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Berlioz liked the trombone, and so have quite a few other people, up to the present day. However, it seems under-appreciated these days. Can you name a famous trombone player? No. There are trombonists who are famous among trombonists and other musicians, but not one who is widely known.
Perhaps the heyday of the trombone in terms of popularity was when Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, both trombonists, had their own "big bands."
Rather than expecting to get famous, I play the trombone because I enjoy trying to master an instrument that presents unique difficulties and has so many facets to its sound. One attribute of the trombone not mentioned in the Berlioz quote is its ability to sing. Of course, Berlioz never heard Tommy Dorsey, Urbie Green or Bill Watrous (and lots of other fine trombonists) play their smooth renderings of so many tunes.
All instruments are difficult to play well; the trombone is no exception. Not only does the it present the physical challenges inherent in any brass instrument, but the additional obstacle of a slide which allows potentially perfect and potentially lousy intonation at the same time, plus the necessity to move one's arm as fast as a karate master (in precise synchronization with the breath and tongue, mind you) in order to play certain technical passages.
In the audio clips I present on this web page, I try to convey not a personal style but rather some of the capabilities of the trombone. Try as I might, I find that I'm never quite able to provide this magnificent instrument with the time and energy required to play it the way it deserves to be played. Despite the trombone's tendency to humble me in my pursuit of playing it, I will try to add a variety clips and make the existing ones better. Some of the things you can expect to see are orchestral excerpts, more solos, perhaps some jazz duets, and who knows what else.
On the home page, I've listed links to a few (definitely not all) trombone manufacturers. You will want to do your own investigation and decide which manufacturer to pick if you're about to buy a new trombone.
The large-bore (.547" bore) tenor trombone, such as the popular Bach 42B, is the prevalent bore size among school and orchestral players. I bought my 42B because my college band director suggested it.
The sound of the .547" has great fullness and authority. Christian Lindberg and Joe Alessi are among the better known trombonists who play .547" models. Also, the .547" is the prevalent bore size for symphony principal trombonists, at least in the USA. If you are seriously pursuing a career in symphonic playing, you would do well to master a trombone of that bore size.
If you're playing for your own enjoyment and want to be able to play all the tenor solo literature, I would recommend at least trying a .525" in light of its excellent all-around characteristics for a versatile solo trombonist.
When I purchased a new horn many years after college, I had long since decided that I would go down one step in bore size. I find the .525" bore more fun to play. It's probably more versatile for someone who considers himself both a soloist and a lead player in a variety of ensembles (jazz ensembles, small combos, trombone choirs/quartets, community band, solo playing). This size horn allows for more effortless agility but is still capable of a pretty full sound. I discovered this by going into music stores and trying out a variety of makes and models, looking for a trombone that had an F attachment, a good robust sound, the kind of resistance I liked, agility, and overall playability. About five seconds after I first tried a Yamaha YSL-684, I said, "This is my horn."
If you don't care about having an F attachment and play mostly jazz, blues, ska, pop or Latin, chances are you will gravitate toward the .509" and .500" bore trombones. There are tenor trombones that are even smaller than the .500" bore, down to about .485". You may want to experiment with smaller bores to see if you, or those who listen to you, like the more compact sound you'll get.
Maybe you will join the growing ranks of alto trombone devotees. This is another permutation of the trombone, besides the .547" tenor, that you will want to play well if you are seeking to become an orchestral trombonist, since conductors sometimes want certain first trombone parts played on the alto.
There is even such a thing as the soprano trombone, but we rarely hear much about it. I would think that specializing in this instrument, and even the alto trombone, would be a rather lonely endeavor.
And, going back to the large side of the trombone family, there is such a thing as the contrabass trombone. This trombone is in the key of F (a perfect fourth lower than the bass trombone) and is called for in some orchestral literature. One dream I have is to some day get my hands on one and play it!
My main trombone is a Yamaha YSL-684G. This is a .525" bore horn, which is considered to be a medium or medium-large bore size within the tenor trombone category.
I also play a Bach LT16M. There are some intonation and "slotting" problems with this horn, but it gives a beautiful velvet-edged sound and is fun to play.
I like the mouthpiece that came with the 684G. It is a Yamaha 48 (comparable to the Bach 6-1/2 AL, but with a thicker rim) but I tend to stick with the 6-1/2 AL. I owned a Bach 42B for a long time and played it with the 6-1/2 AL and larger mouthpieces, such as the 5G, the 4G and a Giardinelli 1G. I used the latter mouthpiece when I wanted to play "pseudo-bass" trombone.
For bass trombone playing, I believe that between the Schilke 59 and Schilke 60 mouthpieces, a bass trombonist should be able to handle most duties (s)he might be called upon to perform. For the serious bass trombonist, the Yamaha Douglas Yeo signature bass trombone mouthpiece is very much worth considering. This mouthpiece was methodically and painstakingly designed by Mr. Yeo, among the most accomplished, thoughtful and serious bass trombonists you'll ever hear of. He has a wonderful web page by the way -- click on my link to it on the main page.
My current favorite tenor trombone mouthpieces are the Denis Wick 6BS and 10CS. The 6BS is great for all-around playing, and the 10CS turns my .525" bore trombone into a brighter-sounding horn, and facilitates my high register a great deal. I lose sound quality and ease of playing in the low register, but am not called upon to play down there much, so I love playing with the comfortable 10CS.
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