Trombone!

Tenor Trombone Range Bass Trombone Range

- General Facts:
o Trombone has been used throughout history as an often religious instrument, serving as
the Voice of God
o Most common instruments in the family are the Tenor trombone and the Bass
trombone.
The only difference between them is the bass trombone has a larger
mouthpiece, is more conical, and features one or two triggers which can lower
the pitch. Tenor and bass have the same length of tubing!
- Weak areas for kids:
o Intonation! There is no certainty with notes- slide positions arent as accurate as keys.
o Only 7 positions on a trombone and different notes in the same position can be in the
harmony so kids can play wrong notes without sounding out of tune and visually you
cant tell.
- Things to look out for with adults:

Dont look at the trombones it only encourages them. Richard Strauss

The trombone is too sacred for frequent use. - Felix Mendelssohn
I dont know why but the trombone makes me very uncomfortable Sigmund Freud

o The trombone section has historically been known to play over the top and extremely
loud. Know that the instrument can become over bearing and dont hesitate to say you
want less trombone, but dont be afraid to let the bass voices shine for great effect.
- Other instruments in the family:
o Alto Trombone: Smaller, written in alto clef, pitched in Eb, used in 16th-18th century.
o Contrabass Trombone: Perfect 4th lower than the Tenor and Bass Trombones. Infrequent
- Mutes:
o Most mutes make the instrument go sharp, warming up brass should find where to
adjust tuning slides to during muted sections
o Straight Mutes Metallic and nasal tone. Can be piercing at loud volumes
o Harmin, or wa-wa mutes Tinny shallow sound, fingers can adjust the sound to wa-wa
o Cup Mutes Similar to straight mutes but with cup on the end, darker sound
o Plungers Head of a plunger, used like a cup mute, but can be opened and closed. Jazz.
- Weather:
o Brass will go flat in cold, wood sharp.
- Excerpts

Mozart Requiem Tuba Mirum Wagners Ride of the Valkyries

Rossinis William Tell Ravels Bolero
 Trumpet and French Horn!

French Horn (Double Horn) Range Trumpet Range

- General Facts
o Both produce sound by buzzing your lips to get different partials. The valves then lower
the pitch.
On a trumpet the first valve lowers the pitch by a whole step, the second by a
half step, and the third by a whole step plus a half step. Different combinations
allow to play in the full range, some combinations are more in tune than others.
- Weak Areas for Kids
o Trumpet Watch Endurance/Range!
G below staff to Bb above staff! Dont push hard, no long rehearsals before
concert.
Make sure on fingerings that use 1 and 3 you have the students use their left
hand tuning slide to get those notes in tune!
o Horn Ear Training!
Horn partials are closer than other instruments, need to develop their ear.
- Community Band
o Trumpet Tone and Blend!
Can get blatty and out of tune.
Give very precise and obvious cues on high/loud things to give confidence!
o Horn Intonation and techniques
Low range can be iffy because most good players are high players, hand
stopping and bass clef, intonation in general.
- Orchestra
o Consider trumpets tone and style in your choice of repertoire
o Where do you put your horns!?! Have fun with that one.
- Other Instruments in Family
o Piccolo trumpet for higher parts
o C Trumpet vs. Bb trumpet? C in Orchestra, normally Bb in concert band setting
o TRUMPET AND HORN TRANPOSE. A LOT. TEACH THEM IN HIGHSCHOOL. Once in an
orchestra they will be expected to just be able to do it in their head.
- Mutes
o Same as the trombone for trumpet
o Hand-Stopping on horn The pitch raises a full semitone, must finger a half step lower
- Excerpts
Trumpet Horn
Stravinsky Petrushka Strauss - Till Eulenspiegel
Mahler Symphony No. 5 Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
Respighi Pines of Rome Stravinsky Firebird and Rite of Spring
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 Wagner - Siegfried