Editing Trombone (section)

== Construction ==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: 1em; caption: stuff; margin-right: 0; float: right"
|+ <big>Basic trombone anatomy</big>
| [[File:Trombone-2.svg|120 px]]
||
# tuning slide
# counterweight
# mouthpiece
# slide lock ring
# bell
# knob/bumper
# water key/spit valve
# main slide
# second slide brace/stay
# first slide brace/stay
# bell lock nut
|}

The trombone is a predominantly cylindrical tube with two U-shaped bends and a flared bell at the end. The tubing is approximately cylindrical but contains a complex series of tapers which affect the instrument's intonation. As with other [[brass instrument]]s, sound is produced by blowing air through pursed lips producing a vibration that creates a [[standing wave]] in the instrument.

The detachable cup-shaped [[Mouthpiece (brass)|mouthpiece]] is similar to that of the [[baritone horn]] and closely related to that of the [[trumpet]]. It has a [[Venturi effect|venturi]]:<ref name="Friedman-2003">{{cite web |last1=Friedman |first1=Jay |date=8 November 2003 |title=The German Trombone, by Jay Friedman |url=https://www.jayfriedman.net/articles/the-german-trombone |website=Jay Friedman |access-date=4 December 2018}}</ref> a small constriction of the air column that adds resistance, greatly affecting the tone of the instrument. The slide section consists of a [[leadpipe]], inner and outer slide tubes, and bracing, or "stays". The soldered stays on modern instruments replaced the loose stays found on [[sackbut]]s (medieval precursors to trombones).<ref name="Campbell2004">{{cite book|last1=Campbell|first1=Murray |last2=Greated|first2=Clive A. |last3=Myers|first3=Arnold|title=Musical Instruments: History, Technology, and Performance of Instruments of Western Music|url=https://archive.org/details/musicalinstrumen00dona|url-access=registration|access-date=4 December 2018|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-816504-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/musicalinstrumen00dona/page/201 201]–}}</ref><ref name="Fischer1984">{{cite book|last=Fischer|first=Henry George |title=The Renaissance Sackbut and Its Use Today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9IMVxu1y9O0C&pg=PA15|access-date=4 December 2018|year=1984|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn=978-0-87099-412-8|pages=15–}}</ref>

The most distinctive feature of the trombone is the slide that lengthens the tubing and lowers the pitch (cf. [[valve trombone]]). During the [[Renaissance]], sleeves (called "stockings") were developed to decrease friction that would impede the slide's motion. These were soldered onto the ends of the inner slide tubes to slightly increase their diameter. The ends of inner slides on modern instruments are manufactured with a slightly larger diameter to achieve the same end. This part of the slide must be lubricated frequently. The slide section is connected to the bell section by the neckpipe and a U-bend called the bell or back bow. The joint connecting the slide and bell sections has a threaded collar to secure the connection. Prior to the early 20th century this connection was made with friction joints alone.

Trombones have a short tuning slide in the U-shaped bend between the neckpipe and the bell, a feature designed by the French maker François Riedlocker in the early 19th century. It was incorporated into French and British designs, and later to German and American models, although German trombones were built without tuning slides well into the 20th century. Many types of trombone also include one or more [[rotary valves]] connected to additional tubing which lengthens the instrument. This extends the low range of the instrument and creates the option of using alternate slide positions for many notes.

Like the trumpet, the trombone is considered a cylindrical bore instrument since it has extensive sections of tubing that are of unchanging diameter (the slide section must be cylindrical in order to function). Tenor trombones typically have a bore of {{convert|0.450|in|mm}} (small bore) to {{convert|0.547|in|mm}} (large or ''orchestral'' bore) after the leadpipe and through the slide. The bore expands through the bow to the bell, which is typically between {{convert|7|and|8+1/2|in|cm}}. A number of common variations on trombone construction are noted below.

