TromboneChat

I’m playing in the pit for a production of Peter Pan for the next 2 weeks. I didn’t want to play those low Es on my straight tenor, so I dusted off the large-bore F attachment horn and went to the first rehearsal. Very small orchestra, with 3 trumpets, horn, and trombone as the brass section. After the first reh, I talked to the director, a trumpeter I play with a lot, and we both agreed that I should try my bass trombone. Five minutes into the next rehearsal, it was obvious that the bass was the right choice. The bigger sound glued the brass section together, the lower sustains were more present and less pointed, and basically the whole orchestra sounded better because of the bigger trombone.

Which got me thinking about “Peter and the Wolf,” Nielsen flute concerto, and several other orchestral pieces I’ve done with 1 trombone part, that happen to work better on a bass trombone. Or, most pit shows I’ve played. Micah Everett wrote an article about using bass trombone as the sole trombone in a reduced ensemble, and I’m sold on the concept.

So, in your experience, what are some other times that bass as the only trombone was the best option? Are there instances it wasn’t? What are your stories?

Singe trombone versions of Rossini overtures (and I assume the operas as well) work well on bass trombone.

This would really depend on the player and the range needed for the performance. Plus, there are basses and then there are basses, which is to say there's a lot of fuzzy area between an 88h and a dual thayer Edwards with dual bore slide.

I really like horns like the Holton 159, or Olds George Roberts, Olds S-20, King 5B, 88hK, and many other single valve transitional horns.

Still, you don't want to play up over or around high Bb on a big truck. It really depends. One of these middle ground instruments might be just the ticket for that kind of situation. Get a real trombone sound throughout the range.

I've played the trombone parts to both Chopin piano concertos on bass trombone without complaints, but that's in an amateur orchestra. FWIW, the part for the second concerto is marked as "trombone basso", but one could argue that the notation should be interpreted as "trombone in bass clef" rather than "bass trombone".

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:09 am This would really depend on the player and the range needed for the performance. Plus, there are basses and then there are basses, which is to say there's a lot of fuzzy area between an 88h and a dual thayer Edwards with dual bore slide.

I really like horns like the Holton 159, or Olds George Roberts, Olds S-20, King 5B, 88hK, and many other single valve transitional horns.

Still, you don't want to play up over or around high Bb on a big truck. It really depends. One of these middle ground instruments might be just the ticket for that kind of situation. Get a real trombone sound throughout the range.

In my case, it’s not a range thing. The part goes from low E to high B, so it’s doable on a straight tenor. But the presence (not the loudness, per se) of the bass just worked better in this situation. I’m curious to know if there are other places people have found that swap appropriate.

There is a single trombone part in the Weber "Hunter's Chorus" (from Der Freischutz) that calls for bass trombone. It even goes to a low D. The part is labeled "trombone" but in the score it's "basstrombone".

Many single trombone parts in concertos often double the 4th Horn part. When that's the case I generally don't play them (unless there are only 3 horns).

We use Bass Trombone for most of those single trombone works. Tenor trombone for things like Pulcinella, Ravel - Piano Concerto, etc.

Generally, I think that Bass Trombone is better when the part is more "bass line" oriented. It's hard to decide entirely on the range of the part, because there are lots of pieces with a couple of trigger notes, but a few high notes as well. Best to look at the overall tesiatura and if the trombone part functions as the bass voice of the brass or more independently.

Jim Scott

I'm in am opera company with a reduced orchestra. About half the time I am on bass trombone, I think.

brtnats wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 9:29 am Which got me thinking about “Peter and the Wolf,” Nielsen flute concerto, and several other orchestral pieces I’ve done with 1 trombone part, that happen to work better on a bass trombone.

The Nielsen does not by chance happen to work better on bass trombone. It is an actual bass trombone part.

The use of smaller trombones in the opposite spectrum can be appropriate as well. I have played in several situations, (in particular, chamber groups that accompany choral groups) where a single tenor trombone was called for in the score. If the choral group is on the small side, an alto trombone can sometimes be a better option because the lighter sound balances with the limited number of singers.

Likewise, an entire section can adjust to smaller equipment. I have played some choral group gigs in which the score called for alto/tenor/bass but the musicians used alto/alto/large bore tenor. As musicians, we must always be flexible and adjust our equipment/playing to better serve the greater purpose.