Recording Studio: Trombone

Recording Studio: Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. The Trombone is a common site in the recording studio. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips (embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Virtually all trombones have a telescoping slide that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Many modern trombone models also utilize a rotary valve as a means to lower pitch of the instrument. Variants such as the valve trombone and superbone have three valves like those on the trumpet.
The most common trombones found in a recording studio are the tenor trombone and bass trombone. The most common variant, the tenor, is a non-transposing instrument pitched in B♭, an octave below the B♭ trumpet and an octave above the B♭ tuba. The once common E♭ alto trombone became less widely used as improvements in technique extended the upper range of the tenor, but it is now enjoying a resurgence in the recording studio.
A person who plays the trombone is called a trombonist or trombone player.

Recording Studio: Trombone Origin

Some time no later than the middle of the 13th century, towns began to equip watchmen with shawms or trumpets, which they played as signals at night. Early in the 14th century some towns started requiring the watchmen to provide music for civic ceremonies. The normal instrumentation for these early wind bands was two shawms and a trumpet. Shawm technique underwent a dramatic improvement in the middle of the 14th century. The trumpet could play too few notes to keep up. The bands needed an improvement.  The trombone was the product of these improvements and was developed sometime before 1490.
The trombone is widely used in the recording studio.  One of my favourite uses of the Trumpet is in latin music bands.
Here is a cool video of a Trombone being played with a gopro on the slide!

by Daniel Coates