=== Bells ===
Trombone bells (and sometimes slides) may be constructed of different [[brass]] mixtures. The most common material is yellow brass (70% copper, 30% zinc), but other materials include rose brass (85% copper, 15% zinc) and red brass (90% copper, 10% zinc). Some manufacturers offer interchangeable bells. Tenor trombone bells are usually between {{convert|7|and(-)|9|in|cm|abbr=on}} in diameter, with most being between {{convert|7+1/2|and(-)|8+1/2|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The smallest sizes are found on jazz trombones and older narrow-bore instruments, while the larger sizes are common on orchestral models. Bass trombone bells can be {{convert|10+1/2|in|cm|abbr=on}} or more, with most being between {{convert|9+1/2|and|10|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The bell may be made from two separate brass sheets or from one single piece of metal, hammered on a mandrel to shape it. The edge of the bell may be finished with or without a piece of bell wire to secure it, which also affects the tone quality; most bells are built with bell wire. Occasionally, trombone bells are made from solid [[sterling silver]].

=== Valve attachments<span class="anchor" id="F-attachment"></span><span class="anchor" id="F attachment"></span><span class="anchor" id="F attachment valve"></span><span class="anchor" id="F valve attachment"></span> ===
<!--[[F attachment]], [[F attachment valve]], [[F valve attachment]], and [[F-attachment]] redirect and [[Brass instrument#Trombone]] links directly here.-->
<!-- Could this be a separate article? Material can/should still be rationalised from [[Brass instrument valve]], [[Axial flow valve]], [[Hagmann valve]], etc. -->
{{for|trombones with three or more valves instead of a slide|valve trombone}}
[[File:Trombone F slide position pedal tones.png|thumb|right|250px|Trombone with F attachment slide position second harmonics.<ref name="Orchestration">{{cite Q|Q113561204|author1-first=Kent |author1-last=Kennan |author1-link=Kent Kennan |author2-first=Donald |author2-last=Grantham |author2-link=Donald Grantham |pages=148–9}}</ref>]]

Modern trombones often have a valve attachment, an extra loop of tubing attached to the bell section and engaged by a [[brass instrument valve|valve]] operated by the left hand by means of a [[Brass_instrument#Trigger_or_throw|lever or trigger]]. The valve attachment aids in increasing the lower range of the instrument, while also allowing alternate slide positions for difficult music passages. A valve can also make [[Trill (music)|trills]] easier.

[[Image:TriggerTrombone.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Tenor trombone with a traditional wrap F attachment]]
The valve attachment was originally developed by German instrument maker [[Christian Friedrich Sattler]] in the late 1830s for the {{lang|de|Tenorbaßposaune}} ({{lit.|tenor-bass trombone}}), a B{{Music|flat}} tenor trombone built with the wider bore and larger bell of a bass trombone that Sattler had earlier invented in 1821. Sattler's valve attachment added about {{convert|3|ft|m|1}} of tubing to lower the fundamental pitch from B{{Music|flat}} to F, controlled by a rotary valve, and is essentially unchanged in modern instruments.

Valve attachments are most commonly found on tenor and bass trombones, but they can appear on sizes from soprano to contrabass.

;Soprano
:In the early 2010s Torbjörn Hultmark of the [[Royal College of Music]] commissioned the first soprano trombone in B{{Music|flat}} with an F valve, built by Thein Brass.<ref name="janesalmon-blog-2016">{{Cite web |title=The Soprano Trombone Project |first=Jane |last=Salmon |work=Jane Salmon (blog) |date=23 June 2016 |url= https://janesalmon.info/2016/06/23/the-soprano-trombone-project/ |access-date=20 May 2022 }}</ref>

;Alto
:Although rare on the E{{Music|flat}} alto trombone, a valve attachment usually lowers the instrument a perfect fourth into B{{Music|flat}}, providing the first five or six positions from the tenor trombone slide. Some alto models have what is called a ''trill valve'', providing a small loop of tubing that lowers the instrument by only a minor or major second, into D or D{{Music|flat}} respectively.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=10|loc="alto trombone"}}

;Tenor
:Tenor trombones, especially the larger bore symphonic models, commonly have a valve attachment which lowers the instrument from B{{Music|flat}} to F.

:It provides access to the otherwise missing notes between the [[pedal tone|pedal]] B{{Music|flat}}{{sub|1}} in first position, and the second partial E{{sub|2}} in seventh, as well as providing alternate slide positions for other notes in long (sixth and seventh) positions. Because the attachment tubing increases the length of the overall instrument by one-third, the distances between slide positions must also be one-third longer when the valve is engaged, resulting in only six positions available on the F slide, to low C{{sub|2}}. Thus, the F attachment cannot provide the low B{{Music|natural}}{{sub|1}}, but it usually has a sufficiently long tuning slide to lower it into E as required, which will provide B{{Music|natural}}{{sub|1}} in a very long position.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=55|loc="F-attachment"}}

:Tenor trombones without a valve are sometimes known as ''straight'' trombones.

