portunities of playing a concerto or sonata with piano, the soapbox prophets at Hyde Park in London

should cajole his accompanist into taping the piano part
for him. The student can then play the piece with piano
as often as he wishes, and the procedure is especially
satisfactory if he amplifies the sound through his speak-
ers at home. All that is required for this purpose is a
patch cord, a matter of minimal cost.
For purposes of this article, I have of course only ex-
plored the music possibilities of the tape recorder. But
I cannot conclude without confessing that I use mine for
the further purpose of dictating every single word that
appears in print. On my trip around the world two years
ago I surreptitiously recorded the inimitable oratory of
David Ben-Gurion's permission, I taped every yJQ
our memorable meeting at his house in Tel-Aviv
some background commentary from Mrs. Ben-1
a unique personality in her own right. In Bangkok*'
corded the sounds of Oriental music so vividly th' *
smells of the floating market seem to emanate froi
tape recorder whenever I play the tape. Perhap
most vivid of all the tape-recorded experiences we
wild, rhythmical dances of the natives in red
skirts, by candlelight, in the unspoiled Yasawa Is
north of the Fijis. Do you see why I am partial tol
tape recorder?

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TENOI

AND BASS TROMBONES Paul Tanner and Kenneth Sawl

During a recent visit to Hawaii, Professor Paul Tanner

and one of his students from UCLA, bass trombonist
Kenneth Sawhill, presented a series of trombone clin-
ics for the Oahu Band Directors' Association in connec-
tion with concert appearances. One of the works pro-
grammed on the concerts was the "Concert Duo for
Tenor and Bass Trombone," written by Mr. Tanner and
performed with the University of Hawaii Concert Band
under the direction of Professor Richard Lum.
The advent of such extensive use of the bass trom-
bone caused considerable inquiry concerning the new
importance of the bass trombone. One of the clinics led
to the following discussion:
Question: Professor Tanner, the performance of your Tanner: The bass trombone has surely come into
composition was the first time we have witnessed such own and I feel it will continue to gain in imports
extensive use of the bass trombone. Is this a coming When I go on a studio call in Hollywood now, if
trend? are three trombones, one is surely a bass. I am sure
soon, wherever there are two trombones used, one
Paul Tanner is a member of the faculty of UCLA and a na- be a bass. This is not just in studio work; Ken and I '
tionally known concert performer and clinician. He received the
B.A. and M.A. degrees at UCLA and in completing his doc- this more and more in all kinds of music around
torate. He has been first trombonist with the American Broad- country, and of course this includes school bands.
casting Company since 1951 and is in constant demand for Saichill: Could we put in a plea now that you dont JD
motion picture and television work, as well as recording and
solo concert appearances. Mr. Tanner has written a number of put your least competent player on bass trombon|
books on music and is also the author of a book on the bass Choose one of your best players; he should notion
trombone. Bass trombonist Kenneth Sawhill is a student of
Mr. Tanner's at the university and is the son of Clarence Saw- want to play the bass, but should be as talented a J
hill, well-known director of bands at UCLA, as anyone else in the section.
 "Well, what's the difference between the
ad the bass trombone?"
There really is a great deal of confusion, not
nong band and orchestra directors, and not only
dealers and manufacturers, but also among
Sfonists.
We honestly consider them as two separate in-
ents and the playing of each one is an art within
|/Some fellows, at least for a while, were doubling
pth; but playing the bass trombone has become
art of its own now; doubling isn't really very
actory, anyway. I am sure Paul agrees with me
I say that we have a tendency to frown on dou-
Yes. The approach is really quite different. I
the primary difference is the sound. One of the
important aspects affecting the quality of the
gd is the size of the bore. A typical tenor bore is
ad .500, although you can find them as small as
.or so. The typical bass trombone bore is around
and over.
tion: What is the bore size of your two trombones?
er: Mine is .500.
hill: Mine is .562the biggest made by some man-
rers. Where a lot of the confusion comes is that
e manufacturers call their horns tenor trombones
Ifen the bore is as large as .547; yet they will have a
' trombone the same size. Some other manufacturer
' have an instrument they call a bass trombone and
(Xmld be only .545 or even smaller.
'mer: Naturally, the larger the bore, the more ten-
Icy there is to consider the instrument a bass trom-
|e, but there are actually instruments called tenor
nbones which have larger bores than some called
is trombones.
phill: Therefore, because of this overlapping, the
Ire size cannot be the only determining factor. This is
ly we say that the sound must be the main difference
