The Best Trombone For You?
When deciding which is the best trombone, you need to begin by answering some questions. Start with these: * What kind of playing will you use the trombone for? everything, orchestral, big band, quintet/chamber music, other? * How much money do you have to spend? * Do you want a new or used instrument?
There are three major types: 1. Straight tenor 2. Trigger-type tenor(also referred to as F-rotor or F-attachment) 3. Bass trombone Valve trombones and alto trombones are a specialty we won't discuss here. How To Select Your Trombone The straight trombone is the simplest, with no tubing inside the main section. The F-rotor trombone has extra tubing within the main loop. It's a straight trombone until this tubing is activated with a trigger. This makes the horn longer, changing its tuning from Bb to F. More about the advantages of this later. The bass trombone is a larger bore version of the F-rotor trombone that adds a second rotor to extend its low-end even further. Typically, students start with a straight tenor trombone and later graduate to a horn with the F-rotor, but this isn't a hard and fast rule. If you don't use the trigger, the F-rotor horn plays exactly the same as a straight trombone. You can wait to learn the F-rotor when you're ready. On the other hand, for many applications, even advanced players stay with a straight trombone. So choosing the best trombone for you can sometimes involve a few years of trying different instruments. Here's a Trombone Quartet playing Stars and Stripes. Be inspired!
Trombone's start at around £250 ($500) and rise up into the thousands. Obviously for a beginner you don't want to spend too much. But also don't be tempted to buy on Ebay or from a junk shop. Buy from a reputable brass specialist and everything should be OK.
Trombone mouthpiece The ideal mouthpiece is one which is comfortable and which allows you to accomplish what are trying to do with a minimum of fuss. The best advice is to try a few different types out at a local shop and ask your teacher for their advice. Ultimately it's a subjective decision that you will have to make yourself.
Click here for more information about trombone mouthpieces
Cleaning your trombone is a necessity if you want to avoid expensive repairs later in the instrument's life. There are many different aspects to cleaning a trombone, from the easiest daily rituals to a less frequent deep cleaning. Daily Trombone Cleaning and Maintenance Each day before you play your trombone you should take the mouthpiece over to a sink and scrub it out using an inexpensive mouthpiece brush. A clean mouthpiece feels better and plays better than one with dried saliva and half-chewed food pieces sticking to it. Clean the mouthpiece with the brush and warm water then either dry with a paper towel or allow it to air dry. After you are done rehearsing for the day you can clean out your slide with a trombone cleaning rod and an old thin piece of flannel. Intermediate and professional trombones often come with these cleaning rods included. Beginner model trombones usually do not. Again, ask your local music store to see if you can order one and then have them show you how to use it properly. Weekly Trombone Cleaning and Maintenance Once each week you may wish to pour some warm water through the slides to flush out any acidic liquids and saliva that can literally eat through the metal of your trombone. Another great and fun alternative is the use of a “Spitball,” a commercial product that is blown through the slide and attempts to clean the worst of the residue. Bi-Monthly Trombone Cleaning and Maintenance Every few weeks it is a good idea to give your new trombone a good thorough cleaning by totally submersing it in water and scrubbing the inside of the tubes with a trombone cleaning snake. Fill your bathtub with luke-warm soapy water (use a mild dish soap like Dawn) and let the trombone soak in the tub for about ten minutes. Make sure the water is NOT HOT! Hot water in some cases can literally melt the lacquer finish off of a brass instrument. After the trombone has soaked briefly take the cleaning snake and scrub the inside of the instrument all the way through the curves in the slides. Remove the outer slide and scrub it seperately from the inner slide. Rinse the entire trombone in clean cool water and towel dry the outside. Do not put the trombone in its case until the inside of the slides have had a chance to air dry. With a little easy cleaning and preventative maintenance your trombone will play great and look great for years to come!
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