Speaking of slide+valves, it's interesting to me that superbones have full-length slides. You can't even reach 7th because 1st is so much farther away after the valve cluster, so really there's no point giving it a full length slide. I feel like a valve trombone with a short 4-position slide (like some Firebird trumpets) might be an interesting experiment. If you're taking a valves-first approach it's all you really need.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 1:12 pm
by hyperbolica
If you have valves and a slide, something has to move to the left hand. I can't imagine using slide left handed, but as valves are kind of goofy for me anyway, left-handed valves don't seem so odd. Anyone go the other way?
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 1:27 pm
by Doug Elliott
I can play left handed just fine because I've worked at it and actually played gigs that way. It's hard to imagine anyone actually making a left-handed Superbone,.
The original Superbones were pretty stuffy feeling to me.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 2:37 pm
by spencercarran
Adjusting to use the slide lefty is, I expect, easier than transferring valve technique to the left hand (unless you're also a French Horn player).
But superbones are silly gimmicks anyways, so it probably doesn't matter much which way you set it up.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 3:09 pm
by Finetales
Having tried a superbone before I started playing French horn, in my experience putting the valves in the left hand is really not that big of a deal. Obviously you won't be immediately as comfortable as with your right hand, but your brain still knows what to do. Playing the slide with your left hand is much, much harder in my experience.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 4:39 pm
by Doug Elliott
Playing left-handed is just as hard on the right hand as it is on the left. You discover how awkward it is holding the damn horn
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 11:37 pm
by andym
On the Boston Pops 4th of July performance, 2 euphoniumists from the Army Field Band came out and played with one of the players fingering both instruments. So apparently some people can play with either hand or both simultaneously!
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2023 11:26 am
by dwcarder
Rob McConnell is one of the best valve trombonists I can think of, but I don't think there was any pretense that he was trying to sound like a slide trombone. Rob McConnell just sounds to me like ... Rob McConnell.
"all of his Boss Brass recordings were done on a Conn 5G valve section modified onto an 8H bell. A beautiful set of 1st & 3rd slide tuning levers were custom designed & installed by Don Charlton of Toronto, probably in the late 1960's or early 1970's. These were later converted to quieter nylon ball & socket linkages by Toronto based repair technician Ron Partch in the early 1980's."
Finetales wrote: ↑Thu Jun 29, 2023 3:09 pm
Having tried a superbone before I started playing French horn, in my experience putting the valves in the left hand is really not that big of a deal. Obviously you won't be immediately as comfortable as with your right hand, but your brain still knows what to do. Playing the slide with your left hand is much, much harder in my experience.
Yeah, it's weird how that works. The only time I ever play left handed is when I have to pick up a French Horn I worked on and play test it. I don't have any trouble with the fingerings at all. They say the left side of your brain controls your right hand and vice versa, but obviously there's something going on that works for both sides. I'll have to try playing a slide left handed just for fun.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 1:38 pm
by imsevimse
Just because of this thread I decided to dig out my King 3B valve trombone to test a few mouthpieces. I tried my two different Kanstul "Alan Kaplan" mouthpieces I believe these both are close to a Bach 11C, except one of them is a little more open.
No, they didn't work very well in the low register. I then changed to my Yamaha "Nils Landgren" signature mouthpiece that I play most of the time. It is a tad larger. Nope, same there. My Hammond 13M, near a 6 1/2 AL? Yes, this works much better. Then I tried the Shires Marshal Gilkes signature I play on my small bore (.500) Lars Gerdt Bb/G. Yes, this is the best match for me. It seems a valve trombone needs a mouthpiece that is more deep and open to compensate for the smaller bore and the valves. No problem to play low with all three valves pressed on this rather deep mouthpiece. What mouthpiece do you use with a valve trombone?
/Tom
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:13 pm
by s11141827
Maybe if they add slide triggers that might help.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:16 pm
by s11141827
Usually Valve Trombones take Standard Trombone mouthpieces. I found a link to a video of a guy who made Valve Slide triggers for Valve Trombone: because the most common problem w/ valve trombones is that the 3rd Valve tends to play rather sharp.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 12:41 pm
by s11141827
Valve Trombone valve slides have to be the same length as a baritone horn so that they play in tune.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 12:42 pm
by s11141827
imsevimse wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 1:38 pm
Just because of this thread I decided to dig out my King 3B valve trombone to test a few mouthpieces. I tried my two different Kanstul "Alan Kaplan" mouthpieces I believe these both are close to a Bach 11C, except one of them is a little more open.
No, they didn't work very well in the low register. I then changed to my Yamaha "Nils Landgren" signature mouthpiece that I play most of the time. It is a tad larger. Nope, same there. My Hammond 13M, near a 6 1/2 AL? Yes, this works much better. Then I tried the Shires Marshal Gilkes signature I play on my small bore (.500) Lars Gerdt Bb/G. Yes, this is the best match for me. It seems a valve trombone needs a mouthpiece that is more deep and open to compensate for the smaller bore and the valves. No problem to play low with all three valves pressed on this rather deep mouthpiece. What mouthpiece do you use with a valve trombone?
/Tom
I use a Yamaha Trombone/Baritone Horn Mouthpiece which is designed to work w/ valve trombones
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 2:46 pm
by Bach5G
Can you get into a uni music program majoring or otherwise on valve trombone?
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:07 pm
by Posaunus
I thought the desire was to specialize in soprano valve trombone?
I don't think Yamaha makes an ideal mouthpiece for such an instrument. Perhaps AI can help with that.
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:32 pm
by jacobgarchik
This video has 427m views. It features a valve trombone solo. Is there a video with that many views that features a slide trombone?
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 5:55 pm
by JohnL
Please stop feeding the troll...
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 7:53 pm
by Posaunus
JohnL wrote: ↑Wed Nov 22, 2023 5:55 pm
Please stop feeding the troll...
Re: Valve Trombone Acceptance
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 7:58 pm
by GabrielRice
You know, there are some great recordings of Urbie Green playing valve trombone too.
