Monday, April 17, 2023
As music repertoire evolves, so does the need to expand the roster of instrumentation. No longer is it surprising to see a variety of extra wind instruments in an ensemble. These additional supporting instruments play a vital role in providing a unique timbre and will oftentimes bridge the gap between other sections. One such instrument is the bass trombone.
What is a Bass Trombone?
The modern bass trombone has surpassed its much older sibling, the oversized tenor trombone, with the first design coming from Olds in 1937. This double-valved instrument originally could only use a dependent valve (this requires the F valve to be engaged) to lower the trombone to E. It wasn't until 30 years later that Bach released their 50B bass trombone of a similar design to Olds. Nowadays, musicians have a variety of valves ranging from Thayer axial flow to Hagmann, which offer both advantages and disadvantages. With that, the development of the independent valve system allows the musician to use either valve without the other, with a typical setup being F/Gb or F/G. With the use of both valves, bass trombone players are able to play notes such as C2 and B1 with much better intonation and tone.
When to start Bass Trombone
When I was a sophomore in high school, I noticed that my band director at the time had a brand new Holton bass trombone stashed away in the band closet. Being the typical band student, I was instantly curious and begged my teacher to let me take it home and learn how to use it. The process was difficult, and I made many mistakes. But the excitement of exploring a new instrument was worth the headache to myself and my parents. There is no perfect time to start bass trombone, but if you have the resources and the ensembles to support it, around a student's junior year of high school is a great place to start. By that time, they will have developed better slide techniques and a better-developed ear for pitch. It is not uncommon these days for many musicians to double on both tenor and bass. Reach out to your community and see if there are any college students or professionals offering lessons.
For mouthpieces, encourage your students to slowly start changing their mouthpiece size. Starting right off on a Bach 1G or a Schilke 60 will only stunt their initial success. Starting on a Bach 2G or a Schilke 57 will allow them to notice some difference from the typical tenor mouthpiece, but not make it uncomfortable.
Why use Bass Trombone?
The bass trombone offers a wide range of notes from pedal Bb0 to notes well above the staff. This lower ranger is due to the additional G/Gb valve, as noted above. Modern wind band literature from composers such as John Mackey and David Maslanka now calls for a bass trombone. Due to the larger bore size and bell, the bass trombone is able to achieve a more mellow tone than the tenor in the lower range. As your ensemble begins to perform more difficult repertoire, your need to expand your instrumentation will follow. In my opinion, the bass trombone should always be at the top of your list.
| Gabriel Duerkop currently resides in Republic, Missouri with his wife Mary. He teaches adjunct trombone at Missouri State University and teaches privately in the Springfield area. Gabriel's education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Central Arkansas and a Master's Degree in Trombone Performance from Missouri State University. While at Missouri State University, Gabriel worked as a Graduate Assistant for the MSU Pride Band under the direction of Dr. Brad Snow and assisted the MSU trombone choir under the supervision of Dr. Jason Hausback. Gabriel has performed with many groups from local to national including the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Ozark Festival Orchestra, Conway Symphony Orchestra, Missouri State University Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Little Theater, The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps and various trombone ensembles that have traveled to national conventions such as the American Trombone Workshop and the Big 12 Trombone Conference. |
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