;Bass
:{{further | Bass trombone#Construction }}
:The modern bass trombone usually has two valve attachments to provide all of the notes that are absent on an instrument with no valves (B{{Music|natural}}{{sub|1}} – E{{sub|2}}). This allows the player to produce a complete [[chromatic scale|chromatic range]] upwards from the pedal register.

:The first valve is an F attachment the same as that found on a tenor trombone and extends the range down to C{{sub|2}}. The second valve, engaged together with the first, lowers the instrument to D (or less commonly, E{{Music|flat}}) and provides the low B{{sub|1}}. The second valve can be ''dependent'', where it serves to lower the F attachment to D and has no effect alone. More commonly the second valve is ''independent'', where it can be engaged separately to lower the instrument to G{{Music|flat}}, or to D when both are engaged.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|p=73|loc="independent valves"}}

:Single-valve B{{Music|flat}} bass trombones with an F attachment are still made but are now less common than two-valve bass trombones. They are essentially very large bore tenor trombones, and likewise cannot provide the low B{{Music|natural}}{{sub|1}} without lowering the valve to E with a long tuning slide.{{sfn|Guion|2010|p=61}}

;Contrabass
:{{further | Contrabass trombone#Construction}}
:Contrabass trombones in F typically have two independent valves, tuned either to C and D{{Music|flat}} combining to A, or in European models tuned to D and B{{Music|flat}} combining to A{{Music|flat}}. Contrabass trombones in low B{{Music|flat}} usually have only one valve in F, although Miraphone make a model in C with two independent valves in G and A{{Music|flat}}, which combine to E.<ref name="contra-manufacturers-Bb">{{Cite web |title=Contrabass Trombone in Bb with Double Slide |work=Thein Brass |url=https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/contrabass-trombone-in-bb-with-double-slide/ |access-date=7 March 2022 }} {{Cite web |title=Bb contrabass slide trombone |work=Miraphone eG |url=https://www.miraphone.de/bb-contrabass-slide-trombone-4.html |access-date=7 March 2022 }}</ref>

==== Valve types ====
{{See also|Axial flow valve|Hagmann valve}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 400px
| align = right
| image1 = Rotary valve on tenor trombone.jpg
| image2 = Axial flow valve on tenor trombone.jpg
| image3 = Hagmann valve on tenor trombone.jpg
| alt1 = Trombone with rotary valve
| alt2 = Trombone with axial flow valve
| alt3 = Trombone with Hagmann valve
| footer = Trombone valve attachments. Standard rotary valve, ''left''; Thayer [[axial flow valve]], ''center''; [[Hagmann valve]], ''right''.
| footer_align = center
}}

The most common type of valve seen for valve attachments is the [[rotary valve]], appearing on most band instruments, as well as most student and intermediate model trombones. Many improvements of the rotary valve, as well as entirely new and radically different valve designs, have been invented since the mid 20th century to give the trombone a more open, free sound than the tight bends in conventional rotary valve designs would allow. Many of these new valve designs have been widely adopted by players, especially in symphony orchestras. The Thayer [[axial flow valve]] is offered on professional models from most trombone manufacturers, and the [[Hagmann valve]] particularly from European manufacturers.

Some trombones have three [[piston valve|piston]] or [[rotary valve|rotary]] valves instead of a slide; see [[valve trombone]].

==== Tubing ====
[[File:Yamaha Trombone comparison of open and traditional wrap.jpg|thumb|F attachment tubing: open wrap, ''left''; traditional wrap, ''right''.]]
[[F attachment]] tubing usually has a larger bore through the attachment than through the rest of the instrument. A typical slide bore for an orchestral tenor trombone is {{convert|0.547|in|mm|abbr=on}} while the bore in the attachment is {{convert|0.562|in|mm|abbr=on}}. The attachment tubing also incorporates a tuning slide to tune the valve separately from the rest of the instrument, usually long enough to lower the pitch by a semitone when fully extended (from F to E on tenor and bass trombones, to reach the missing low B{{sub|1}}).