tween the two instruments and that this is not deter-
[pned by the bore size alone.
anner: Manufacturers have a tendency to make the
iger bore horns from thicker metal.
estion: What does this do?
inner: Well, the thinner the metal thickness, the
lighter the sound. Now, by this I don't mean the hard-
ss or softness of the metalbut the thickness.
l: Three other important technical considerations
the production of sound are the mouthpiece, the
eader pipe, and the size of the bell. Of course, on the
ass trombone all three of these are larger than on the
trombone.
Question: Would you each comment on your mouth-
preferences?
?o.whill: I think that as far as the bass trombone is con-
aed, the first consideration should be that the mouth-
piece must be large enough to operate with ease be-
tween low B\) and pedal F and even lower. It should be
large enough to allow the player to have quick response
and maneuverability in this area. Never sacrifice the
low tones for an easier upper register. A Bach 1%G or
2G, or their equivalents, would be my suggestion.
Tanner: Even on the tenor, we don't feel that a player
should sacrifice his lower register for the upper. On ten-
or, start a young player with a middle of the road
mouthpiecenot too flat a rim so that the edge will be
sharp, not too wide a rim where it will cost him flexibil-
ity, and a deep enough cup for good round sounds. I
only know Bach numbers, so I can suggest a 7,11,12, or
15, or their equivalents, for tenor trombones.
Question: I understand that both of those trombones
are the same length; would you speak then about the
different ranges you should expect players to play in?
Tanner: It's true, they are the same length, and the
length actually determines the pitch of an instrument.
However, the larger bore and larger mouthpiece on the
bass trombone make it easier to play low and harder to
play high. Ken, why don't you go first?
Sawhill: Well, in the first place, we think of developing
range in just the opposite way than the tenor trombone
players. We think of developing range downward, we
start in a comfortable area and work down. The bass
trombone must operate comfortably as far down as ped-
al E. He should be able to sound tones all the way down
to pedal Bt).
Iv 2v 3v l>4v $6v b?v \>7- E valve
Of course it depends on the individual, but if I were
going to generalize, I would say that high school play-
ers should be expected to play down to a pedal E. Also,
for all practical purposes, the upper register shouldn't
be ignored, the bass trombone player should be able to
get up to at least a high B\>.
/=
I/
One of the biggest practicing fallacies is that bass
trombone players don't seem to practice much in the
real bass trombone register. They should spend most of
their practice time from low B\j on down, emphasizing
those notes played with the trigger.
1 6 or Iv 2v 3v \>4v fev Vlv \>1 - Ev
Tanner: Now that the alto trombone is almost extinct,
the tenor trombonist covers not only tenor parts, but
also alto parts as well. There are reference books that
show you that the top of the tenor trombone is B\) or C
or D. '
bo "
Actually, there really is no top, it is entirely up to the
individual, and even this varies, depending upon how
the individual feels at the moment. Personally, I keep a
useable, workable G available. Now, nobody needs that
G at all, but by having it, I then cut out the possibility
of problems a fourth or a fifth lower, where I simply
cannot afford to have any problems. If the C were my
top note, I'd be working terribly hard most of the time.
Going the other direction, reference books will show
that without the F attachment, we are not supposed to
have any tones between low E and pedal B. However,
we do practice in this area, it helps open up the sound
all over the horn, so these notes can be sounded. Then
we go on down from pedal J5|j to at least pedal E; some
of us practice on down below that, I practice down to
pedal C. I think you should expect your high school
players to play at least up to C above middle C, higher
for college players, and down to a pedal F.
Question: There has been mention about the trigger,
the F attachment; is this another real difference be-
tween the tenor and bass?
Tanner: Not really, not any more. There are now plenty
of trombones, called tenors by manufacturers, which
have the F attachment.
Sawhill: The standard, not the only by any means, but
the standard instrument today that is called a bass
trombone is built in B\) like the tenor, and it has an at-
tachment which lowers it a fourth into F and one means
or another of getting it down another half a step into E.
The biggest advantage is that the area between low E
and pedal B\> is clear and strongand this, of course, is
a very important register for the bass trombone. It also
helps us to go on down below pedal E with the feasible
length of tubing for this register. There are other advan-
tages too when you consider that anything played in
sixth position can now be played in first with the 1
depressed. However, sixth and seventh positions'
should not be neglected.
1 lv 1 2 2v 2 1 Ivl 2 2v2 ] lv 9
1- j!,;_i 'r
*):, ! 1 1 fi'~^
J \>j * J t1 b * W^V- W \ rW
