TromboneChat

My trip to the ITF came with an unexpected "gift" - a fall when I encountered an uneven sidewalk while walking from the parking to one of the venues caused a broken right arm. I actually walked around for almost a week, including dragging luggage (including a golf case with a trombone inside) through airports.

The doctor said the break is clean and should heal well. The fibreglass cast goes from just below my fingers to a couple of inches above the elbow. I can play the trombone a bit with this set-up - not optimal, but it allows some warming up, etc. to try to stay in some kind of shape.

Anyone have any experience with something similar? Wondering about timelines for getting back to normal, and any cautions about playing while the cast is on?

Thanks!

Jim Scott

Your main concern should be having it heal correctly, not trying to play... the movement may cause positions and stress on it that you don't want. Unless they screwed it together so it can't move.

I thought this was what Baritone Horns were invented for

Heal well. Don't put any stress on the break, even though it's in a cast.

I broke my wrist when I was 8 or 9, shortly after I started playing. Cast went up well past my elbow. Playing was not an option.

Then in high school I went to a youth orchestra rehearsal with a fake cast on my arm, right before we were leaving for a tour of Europe.

BGuttman wrote: Sat Jul 26, 2025 7:10 pm I thought this was what Baritone Horns were invented for

Pfft. Superbone, baby! All left hand.

A friend of mine used this as an opportunity to play left handed (or so he reported)…. He didn’t come to any rehearsals or perform with us for those ~12 weeks or so with the cast, so I can’t really say if it helped or actually happened, but he did sound relatively ‘fine’ when he did come back. If I were you, I would see about something to keep the chops and air moving but leave the arm completely out of it. Baritone/Euph/bass trumpet or something where I can reach the valves with my left hand. Clearly, technical prowess wouldn’t be my concern.

Cheers,
Andy

elmsandr wrote: Sun Jul 27, 2025 10:10 am A friend of mine used this as an opportunity to play left handed (or so he reported)…. He didn’t come to any rehearsals or perform with us for those ~12 weeks or so with the cast, so I can’t really say if it helped or actually happened, but he did sound relatively ‘fine’ when he did come back. If I were you, I would see about something to keep the chops and air moving but leave the arm completely out of it. Baritone/Euph/bass trumpet or something where I can reach the valves with my left hand. Clearly, technical prowess wouldn’t be my concern.

Cheers,
Andy

Thanks! Unfortunately, I sold all my valve instruments over the last year or two. I'm a bit more worried about regular tasks around the house, like a trip to Costco getting some plus-sized products, or mowing the lawn (which I did mostly left-handed with a fairly light mower).

There are some great clips on YouTube with Craig Mulcahy from the National Symphony doing some great left-handed playing with a specially rigged stand for the horn since his arm was in a sling after shoulder surgery. There are even a couple of 4-part overdubs - he sounds great!

Jim Scott

If your lawnmower is fuel injected maybe it can run upside down briefly. Otherwise I don't see how you're going to start it. Mine (and my neighbors generator, that I keep maintained) are set up so there's no good way to pull the cord with the left hand.

My left handed daughter informs me that the canopener is harder to use than a righthanded scissors.

So sorry, Jim. Take a break from tromboning and let the break heal without bending or rotating stress to your arm.

timothy42b wrote: Sun Jul 27, 2025 3:29 pm My left handed daughter informs me that the canopener is harder to use than a righthanded scissors.

Your left-handed daughter is crazy. Right handed scissors are incredibly painful (and usually don't work well). Can openers require both hands anyway. It never occurred to me to try to swap things around from what my mom taught me.

On a lark, I once bought a lefty can opener. The first time I tried it, the handle unscrewed itself from the body, and fell off. I guess they failed to use left-handed threads.