first place

[basketmane]

congradualations would you like a medal?

[algerianbabii]

im a new trombone player nd im looking for a private tutor help plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!

[UpcomingJedi]

Yellow pages? visit your local music store and find their ad board. Many leave their business cards or those paper ads with tear out phone numbers. You can hook up with local players or find a band/group to play with too.

[MetalMoron1]

how long have you been playing?

[fiftyfade]

to know where he or she-

[Futureguitarist15]

wtc? it don't really matter what note you tune it on, it aint like a guitar where if you tune the E string to a D it will be all out of whack, when you tune a wind instrument it doesn't tune just one set of notes, it tunes all of them, and Trombone is played in bass clef, but it can have alto clef parts, but you don't change the clef because it screws everything up

[zintata]

I play both guitar and trombone, and it's way harder to tune a trombone. It requires a greater amount of listening, unless you're using a tuner. Additionally, guitars can tune in fifths (besides the last two strings, which can be tuned by using the fourth fret of the G [B] and the low E).

[Futureguitarist15]

i play guitar and trombone too, and ya its almost impossible to tune a trombone without someone else thats in tune to use as a reference or a tuner, but the way i do it is i have a song i play for my guitar and the first note is 3rd fret 1st string, so if thats off tune i fix it and then tune the rest from the high e string

[CheezyItz]

If ur tuning by urself its hard. if ur with other intruments if it wavers ur out of tune

[trombonelytrombonist]

Hey! I play guitar and trombone too! Actually, it does kind of matter what note you tune a trombone on. It's best to tune to a note in first position obviously, because first is like an open string on guitar or a trumpet without the valves pushed down, and in a partial that is neither flat nor sharp. For instance, the G above high F is played in sharp second, not second, because it is a flat partial. It's best to tune to middle F, low Bb or middle Bb. And remember to tune those F attachments!!!

[Futureguitarist15]

yeah thats true, i haven't been playing trombone that long, about three years, im looking into getting an upgraded trombone with the F attachments, but im not sure how much thats gonna cost me

[trombonelytrombonist]

It depends on if you want to make an investment or if you want to buy a horn that's cheaper but wont last as long. A Conn 88h is a reliable horn that'll cost you around $1900-2000 and a Bach 42b is a horn that is better for resale but more expensive at $2100-2500. Both of those models come in standard or open wrap. Or you can search for "intermediate" trombones from $1100-1800 with less desirable performance.

[Futureguitarist15]

well it really sorta gets on my nerves that im gonna have to pay that much for one but if i wasn't playing in a band, and just wanted my own trombone to play and didn't have enough money i can get one on ebay for 280$

[trombonelytrombonist]

You can find pretty good deals on horns on ebay. But you'll still be paying over a thousand bucks.

It's up to you. Dudley Brights, principal trombonist of the London Symph. plays a straight trombone. His is well over a thousand dollars, but it goes to show you don't NEED a trigger.

You'll be so much more succesful (and happier) if you switched to a large bore horn with an F attachment.

[Futureguitarist15]

yeah the main reason i want that is because now im starting to become a better trombonist i realize how crappy mine is, the slide isn't near as slick as its supposed to be no matter how much slide cream i put on it, and plus the whole thing with going from first to sixth position, and also the sound quality

[migium]

"no matter how much slide cream i put on it"

Unlike oil, you CAN use too much cream. It will make it sticky and slow. Use cream sparingly, but dump on the oil.

[kailey219]

i use oil n i think that works so good 4 me

[pantscrapper12]

agreed. I have trouble not going to play with my trigger when I play with a pea shooter now =P

[AG3042]

Ive always tuned trombone on B flat

[kingkraft1]

His slide is way too sticky :P it shouldn't stay when he lets go

[demoncow416]

did that guy really teach anything? Any idiot could teach themselves.

[timcmit]

He's a talented professional trombonist - and a nice guy. Certainly not an idiot!

[lamborghinigallarodo]

drums r easy

[horseyslapper]

ummm drums are easy... learn something complicated... rums suck

[Boutti]

I hope you're not teaching anybody!

[abferrara]

Do they make a left handed trombone

[lordJordo]

All trombones can be left handed, you just screw the slide in differently

[abferrara]

Ahh ok thanks

[Yoyomanthe2nd]

@lordJordo False. Try doing it with a trigger. Please think before commenting.

[16mmDJ]

@lordJordo Not unless you have a bass or a Bb/F trombone. The rotor mechanism and added piping would get in the way. I play a bass.

[stevenhamlin1000]

@lordJordo what if you have a trigger trombone

[fallenskater1500]

lol, all trombones r right and left... you just have to switch it onto the different side...

[computerdude04]

not exactly you can learn the trombone the same way a right handed person would, like sometimes you do in baseball, and i have heard from my director that you do not need to do that because the water key would be upside down

[subjectiveman]

I appreciate a lot your tips. Thanks a lot.