Valve attachment tubing is often coiled tightly to keep within the bell section (''closed wrap '' or ''traditional wrap''). A less coiled configuration, called ''open wrap'', is found on some 19th and early 20th century instruments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bass trombone |author=[[Boosey & Hawkes]] |publisher=[[Horniman Museum|Horniman Museum & Gardens]] |publication-place=London |via=Musical Instrument Museums Online |date=1933 |id=Accession number 2004.1171 |url= https://mimo-international.com/MIMO/doc/IFD/MINIM_UK_22302 |access-date=20 November 2024 }}</ref> In the early 1980s, American instrument manufacturers began producing open wrap instruments after Californian instrument technician Larry Minick introduced open wraps around the same time that the [[axial flow valve|Thayer valve]] began to emerge among orchestral players.<ref>{{cite web| last=Tanner |first=K |date=January 1999 |title=Larry David Minick Passes |type=obituary |work=The Cambrian |url=https://trombone.org/articles/view.php?id=76 |access-date=26 April 2024 |via=The Online Trombone Journal}}</ref> Open wrap F attachment tubing is shaped in a single loop free of tight bends, resulting in a freer response and more "open" sound through the valve.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|p=34|loc="closed wrap"}}

In marching bands and other situations where the trombone may be more prone to damage, the confined traditional wrap is more common, since open wrap tubing protrudes behind the bell section.

=== Tuning ===

[[File:Conn 70H bass trombone in-slide tuning.jpg|thumb|In-slide tuning on a Conn 70H bass trombone]]
Some trombones are tuned using a mechanism in the slide section instead of a tuning slide in the bell section. Having the tuning slide in the bell section (the more typical setup) requires two sections of cylindrical tubing in an otherwise conical part of the instrument, which affects the tone quality. Placing the tuning mechanism in the cylindrical slide section allows the bell section to remain conical.

=== Slides ===
Common and popular bore sizes for trombone slides are {{convert|0.500|,|0.508|,|0.525|and|0.547|in|mm|abbr=on}} for tenor trombones, and {{convert|0.562|in|mm|abbr=on}} for bass trombones. The slide may also be built with a ''dual-bore'' configuration, in which the bore of the second leg of the slide is slightly larger than the bore of the first leg, producing a stepwise conical effect. The most common dual-bore combinations are {{convert|0.481|–|0.491|in|mm|abbr=on}}, {{convert|0.500|–|0.508|in|mm|abbr=on}}, {{convert|0.508|–|0.525|in|mm|abbr=on}}, {{convert|0.525|–|0.547|in|mm|abbr=on}}, {{convert|0.547|–|0.562|in|mm|abbr=on}} for tenor trombones, and {{convert|0.562|–|0.578|in|mm|abbr=on}} for bass trombones.

=== Mouthpiece ===
[[File:Schilke 51C4 Trombone Mouthpiece.jpg|thumb|right|A tenor trombone mouthpiece]]
The mouthpiece is a separate part of the trombone and can be interchanged between similarly sized trombones from different manufacturers. Available mouthpieces for trombone (as with all brass instruments) vary in material composition, length, diameter, rim shape, cup depth, throat entrance, venturi aperture, venturi profile, outside design and other factors. Variations in mouthpiece construction affect the individual player's ability to make a lip seal and produce a reliable tone, the [[timbre]] of that tone, its [[Loudness|volume]], the instrument's [[Intonation (music)|intonation]] tendencies, the player's subjective level of comfort, and the instrument's playability in a given pitch range.

Mouthpiece selection is a highly personal decision. Thus, a symphonic trombonist might prefer a mouthpiece with a deeper cup and sharper inner rim shape in order to produce a rich symphonic tone quality, while a [[jazz]] trombonist might choose a shallower cup for brighter tone and easier production of higher notes. Further, for certain compositions, these choices between two such performers could easily be reversed. Some mouthpiece makers now offer mouthpieces that feature removable rims, cups, and shanks allowing players to further customize and adjust their mouthpieces to their preference.

