Straight Contra?

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Sdoubler
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Straight Contra?

Post by Sdoubler »

Has anyone ever seen a straight contra?

I'm playing a production of "Music Man" and I just noticed the graphic they have on posters is a double-slide straight horn.

Just an amusing marketing fail, or does it exist?
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GabrielRice
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by GabrielRice »

Yes. I've played one. The Boston Symphony owns a Conn BBb contrabass trombone with no valve, which was rented for me for a concert a few years ago. It looked a lot like that picture.
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Burgerbob
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Burgerbob »

That looks like an Eb or Bb double slide horn. A BBb contra has a doubled over bell section as well.
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Crazy4Tbone86 »

Yamaha made a straight contra in F for Doug Yeo. They show it at the end of this video:

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Sdoubler
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Sdoubler »

Good info guys!

Of course, I meant a straight contra with doubled slide.

Sounds like Gabe has played one! Gabe, was it actually a BBb, or Bb as Aidan suggested?
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Sdoubler »

Either way, I doubt Harold Hill was selling it to Iowa band students!
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by brassmedic »

If by "straight", you mean no valve, a lot of them have been made. A BBb or CC contra would usually have a loop in the bell section so as not to be ridiculously long. You can find some here: https://collections.ed.ac.uk/mimed/sear ... rombone%22

Conn made several double slide BBb contras without valve. I have built a couple of BBb contras myself.

I have seen pictures of Eb bass trombones with double slides. That's what the Music Man picture looks like, although I suspect it's just artwork and not an image of an actual existing trombone. But such things certainly exist. An Eb or F instrument would actually be a bass trombone, not a contra.
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Sdoubler
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Sdoubler »

Thanks Brad! So a double slide trombone with no valve and no extra bell loop is likely an Eb (or maybe F) bass trombone. Cool!

Now if only I could turn this to my advantage and have the theater pay me for an Eb bass trombone double...
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by GabrielRice »

Actually there are also a couple of double slide straight F bass trombones in existence and I think available for rent: one is at Osmun Music built by Steve Shires when he worked there back in the late 80s or early 90s, and I believe Edwards made one too.
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by AtomicClock »

brassmedic wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2024 5:49 pm I suspect it's just artwork and not an image of an actual existing trombone.
Imho, there's enough detail in that image that the artist must have been working from a real-life model.
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by BGuttman »

I don't think it's a bass. Very reminiscent of the (DEG?) Jazzbone which was a tenor with a doubled over slide to make fast runs easier (after all, the positions are half distance). Big problem with such an instrument is that intonation is really a challenge. You have to hit those short positions pretty accurately.
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by JohnL »

BGuttman wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2024 8:16 pm I don't think it's a bass. Very reminiscent of the (DEG?) Jazzbone which was a tenor with a doubled over slide to make fast runs easier (after all, the positions are half distance). Big problem with such an instrument is that intonation is really a challenge. You have to hit those short positions pretty accurately.
The proportions seem a bit off to me.

Here's an image of a Tromba Jazzbone:
tromba-jazzbone.jpg
and a DEG Quadro:
deg_quadro.jpeg
Notice how short the slides are in comparison to the bell.
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AtomicClock
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by AtomicClock »

Doug Yeo's gallery contains the contra Gabe mentioned, plus another Salvation Army contra. Other than the extra loop in the bell section, the proportions align well with the graphic.

https://www.yeodoug.com/home/text/trombone_gallery.html
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Kevbach33
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Kevbach33 »

I vote for a lower pitched instrument, just not lower than F or Eb. (Why would one build a G trombone with a double slide though...?) Such an instrument isn't necessarily a contrabass though; in the 1920s Conn listed a 72H (before the Bb/F 72H that we know) as a "#5 bore Eb bass with double slide."

https://cderksen.home.xs4all.nl/ConnTrbHFull.html

I wonder if this is a drawing of such a Conn.
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claf
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by claf »

It is more likely an artist's view of what a trombone looks like.
An artist not knowing what a trombone looks like I mean.
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Finetales »

Kevbach33 wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2024 9:19 pm I vote for a lower pitched instrument, just not lower than F or Eb. (Why would one build a G trombone with a double slide though...?) Such an instrument isn't necessarily a contrabass though; in the 1920s Conn listed a 72H (before the Bb/F 72H that we know) as a "#5 bore Eb bass with double slide."
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jacobgarchik
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by jacobgarchik »

there was a Holton on ebay that we discussed.

viewtopic.php?p=109076#p109076
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by bbocaner »

Crazy4Tbone86 wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2024 5:01 pm Yamaha made a straight contra in F for Doug Yeo. They show it at the end of this video:

That's a bass trombone in F, not a contrabass.
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Re: Straight Contra?

Post by Tbarh »

The Miraphone BBb was available without a valve sometime ago..I have seen a cataloguewith a picture.Looks alot like the Conn pictured above.
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