You can notate each of these as different partials or “harmonic intervals” with Bb1 being the first partial and Bb4 being the 7th partial. For example: in 1st position you are able to play in order from lowest to highest: Bb1, Bb2, F3, Bb3, D4, F4, and Bb4 (the numbers dictate the octave). With each slide position in the trombone, you can play up to 7 different notes in the harmonic series. The more often the sound wave passes through a medium the higher the sound! If the bottom number increases by one each time (½ ⅓ ¼ ⅕ etc) it creates a different note.Īfter you’ve completed doing this through all conceivable numbers, you get the harmonic series. Without getting too overly complicated, all you need to know is that the harmonic series is defined by how often sound waves pass a medium (or the line through the waves in the picture to the right) in a second. Partials are made up of a series of notes in the harmonic series.
I’m of course talking about the partials of the brass instruments. The next thing is one of the most important aspects of trombone, and all brass instruments for that matter. Setting your lips in the direct center of the mouthpiece will help you get better tone out of your Trombone. This all comes from your mouth and mouthpiece, making that “m” shape with your mouth. If you feel like you have any of these issues, I recommend that you read my previous article, linked above. Your embouchure dictates both your tone and your range, so if you have developed bad embouchure habits, these will suffer.
As we discussed last time, there is a right and wrong way to set your embouchure on your instrument. I want to focus primarily on partials and slide positions, including why there are actually more than seven slide positions. When working with my students, I have noticed that not many students are taught the idea of partials on the trombone. Last time we visited embouchure and went over it very thoroughly, and today we will once again touch on it briefly. Today we will be talking about different aspects of the trombone and why knowing them matters to you. Hello all! Once again, I am Zachary Belles, and I am the Brass Instructor here at the Jerry Evans School of Music. Posted Maby Jerry Evans & filed under articles.