=== Plastic ===
[[File:WANZ Instrument 2024-09 IMG 7761 pBone plastic trombone (crop).jpg|thumb|Trombone "pBone" made from ABS plastic]]
Instruments made mostly from plastic, including the pBone and the Tromba plastic trombone, emerged in the 2010s as a cheaper and more robust alternative to brass.<ref name="pBone">{{cite web |last1=Flynn |first1=Mike |title=pBone plastic trombone |url=https://www.jazzwise.com/review/article/pbone-plastic-trombone |website=Jazzwise Magazine |access-date=16 October 2016 |date=20 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/korg-uk-takes-on-distribution-of-tromba/017677 |date=2 May 2013 |title=Korg UK takes on distribution of Tromba |access-date=12 July 2013 |website=Musical Instrument Professional |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505114137/http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/korg-uk-takes-on-distribution-of-tromba/017677 |archive-date=5 May 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Plastic instruments could come in almost any colour but the sound plastic instruments produce is different from that of brass. While originally seen as a gimmick, these plastic models have found increasing popularity of the last decade and are now viewed as practice tools that make for more convenient travel as well as a cheaper option for beginning players not wishing to invest so much money in a trombone right away. Manufacturers now produce large-bore models with triggers as well as smaller alto models.

=== Regional variations ===

==== Germany and Austria ====
[[File:Kruspe-Tenor-02.02.2023-2.jpg|thumb|Kruspe Virtuosa tenor trombone bell with ''Kranz'' (wreath)]]
German trombones have been built in a wide variety of bore and bell sizes. The traditional German ''Konzertposaune'' can differ substantially from American designs in many aspects. The mouthpiece is typically rather small and is placed into a slide section with a very long leadpipe of at least {{convert|12|to(-)|24|in|cm|-1}}. The whole instrument is typically made of gold brass. They are constructed using very thin metal (especially in the bell section), and many have a metal ring called a {{lang|de|Kranz}} ({{lit.|wreath}}) on the rim of the bell. Their sound is very even across dynamic levels but it can be difficult to play at louder volumes.<ref name="Friedman-2003"/> While their bore sizes were considered large in the 19th century, German trombones have altered very little over the last 150 years and are now typically somewhat smaller than their American counterparts. Bell sizes remain very large in all sizes of German trombone and a bass trombone bell may exceed {{convert|10|in|cm}} in diameter.

Valve attachments in tenor and bass trombones were first seen in the mid 19th century, originally on the tenor B{{Music|flat}} trombone. Before 1850, bass trombone parts were mostly played on a slightly longer F-bass trombone (a fourth lower). The first valve was simply a fourth-valve, or in German "Quart-Ventil", built onto a B{{Music|flat}} tenor trombone, to allow playing in low F. This valve was first built without a return spring, and was only intended to set the instrument in B{{Music|flat}} or F for extended passages.<ref>{{Cite Grove |title=Trombone |last1=Baines |first1=Anthony C. |last2=Myers |first2=Arnold |last3=Herbert |first3=Trevor |id=40576 }}</ref> Since the mid-20th century, modern instruments use a trigger to engage the valve while playing.

[[File:Thein-SpainKruspe-Tenor-29.04.2023-9.jpg|thumb|Tuning slide of a trombone with a traditional {{lang|de|Schlangenverzierungen}} snake ornament, by Thein Brass]]
As with other traditional German and Austrian brass instruments, rotary valves are used to the exclusion of almost all other types of valve, even in valve trombones. Other features often found on German trombones include long [[water key]]s as well as ''Schlangenverzierungen'' (snake decorations) on the slide and bell U-bows to help protect the tubing from damage.

Since around 1925, when jazz music became popular, Germany has been selling "American trombones" as well. Most trombones made and/or played in Germany today, especially by amateurs, are built in the American fashion, as those are much more widely available, and thus far cheaper. However, some higher-end manufacturers such as Thein make modern iterations of the classic German ''Konzertposaune'', as well as American-style trombones with German features like the ''Kranz'' and snake decorations.

==== France ====
French trombones were built in the very smallest bore sizes up to the end of the [[World War II|Second World War]] and whilst other sizes were made there, the French usually preferred the tenor trombone to any other size. French music, therefore, usually employed a section of three tenor trombones up to the mid–20th century. Tenor trombones produced in France during the 19th and early 20th centuries featured bore sizes of around {{convert|0.450|in|mm|abbr=on}}, small bells of not more than {{convert|6|in|cm|abbr=on}} in diameter, as well as a funnel-shaped mouthpiece slightly larger than that of the [[cornet]] or [[French horn|horn]]. French tenor trombones were built in both C and B{{Music|flat}}, altos in D{{Music|flat}}, sopranos in F, piccolos in B{{Music|flat}}, basses in G and E{{Music|flat}}, and contrabasses in B{{Music|flat}}.