How to Play the Trombone

With all musical instruments, real proficiency can only be accomplished after spending many years studying music, usually with a skilled teacher, and putting in hundreds of hours of individual practice. However, for hobbyists looking to self-teach themselves on the trombone, or just anyone looking to give this instrument a try, mastering the core concepts of playing is a good way to get started with your trombone and find out if it's the right instrument for you.

Instructions

1. Hold the trombone correctly. Wrap your left hand around the joint where the two pieces of the instrument meet with your forefinger wrapped over the top of the lead pipe (where the mouthpiece goes in). Hold the slide in your right hand between your thumb and first two fingers, gripping the handle at the bottom. Sit or stand up straight with good, comfortable posture and bring the trombone up to your face. Don't allow yourself to slouch or bend your head down, as this will interfere with your breath support.

2. Practice taking good breaths. Breathing for trombone playing should be deep but relaxed and start at the very bottom of your lungs, just below your ribcage. Keep your throat relaxed (like breathing hot air to steam up an icy window) and work on taking in as much air as you can, slowly. To get an idea of what the right breath should feel like, try reading a passage from a book out loud and notice what happens when you're talking, run out of air, and take another breath to start again.

3. Figure out how to buzz your lips. Buzzing a trombone is a bit like blowing a raspberry, only you keep your tongue in your mouth. Also, you don't pucker your lips out, but keep them pressed flat against your teeth. The muscles used for this are the same muscles you use if you hold water in your cheeks but still open your lips. Keep your cheeks from puffing and hold your teeth far enough apart to insert a finger between them.

4. Articulate notes with your tongue. While buzzing, keep the air flow going from your diaphragm, but interrupt it by putting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, just like when you say "ta." Your tongue will work like the piece in a high-pressure sprinkler that interrupts the water.

5. Develop a basic mastery of partials. Partials are the different notes that can be played without changing the trombone's position. By adjusting the tension of your lips and the speed and power of your air, you'll find that different notes pop out clearly. They'll feel sort of like "shelves" of sound that the vibration pops into. The more you develop your muscles and air support, the more of these notes you'll be able to play, but for now, work on trying to move between two or three of them.

6. Identify the seven major slide positions. The first is with the slide all the way in. Second position is when you hold the handle half way between first position and the bell, while third position puts the handle right at the end of the bell. For fourth position, place the end of the outer slide near the end of the bell. Fifth position is halfway to the end of your arm length and sixth is all the way out. For seventh position, hold the slide handle between the tips of your first and second fingers (releasing it with your thumb) and stretching out as far as you can--it's a good idea to master the first six positions before you try this one, since it can be easy to accidentally drop the slide.