Editing Trombone (section)

==== Tenor trombone ====
The tenor trombone has a [[Fundamental frequency|fundamental]] [[Musical note|note]] of B{{music|flat}} and is usually treated as a [[nontransposing instrument|non-transposing instrument]] (see below). Tenor trombones with C as their fundamental note were almost equally popular in the mid-19th century in Britain and France. As the trombone in its simplest form has neither crooks, valves nor keys to lower the pitch by a specific interval, trombonists use seven chromatic ''slide positions''. Each position progressively increases the length of the air column, thus lowering the pitch.

Extending the slide from one position to the next lowers the pitch by one [[semitone]]. Thus, each note in the [[harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]] can be lowered by an [[interval (music)|interval]] of up to a [[tritone]].  The lowest note of the standard instrument is therefore an E{{music|natural}} – a tritone below B{{music|flat}}. Most experienced trombonists can play lower "[[falset (music)|falset]]" notes and much lower pedal notes (first partials or fundamentals, which have a peculiar metallic rumbling sound). Slide positions are subject to adjustment, compensating for imperfections in the tuning of different harmonics. The fifth partial is rather flat on most trombones and usually requires a minute shortening of the slide position to compensate; other small adjustments are also normally required throughout the range. Trombonists make frequent use of alternate positions to minimize slide movement in rapid passages; for instance, [[Scientific pitch notation|B{{music|flat}}<sub>3</sub>]] may be played in first or fifth position.  Alternate positions are also needed to allow a player to produce a [[glissando]] to or from a higher note on the same partial.

While the lowest note of the tenor trombone's range (excluding fundamentals or pedal notes) is E<sub>2</sub>, the trombone's upper range is theoretically open-ended. The practical top of the range is sometimes considered to be F<sub>5</sub>, or more conservatively D<sub>5</sub>. The range of the C tenor trombone is F{{sharp}}<sub>2</sub> to G<sub>5</sub>.