How many bass players on here also play trombone or thought about it ?

[nilorius]

I have though about it, but don't play.

[KingPrawn]

YES!!. That was my instrument in school. I wanted Trumpet but Craig Gardener got the last one. I ended up with Trompone, which i adored but my family not so much. Still love it

[Buddster]

🙋 I played trombone and euphonium at school. 

I was rubbish though and never made it into the school orchestra. Just loved the bass notes I guess. 

[dclaassen]

I also play trombone, tuba, euphonium and trumpet…

[scalpy]

Not trombone but trumpet, so an extremely tenuous similarity to Macca’s early career. The ox was a French horn player, so there’s a long tradition of b(r)assists. 

[Boodang]

https://www.gear4music.com/Trombone/pBone

 

For a hundred and twenty five quid who wouldn't want to try out a trombone. 

[bass_dinger]

16 hours ago, oldslapper said:

No but I’d love to, just so I could make a video like this.

But like others have said, the ‘bone played well is such a great instrument. 

But if you play the fretless bass, you can do something similar. 

 

Strap a GoPro to your fretting hand pointed at your plucking hand, and share the results here.

 

I once heard the trombone described as the fretless trumpet.

[bass_dinger]

14 hours ago, KingPrawn said:

YES!!. That was my instrument in school. I wanted Trumpet but Craig Gardener got the last one. I ended up with Trompone, which i adored but my family not so much. Still love it

Craig Gardener? Where is he in the music industry now? Tell me that!

 

Whereas KingPrawn is a veritable Collosus of the bass world.

[nekomatic]

mrs nekomatic once got the kids a pBone for a bit of fun (as they already both played piano and violin) and for a further bit of fun got someone she knows to give them a couple of lessons. Somehow a couple of lessons turned into a full on third instrument, kid 1 let it drop after a while but kid 2 recently got his grade 7, on a King we inherited from my late uncle who used to play in an amateur orchestra in Belgium. 
 

Kid 2’s teacher is now trying him out on some jazz, much to his initial reluctance but last lesson while I was working upstairs I could overhear him taking solos on Watermelon Man to a Jamey Aebersold backing track, and I may coincidentally have got something in my eye. 

Edited July 2, 2022 by nekomatic
italics

[scalpy]

38 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

mrs nekomatic once got the kids a pBone for a bit of fun (as they already both played piano and violin) and for a further bit of fun got someone she knows to give them a couple of lessons. Somehow a couple of lessons turned into a full on third instrument, kid 1 let it drop after a while but kid 2 recently got his grade 7, on a King we inherited from my late uncle who used to play in an amateur orchestra in Belgium. 
 

Kid 2’s teacher is now trying him out on some jazz, much to his initial reluctance but last lesson while I was working upstairs I could overhear him taking solos on Watermelon Man to a Jamey Aebersold backing track, and I may coincidentally have got something in my eye. 

Lovely!

[EBS_freak]

I played trombone at school but never continued when I went to uni. It is a great instrument and along with piano, got me a good grounding in reading bass clef. Id always wanted to play the acrobat - which I remember annoyed me when I got the music and it was in tenor clef... another fricken clef to learn!

[D.I. Joe]

13 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

But if you play the fretless bass, you can do something similar. 

 

Strap a GoPro to your fretting hand pointed at your plucking hand, and share the results here.

 

I once heard the trombone described as the fretless trumpet.

 

My dad sometimes refers to fretless bass as "the trombone guitar"...

[tauzero]

One night I went to a gig at a local pub, the band being known to me.

 

The vocalist said shortly before the gig started "our trombonist's trombone has arrived but he hasn't. Does anyone want to play the trombone?".

 

Well, I'd had a couple of pints by then, and I knew what embouchure meant, so I volunteered. I think I played brilliantly (I'm sure I hit at least one note spot on).

 

Since then, I have had occasional thoughts of trying playing trombone again. Maybe even doing an interesting recording of trombone and fretless bass (definition of a minor second: a trombone and fretless bass playing in unison).

[gafbass02]

On 01/07/2022 at 07:45, Nail Soup said:

I suppose having a slide instead of keys makes it a bit like a fretless bsss?

I’ve always called them ‘fretless trumpets’, which clearly makes zero sense. Except in my mind, where, like many things, it makes perfect sense. 😂

[gafbass02]

On 01/07/2022 at 07:45, Nail Soup said:

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by gafbass02

[pete.young]

Valve trombones are availble for the short-armed, although you aren't allowed to use them in national brass band competitions.

 

I really struggle with trombone - the air seems to go straight through them. I think there is more back pressure with a tuba or euphonium.

[Nail Soup]

Excuse my ignorance of the role of the trombone, but here goes with the question.......

Is the trombone considered a bass instrument then? And if so does it play 'basslines', the bass harmonisation of a melodic line, or it's own melodic lines or what?

[Dad3353]

[Dad3353]

3 hours ago, Nail Soup said:

Excuse my ignorance of the role of the trombone, but here goes with the question.......

Is the trombone considered a bass instrument then? And if so does it play 'basslines', the bass harmonisation of a melodic line, or it's own melodic lines or what?

 

Tenor trombones, usually, although there are bass trombones (longer, and lower range of notes...).
What do they play..? Any and all of the above, depending on the formation and musical style. In orchestras, usually they'll play the written score, which could be 'root-five' style or a complete harmony part. Listen to Schubert's 9th to hear how 'their own melodic lines' can be used. Glorious Stuff..! Of course, there's Dixieland, too, where, as long as a racket is being played (by everyone...), it's all good (or so I'm told...). 

Edited July 3, 2022 by Dad3353

[alyctes]

I acquired a pBone some years ago.  But I like my neighbours, so...

[TimR]

Another Tuba player here. 

 

If you're going to play a brass instrument you're pretty much going to have to learn how to read the dots.

 

Although a lot of the dots I was given were treble clef so my bass clef is still a bit rusty.

 

Mainly because the Tuba players had graduated from originally drinking shandy and playing trumpet.

[bass_dinger]

Can someone explain the concept (and the purpose) of Transposing Instruments, and what a B flat or E flat Instrument is?

 

I see those terms used in relation to brass instruments but don't grasp the purpose - written C sounds as an E flat, for example. 

[Dad3353]

7 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:

Can someone explain the concept (and the purpose) of Transposing Instruments, and what a B flat or E flat Instrument is?

 

I see those terms used in relation to brass instruments but don't grasp the purpose - written C sounds as an E flat, for example. 

 

Basically it's a question of the physics of the instrument. A saxophone (or other transposing instrument, such as clarinet...) constructed to play a 'C' with 'C' fingering would not have a useful enough range, because of the length of tubing implied. They make the instrument sound right first, then adjust the dots to suit, as the other way round is not a physical option. 

Edited July 3, 2022 by Dad3353

[Staggering on]

14 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Basically it's a question of the physics of the instrument. A saxophone (or other transposing instrument, such as clarinet...) constructed to play a 'C' with 'C' fingering would not have a useful enough range, because of the length of tubing implied. They make the instrument sound right first, then adjust the dots to suit, as the other way round is not a physical option. 

 

What an excellent explanation! I could have used that years ago when I was teaching high school music and that question came up frequently. Thanks.😊