This is not a pedal Bb, but between B2 and C3 ( - ). Assuming a sound speed of 340 m/s, a wave of 2.7 m wavelength has a frequency of 340/2.7 Hz = 126 Hz. Just a little nitpicking: the tube length is approx 270 cm. If you can't play a particular exercise, put it off until you get more capability. You may find some of the notes just aren't there. Note: the Remington Warmups can be a bit challenging for a beginning player. Players specializing in these lower notes generally use a larger bore instrument. Generally the notes on the 2nd harmonic are not as strong as notes in higher harmonics and spending a lot of time on a small bore trombone will cause you to be lost within the ensemble. Some beginner bands may use low Bb to tune since the players can't reliably hit the upper Bb.ĥ. 'Tuning Bb' normally refers to the 3rd harmonic (top of the bass staff). This is Bb 4 lines above the bass staff.Ĥ. We generally claim that 8 partials (to the 7th harmonic) is useful. 4 wave lengths is Bb on top of the bass staff (3rd harmonic).ģ. 3 wave lengths is the F on the 4th line of the staff (2nd harmonic). The first harmonic is 2 wave lengths filling the tube and is the low Bb on the 2nd line of the staff. One tube length is 'pedal Bb', located 2 ledger lines and the space below the bass staff. The trombone resonates with integral wave lengths filling the tube.

A trombone is an open tube (open at both ends) with the vibrator (your lips) placed at one end.Ģ. On a guitar, a harmonic is caused by lightly touching the string at certain points and making it ring an octave or more above the string's basic note.ġ. I've also heard the term harmonics, I don't know what is meant by that in relation to a trombone. One reference stated it had to do with the deep bass of a church organ, because it uses pedals, but I got the impression those notes were below the trombone's Bb range, as you stated. I haven't quite figured out what is meant by pedal. I have a Trombone Slide Position Chart and it refers to a 1st Partial (begins with 1st position Bb, 2nd line on the Bass Clef, like you have diagrammed for 2nd Partial), 2nd Partial (begins 1st position F, 2nd line from top of Bass Clef), 3rd Partial (begins with 1st position Bb, the space above the top line of the Bass Clef), and so on up to the 5th Partial (F, 3rd space above the top line od the Bass Clef). Someday.Īnd to be honest, I haven't fully grasped some of the jargon. StevenC, I do not yet have a live human teacher. Maybe my lips are best attuned to 2nd partial? Or I just need more practice to build lip strength? It's not so much a problem on 2nd partials, but 1st and 3rd partials is where it occurs most. It starts out somewhere else before it settles down. It's really frustrating.Īnd a follow-up question, how long will it take before I can hit the right note the first time? I seem to have most trouble with Bb 1st partial. Is there a plausible explanation for that?Īnd it often seems to come after a practice where I really felt I was improving. I have trouble hitting -and sustaining- the right notes, often double-buzzing. My question is: Every so often, maybe once a week, I'll have a practice session where my lips don't want to cooperate. I'm at the point where I can play all the notes in the Gb major scale (Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb).

Walls), and the Hal Leonard Essentials Trombone 1 book. (Although both my sons played trombone, one up into college, so I'm not new to the instrument itself.) I'm self-learning with some YouTube videos (Beginner Band with Mr. I've only started learning trombone 7 weeks ago, so I'm still very new to playing. I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

Elementary trombone position chart