Question: Mr. Tanner, with these obvious advan
why don't you have an F attachment on your
Tanner: Well, I think if I had it all to do over ae
probably would. If I used it now, it would be mer
stay out of sixth and seventh positions. I have
ing those positions now for over 30 years and
comfortable in them. The long arms help some. I j
have to also work on matching the sound with and!
out the trigger. This is a facet too often overlook^
players who use the trigger. But actually, I do thin
a good thing on tenors. There are plenty of advant]
The other problem is that too often a conductor see
F attachment and puts the player on bass tror
parts, whereas he may not have either the sound,
ter, or technique for the low parts. His horn may :
ly be too small for the bottom parts. Of course we>
see it happening the other way around too; players|
pretty big horns are sometimes really laboring to|
first trombone parts that go up quite high.
Sawhill: This brings us around to the only other
ence I think we should mention, that is the diffe
in repertoire.
Tanner: Let me speak of the tenor repertoire first, i
because most people know about this pretty well's
old thought of trombones just playing bravura
parts has long ago departed. We are now expect^
also play very lightly and delicate!}' all over our
I would like to make one big pitch for the need fon
players who can play very legatowe know that
both possible and logical, it just takes a lot of
work. Now, Ken, people really don't know a great <
about bass trombone literature.
Sawhill: In the past, bass trombone has been mainl|
orchestral instrument playing more or less glorified <3
parts. However, this is certainly not the case at all- _
day. Contemporary symphonic parts call for much rflj
finesse than ever before. Certain individuals have
larized the instrument in other fields to the point
a tremendous amount of flexibility and control is
pected. Not only has the aspect of maneuverability I
expanded, but also we are expected to play in a me
way and in a delicate manner beyond the
concepts of the instrument, Bass trombonists
vanced to the point now where this instrumenta"
whole new resource for composers and arrangers,
added another unique dimension, another unique
to the whole world of music in general. .
Tanner: We would like to emphasize very strongly.
 pie who write music should become increasing-
>e of the bass trombone and of the differences
i the tenor and bass trombones.
would like these musicians to take advan-
this new development, realizing that the more
(WARD A WORLD SAXOPHONE
INGRESS-A PROPOSAL r
al years ago I attended a World Accordian Con-
hat was held in Toronto and was completely flab-
sted by the entire event. To begin with, the pro-
; that were presented over a period of several days
^attended by overflowing and exuberant audiences
over the world, dedicated to the accordian as a
leal instrument. I was amazed at the planning, ded-
jon, and extremely high musical standards that I
land heard and immediately envied the accordian
for its devotion to an instrument which is en-
l in the same uphill struggle in the world of music
i which the saxophone is involved. The accordianists
i had a brilliant approach to elevating world inter-
their instrument, and these meetings which take
|i every few years are something to behold.
pnce that time, at every opportunity, I have dis-
1 the idea of holding a World Saxophone Congress
leading saxophone teachers and performers in
ope, Canada, and the United States. I have been de-
|ted to learn that everyone feels as I do, that it would
|a marvelous idea and if a program like this could
place it would be of great benefit to the future of
^instrument.
|jam perhaps being too optimistic, but I think the
they challenge us, the more we will extend ourselves,
thereby benefiting the entire music spectrum.
Author's Note: The clinic continued on with discussions
of the E pull, breathing, vibrato, methods of developing
flexibility, range, etc.
around the world. Funds could be gathered from many
sources, such as arts councils and art foundations, etc.
2. Performances and recording of new repertoire by
saxophone soloists and ensembles from around the
world, accompanied by leading music ensembles.
3. Establishment of a bulletin that would provide infor-
mation on new repertoire, material, and events of inter-
est to saxophonists and educators.
4. Presentation of awards for special merit.
5. Recital programs and clinics.
6. Election of a committee to prepare for future pro-
grams as well as to stimulate attention to the saxophone.
A World Saxophone Congress would no doubt have a
wide appeal to students, teachers, performers, music
educators, and enthusiasts for the instrument from
throughout the world. These are but a few ideas which
might be looked into and I am sure there are many
others worthy of study.
I would like to suggest that now would be a good
time to start the ball rolling towards the day when the
first World Saxophone Congress will be held. In order
to discuss the many problems and aspects which must
be considered, I would like to suggest an informal meet-
ing of anyone who is interested in being involved in this