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How many trombonists are there on OCR?


Paladin
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I play Tenor, grade 8. I'm just curious, as I've started a Trombone quartet remix of a game tune (influenced heavily by Joseph Alessi). I'd love to show a preview to whoever is interested.

Over here in England, Trombonists are fairly rare in some parts of the country. What's it like in America? Also, do you have a grading system? Because my grades are ABRSM and I'm sure it's different in other parts of the world.

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Here I come out of OCR retirement to make this statement:

Think about how infinitely tuneable the slide is for a trombone. It is my personal belief that trombone players have the best ears and the best arm strength with all the slide they have to carry during marching shows. They also get the most women and are for the most part, nice people. I am in 11th grade, have been playing trombone for 5 years, and still get a kick of blasting peddle Bb's in the ears of nervous french horn players. I bid you all adeau, and will return to my shell of un OCR ness.

-Nods

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I played trombone for 6 years (6th grade thru to graduation). Played mostly Tenor, though I used an F-attachment for 5 of those years. Unfortunately, its been about 6 years since I played, so I'm a little rusty.

As for grading, the only diffrence we had from regular high school classes would be chairs. Chairs were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (and sometimes 4th, though rarely) and these were obtained by skill. I myself was 1st. And of course your chair determined your part in the music, 1st having the most difficult.

And in regards to marching, while playing trombone can be kind of rough on you (yeah, I tended to get winded during a long parade), I felt more sympathy towards the poor bastards playing the baritone. The baritone weighs more, and you have to hold it away from your body all the time, with no straps to help.

I do miss playing it though. I'm going to have to buy myself one one of these days.

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*raises hand*

been playing for 22 years. Trombone was my primary instrument for my Music BA.

nodspaw51 is basically correct...like string-players, trombone players need to be able to adjust intonation on the fly as they play. Also (though most younger 'bone players tend not to know this) but the "postions" are not set in stone from partial to partial.

For example: an F3 is notated 4th line from the bottom on the base clef, and is played in "1st position" or more or less slide all the way in (bare with my explination 'bone players, I know you already know this first part ;) ). F4 (the F an octave higher) the note third ledgered space above the base clef, and equvalent to the first space on the treble clef is also played in "1st position" technically, but physically the slide needs to let out a bit or the note intones sharp. Same for any note on that partial (E4, E-flat4, D4 if played in "4th position") To continue the example, G4(note 1 full step up). This next partial playes flat in the generic positions, so correct intonation needs to be moved more sharp then normal. This is also why one never attepts to play the A-flat (going up the scale) in 1st postion. It will intone flat. I seriously recommend anybody who seriously wants to continue playing trombone into college and beyond, sit down with a chromatic tuner and see where each note, from the very bottom of your range, to the very top, falls. You might be very surprised at the results.

The trombone is also notable in that it is a B-flat instrument, but the music is written in C notation (concert pitch). When a trombonist sees a "C" in his music, he plays a "C" (or at least he better be :P) In contrast, when a B-flat Trumpet player sees a "C", he's actually playing a B-flat.

Finally, a point of pride for all trombonists. The trombone is one of the oldest of the modern symphonic instruments. The design has been in use for centuries, and hasn't deviated much (modern valve trumpets, for example, haven't been in use for much more then 160 years before that time brass players either used a series of small slides, learned lip-bends, or switched horns)

Still, I do have a great deal of sympathy for Horn players, between the nature of the instrument, and the fact that they are playing as an alto brass voice on an instrument that actually has longer tubing then the trombone leads me to be doubly impressed when someone plays a Horn well.

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Finally, a point of pride for all trombonists. The trombone is one of the oldest of the modern symphonic instruments.

Although, it's earliest form's name, before it became the "trombone", was "sackbut". So in realty, it did change. Just very, very little.

Kudos to anyone who happened to know that.

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Hm, I still prefer "tromboner," myself.

All the people in my band are immature kids that crack "boner" jokes.

At least its the kids and not the director... I'm not sure if he even knows my name, to him I'm just Boner Boy...

But I've been playing for 5 years, I play 1st chair, and sometimes 4th so I can get out the bass trombone and have fun (and get extremely light headed if its a been a while)

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Finally, a point of pride for all trombonists. The trombone is one of the oldest of the modern symphonic instruments.

Although, it's earliest form's name, before it became the "trombone", was "sackbut". So in realty, it did change. Just very, very little.

Kudos to anyone who happened to know that.

I'm sorry, but on behalf of everyone, BAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA. TROMBONER! TROMBONIST! SACKBUT! BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA. *cough* Sorry. :lol:

Its an incredibly unique instrument, and I'd be curious to know the history of how someone would design it. But then, I'm also curious about who the hell thought biting into a pineapple was a good idea.

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Finally, a point of pride for all trombonists. The trombone is one of the oldest of the modern symphonic instruments.

Although, it's earliest form's name, before it became the "trombone", was "sackbut". So in realty, it did change. Just very, very little.

Kudos to anyone who happened to know that.

Ya, my school also has the Awsome Sackbut Section as well as the SanBenito Highschool Insane Trombonists :roll:

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It's pretty cool to know that there are a few Trombonists on OCR.

I have been playing for 7 to 8 years. I'm in quite a few ensembles - wind band, orchestra, big band and various school bands (the 3 bands mentioned are part of my local music centre - or "academy of music and dance" as it's more corretly known as.

I have never played in a marching band, but it seems like there are marching bands all over the place in the USA. You even have competitions, don't you?

I have, however, played Fanfare Trumpet (not the standard one, but a bigger one with an embouchure very similar to the trombone (and a mouthpiece virtually the same size). I have been part of a Fanfare team on three occasions - first playing with a wind band, second with an orchestra and most recently (at a christmas concert a couple of weeks ago, in fact) with just the team on its own.

Also, on the subject of intonation, I know how sensitive it is on the tenor trombone. Over the years, I've come to discover that there are in actual fact a heck of a lot more than 7 positions on the trombone. :lol:

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I have never played in a marching band, but it seems like there are marching bands all over the place in the USA. You even have competitions, don't you?

Indeed there are. The middle school I went to, (In the US class level system of Kindergarten through 12th grade, it typically encompasses grades 6-8) Its marching band had 107 consectutive 1st place wins over a 20+ year period...having mainly to do with the awesome director. (middle school marching bands are relativly unusual unlike High school marching bands which are quite common)

Still, truth be told...I HATED marching. In college I did everything in my power to avoid being in marching band (no way to really avoid it in Middle and High school) which amounted to not taking the "Marching band" class. I didn't need the credits, and the marvhing band had enough people to keep its ranks up, so noone needed to be drafted.

Still, it was worth it for the experience, and the chance to be shuttled around the country for competitions...and I always get a kick out of Sousa's marches (a common fixture of school marching bands in the US)

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