[peytonio]

and trombone can also be played in tenor and alto clefs, depending on (usually) if you have 1st, 2nd, or 3rd part or if most of the piece (like in solos) the notes are above the ledger lines

[peytonio]

trombone is a C instrument.. that means if follows the concert pitches (a C on a trombone would be a C on a piano)... a D on trumpet is a C on trombone, dude... not a C on trumpet = F on trombone... a trumpet's C is a Bb on trombone... how do i know? i play trombone...

[contraplayah]

dude... your stupid. trombones are generally made in Bb. you don't tune on an F, you tune to a Bb. learn your instruments...

[tigerband1993]

No, maybe you are stupid. You do tune on an F, not a Bb. Maybe you need to "Learn your instruments."

[EHLOCALz]

ur stupid. contra is right... your wrong.

[Futureguitarist15]

it don't matter, either F or Bb works, F is normally the best, but use Bb for beginners

[pantscrapper12]

When you tune your horn, you want to tune to the middle of your range. For most players, that's a Bb.

[spibach]

@tigerband1993 Afraid not buddy.

[SonicBoomC98]

@tigerband1993 You can do a B-Flat. There is no only one way to do something. yes, each instrument probably does have a note or notes that its better to tune with, but I whole band can tune to a particular note in certain situations

[2011TB]

@tigerband1993 That makes me laugh. Most groups any of us play with will tune a Bb primarily. Yes, F is used as well, do you know why? F is the dominant degree of the Bb scale (the fifth). This note works better than Bb on some instruments. Bb and F are both good for trombone players being as we play them in first. (Sometimes even A is used for various woodwinds)

[IQuanaCentersnare]

@tigerband1993 Actualy when you are playing on a Bb trombone and are reading on Bas Clef in C transpose.. u are tuning on a Bb. Depending on the reading and instruments tuning. (Bb, C, F, Eb, etc..)

In marchingband and stuff they are tuning on Bb2 .. for a trumpet player it will be the C2 (sounds the same)

[glamourgirlie1]

@tigerband1993 - Elementary and Middle School bands do. But he's like 40.. or 50 or something, So.. Yeah, kind of an idiot.

[OMGedInStoresNearYou]

@tigerband1993 Are you a fucking idiot? Trombones tune on a Bb along with most other brass instruments. Stop trying to be a smart ass and fuck off so you can learn your shit.

[computerdude04]

ok just so you know, you can tune on any note you want to, just the preferred note to tune on is either f or b flat. nobody is wrong you can tune all notes

[jakeybarb]

no...The Trombone is played in the bass cleft...also it is a "C" instrument, which sumply means that concert scales are different. like F on a trombone would be C on the trumpet.

[curlyindyboy]

You lot are all stupid!!!

you've bot got a clue about the trombonone or music, for example- shostakovich's symphonies are all in the alto clef - I WIN!!

[DEATHbyRAZORBACK]

you can play any instrument on any clef as long as you can read it and transpose it quick enough. that takes studying tho, so im not gna try it lol

[Santa0ninja99]

no that is way off

it takes much longer with a brass instument due to the fact that it takes the tightening of lips which takes a stronger mouth to play higher notes

[OblivionFan33]

not very good quality but yea the trombone uses bass clef

[DanBrown58]

trombone uses Bass clef

[perf0rm4nce]

its possible but rare

[sabercat54]

could some1 tell me if u play in bass clef or treble clef with trombone.

[01123581321345589144]

Trombone parts are typically notated in bass clef.

[sabercat54]

Thank you!

[Shadowsuperform]

i have been playing trombone for 7 years ..its base clef but in jazz band one of my years i forgot my music ...and had to share with a treble clef baritone so i suggest u learn how to play it in both like i have .......ITS EASY!!

[Hellfire918]

All you have to do is convert the trebble clef notes into our bass clef notes & you can play in either.

[AgentJohnson1]

ofcourse its somtimes played in tenor clef and even alto clef. but very rarely in the alto clef.

[Hellfire918]

It depends on what type of trombone you are playing

[Trombone0817]

Occasionally there are certain parts written in Treble Clef if it's high. For instance, Christmas Carol, the musical, has a 2 measure Treble Clef section in the Overture(Random Example, I know). There are also some Treble Clef sections in solos every now and then. Best just to learn it, Tenor, and Alto as well, so you're fairly comfortable when it comes to sight reading.

[salamanderx]

also sometimes tenor cleft ^^

[cieslikdavinci]

Alto clef.

AAAAArgh!

[Berthaballs16]

amen

[nikyoma]

oh so thats how you play it. ive been playing for 8 yeard since when i was 3. now i'm playing it in band in middle school.

[zoot69]

o wow...I've been blowing in the wrong end all this time. How embarrassing.

Nah I'm kidding, nice video.

[Onipa]

Play Para Para Paradise [A] from 6th Style plz

[Michaelmassie]

Nice conn ya got there