Should i switch to bass trombone

For this reason, I would never write a note below the low F in high school level music and below. The full range is a bit complicated.

A good trombone or euphonium player will very easily play higher than that. But this should be greatly minimized in general ensemble music. On the low side, pedal notes below the B-flat can be played by competent players with ease. The B-natural a half step above the pedal B-flat should be avoided at almost all costs. The most common thing is for beginner and intermediate players to learn on a tenor trombone and switch later.

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Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. New to bass trombone Ask Question. Asked 4 years ago. Active 4 years ago. Viewed 4k times. Improve this question.

Trent Blair Trent Blair 11 1 1 silver badge 2 2 bronze badges. What make and model of trombone is it? Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. This question is really broken into two parts: 1 What are the functions of the first and second valves on a bass trombone? Bass Trombone Sound In some ways, a bass trombone is a big tenor trombone, at least in a contemporary context. Improve this answer.

You get good at the lower notes by practicing them! Laurence Payne Laurence Payne Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Flexibility before long tones. One of the reasons I have always been able to switch horns easily is that I play the entire range of the instrument on all my horns.

F pedals to high F. Switching mouthpieces is like choosing a different color to paint with but it is all the same sound canvas. My approach to bass trombone is that it should simply be an extension from the tenor trombones, and that a larger instrument will inherently add fuller timbre to the blend.

I choose a Greg Black 2G as my primary mouthpiece. It has ample richness, nice vibrancy, and a quick response. For the occasions where the repertoire is more substantial, I will use a Schilke It is a large mouthpiece, but keeps the sound focused. I generally have no issue switching between mouthpiece makers and rim shapes. If I focus on achieving good sound and airflow, the idiosyncrasies between mouthpieces are less of a concern. I have always favored smaller mouthpieces: for a long time I used a Bach 5G and a Bach 1.

After a long period of testing, I have settled on the Hammond mouthpieces listed above. On the bass trombone, my choice to use the 20BL came similarly. I tried to stick with 1. As a result, I moved to more of a 1. I find I need more time to adjust back and forth, but that particular trade off is worth it to realize my musical and professional goals on both instruments. The Hammond 20BL is comparable to a Bach 1. The one downside is that I must spend more time on the bass in order to feel comfortable, but the upside in my opinion is a truer sound.

While it takes more time to adjust when going back and forth between horns, keeping the mouthpieces unrelated — in size and feel — helps me establish a separate concept for each trombone. I apply this to the alto trombone, as well. The trick is to play at least a bit of bass every day, as refreshing the concept on a regular basis allows me to switch over to it more easily. I will vary my warm-up on a daily basis, often starting on the bass trombone rather than tenor.

This is contrary to the advice offered by many of my colleagues, who support starting on your primary horn every day. I find that this maximizes my air support, and more importantly, keeps me mentally engaged, as the different physical stimulus aids in keeping me focused.

I agree with Mr. My main practice has always been on the tenor, only practicing the bass when needed, if the music needed play through a, or if I wanted to expand my register on the bass, maybe try out larger mouthpieces. In other words, I can always pick up the bass trombone and play standard gigs without too much practice, and save the hard core practice for big titles or solo pieces.