In a future column, I will discuss my experiences in choosing mouthpieces and the evolution that has brought me to the equipment I play today. ![]() ![]() I plan to design an alto mouthpiece that will give me the type of sound on alto that I now have on tenor. The Parke Mouthpiece Company is making my model tenor mouthpiece which I am very happy with. I also have a medium small mouthpiece that I use on things like the Mendelssohn Reformation Symphony where you play in unison with the trumpet, but want to add more body to the sound that that unison produces. There you would want a “trumpety” sound because these are (especially the 5th) very percussive type of writing, unique in the literature. I have a smaller alto trombone mouthpiece that I use for Beethoven 5 and 9. I use a Bach 5GS for most things I play on alto. The chart below shows the partials of the harmonic series for each slide position, followed by the range limit for glisses that will be smooth and connected. If the start and end notes are in two different. Good alto mouthpieces are hard to find and each one needs to fit the particular characteristics of that instrument. positions within a single partial of the harmonic series. I think every player in an orchestra needs 2 or more alto trombone mouthpieces. I used to use an alto sparingly, but now I use it on almost everything, including Brahms symphonies and Schubert 9th because I believe I have found a combination of horn and mouthpiece that keeps the alto sound concept while providing the warmth of sound these pieces demand. Loud playing on an alto is generally not a major concern because most of the repertoire (with exceptions of course) are weighted toward the middle and softer dynamics. I prefer the old style German type alto, with a thin, soft type of metal which produces a dense, saturated sound in the softer dynamics, as described in last months column. Starts with a position chart and basic scales, and ends with a few intermediate level etudes. On the other hand an alto used for solo playing should have a smaller more brilliant sound, so that it can produce a lighter more buoyant timbre and ride above the orchestra rather than blend into the upper middle range. Set of 32 progressive etudes, each in a specific key. V(number) - Position with first valve (F-attachment) engaged. The overtone chart available on this website provides comprehensive information about available alternate positions. However It should not sound like a small tenor either because that would defeat the purpose. Only the most commonly used positions are listed here, in order of preference. The sound should be focused but not “trumpety”, because it should still blend with the tenor and bass trombone. It would also be the sound I would use for something like the Mozart Requiem, which is a good example of classic alto trombone writing. This would apply to an orchestral sound rather than a solo sound. I want to describe what I feel is the ideal alto trombone sound. I think it is important to learn the alto trombone as if it is a new instrument rather than transposing from the tenor because there are times when you need to read all 4 clefs and if you learn the positions independently, different clefs will be no problem. This helped a lot because I could tell when I was playing wrong notes or out of tune, because I knew the melodies. I learned the positions by playing Rochut Etudes, which I was already familiar with on tenor trombone. See our Mp3 TRACKS, SHEET MUSIC, SCORES for Trombone.As I said last month, I bought my first alto trombone in 1966 and I still play it today. ![]() Go Here for the slide position chart for a tenor clef trombone with an F attachment trigger.Go Here for the slide position chart for a treble clef standard straight trombone.Go Here for the slide position chart for a treble clef trombone with an F attachment trigger.Go Here for the slide position chart for a bass trombone Bb-F-Gb.Go Here for the slide position chart for a trombone with an F attachment trigger.Slide Position Chart for Straight Trombone. ![]() The chart itself is two pages so click on the above button to see the entire chart. For more about the function of an F attachment trigger see: These comparisons are for a standard straight trombone – without an F attachment trigger. He has given me permission to adopt this chart. I received an email from Robert Hibberd with a chart he created from my Slide Position Charts to compare the Treble and Bass positions for the benefit of players who have learned from one notation and now desire to learn the other. TREBLE & BASS CLEF STANDARD STRAIGHT TROMBONE SLIDE POSITION CHART
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