TromboneChat

Most of the time, I play tenor on a DE 104 rim. But occasionally I have call to play a bass trombone (with these tenor chops). I use a YBL-622. I find that I have to pull both valve slides way out; so far in fact, that there isn't enough grease to hold them in place, and gravity pulls them back in pretty quickly. I'm tempted to either find some rubber O-rings, or bend the tubes slightly out of round. At the moment, I'm just adjusting with the handslide.

I assume that the instrument is properly designed. Is this just a symptom of my undeveloped bass embouchure? I use a Markey 85 on bass, but also observed the same behavior with Yeo's signature mouthpiece.

For comparison, my Bach 42's F slide is pulled out about two centimeters.

I'm going to ask what might be taken as an insulting question, but I have seen it from tenor players with years of experience: are you playing low notes on the valve in the same slide position as the octave above on the open horn?

If so, it's no wonder you have to pull the valve slides out so far. If you're doing the same thing on tenor, you're probably just able to lip pitch down more effectively than on bass.

It's okay. I've seen bass trombone players at my amateur level making that mistake (I don't see many tenors playing below the staff at all). Fortunately, Mr. McMillen taught me to use longer slide positions. (We even discussed deciding to allow F in 1st or C all the way out, but you can't have both; my first day with an 88H. And that was from a woodwind teacher!)

I will confess that I've only recently found a way to play trigger notes with enough focus that slide position really matters. I think I made a topic on it a while ago.

Anyway, I'm not sure that matters. I tune F and D with the handslide all the way in. So mis-placement can't be much of a factor.

Got it.

Well, that's basically the way I would tune this instrument - Bb about a thumb's width off the bumper and F and D in a bit from there. I've not played one for long stretches, but I never noticed having to pull the valve sildes out unusually far on a 622 or 822.

On the 622s and 822s I've played, the f slide is out just a bit, and I think the D slide was stuck in on one and was nearly in tune.

I'd try pushing them in most of the way and see how it works for a few days.

I don't think it's got anything to do with the rim size. Your comment about just recently being and to play notes below the staff with focus is the key, I think. You're still probably not slotting the notes, just getting better at lipping them.

Try tuning the way you've been doing (F and D), and start in first position, really slotting the low note probably, in tune, all that. Then, maintain that slot and gliss downward a half step, maintaining the slot. Do that a few times without looking so that you can get a feel for where that note sits on the hand slide. Repeat down a whole step. As you go down, you might be surprised where those notes actually are on the slide. Keep going until you find where the note isn't really slotting properly (likely around a D or Db) and that's where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

I don't think they really changed the length of the wrap or slides with the 822G, and I have found that I need about 1/2" on the attachment slides, and about an inch on the main tuning slide.

I do however have to use some pretty thick tuning slide grease, as the tuning slides, which are actually identical, will slide in if I use regular grease.

I don’t know if the length of the D wrap is overall different, but Doug did note that they made the part that is forward (or hanging down when on a stand), longer on the 822. So that part is longer, but I don’t know if it was a lengthening or just a redistribution of the ~28”.

Cheers,
Andy

elmsandr wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2026 6:06 pm I don’t know if the length of the D wrap is overall different, but Doug did note that they made the part that is forward (or hanging down when on a stand), longer on the 822. So that part is longer, but I don’t know if it was a lengthening or just a redistribution of the ~28”.

Cheers,
Andy

I believe that was to add a removable crook to get out the condensation on the "bottom" of the wrap when you have both valves in. Looking at the pictures, the slot in valve tuning slide does not stick out nearly as much on the 822G as it did on the 622, probably to compensate for the extra tubing needed to put the removable crook on.

I will say that condensation really does get stuck in there.