BrianJohnston wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 10:44 amIn confused, i'm just giving my personal preferences on Bass Trombone sounds, which dynamic has a lot to do with.
Bass Trombone Sound?
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
I saw Stefan Shulz give a master class in London and the one of the most impressive things was how clean his sound is.
S
- BrianJohnston
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
Alrighty thenWGWTR180 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 1:04 pmBrianJohnston wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 10:44 am
In confused, i'm just giving my personal preferences on Bass Trombone sounds, which dynamic has a lot to do with.
Fort Wayne Philharmonic
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
Hi bass trombone sound in jazz for me are George Roberts, Kenny Shroyer, Bill Reichenbach, Paul Faulise, Tony Studd... You need to hear those... Check out my cds with Bill Reichenbach together ala Jay and Kai two octaves below... Also check my books I will sell directly one of all The jazz bass trombone book by me...
Listen too much and develop your jazz sound in your head... This is more important of all kind of horns and mouthpiece... My personal choice on bass are Conn Elkhart sounds... 62h in first or ala George Roberts 70h... But if you don't have in your mind the real sound you will never found a good horn
Listen too much and develop your jazz sound in your head... This is more important of all kind of horns and mouthpiece... My personal choice on bass are Conn Elkhart sounds... 62h in first or ala George Roberts 70h... But if you don't have in your mind the real sound you will never found a good horn
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- ArbanRubank
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
Articulation. Good, clean, precise articulation becomes the sound and carries through it. There's nothing worse than hearing flub-flub-flub.
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
Ben van Dijk, Smooth and clean.
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
I realize this conversation has stopped a while ago. I didn’t take part in the conversation before and did not read all of the prior posts but understand if went off the rails for a bit until it came back with some very interesting posts.
Something that I am still amazed by is how one’s taste and preferences can change throughout the years. Several of the trombonists mentioned before were at some point the GOAT for me and I listened to them for hours…until I liked someone else a bit more.
Right now for me the most beautiful playing I listen to on recordings is done by James Markey. He has set the standard for bass trombone playing for years now and his virtuosity and his technical abilities have shocked me many years ago when I first listened to “on base”. However, it was not until about a year ago that I listened and really thought it myself “man, I LOVE his sound”.
Our tastes and preferences continue to develop as long as we try to listen with open ears every day and sometimes we find something new and special in something we have listened to already years ago. It’s beautiful, really.
Something that I am still amazed by is how one’s taste and preferences can change throughout the years. Several of the trombonists mentioned before were at some point the GOAT for me and I listened to them for hours…until I liked someone else a bit more.
Right now for me the most beautiful playing I listen to on recordings is done by James Markey. He has set the standard for bass trombone playing for years now and his virtuosity and his technical abilities have shocked me many years ago when I first listened to “on base”. However, it was not until about a year ago that I listened and really thought it myself “man, I LOVE his sound”.
Our tastes and preferences continue to develop as long as we try to listen with open ears every day and sometimes we find something new and special in something we have listened to already years ago. It’s beautiful, really.
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
One key thought on the general question around bass trombone sound - maybe already adressed by others:
Do trombones (or other instruments) really sound so substantially different if you just take a plain long tone and cut out/eliminate differences in e.g. recording technique, volume, starting/ending the note, vibrato etc.?
Or does the difference that most people hear (mostly) come from articulation, vibrato, other stylistic elements?
I am not saying there is no difference in the pure sound, but I am relatively sure that the majority what we talk about is largely driven by other aspects.
And that also spills over into many equipment discussions. E.g. a smaller/larger mouthpiece probably does have some impact on sound - and we would potentially make a general statement that it "sounds" better/brighter/darker/whatever - but the larger difference that we actually hear may be e.g. the beginning of the note/response that we get, how quickly we get a note to center, how comfortable it is to do things like vibrato, crescendo/decrescendo etc.
Do trombones (or other instruments) really sound so substantially different if you just take a plain long tone and cut out/eliminate differences in e.g. recording technique, volume, starting/ending the note, vibrato etc.?
Or does the difference that most people hear (mostly) come from articulation, vibrato, other stylistic elements?
I am not saying there is no difference in the pure sound, but I am relatively sure that the majority what we talk about is largely driven by other aspects.
And that also spills over into many equipment discussions. E.g. a smaller/larger mouthpiece probably does have some impact on sound - and we would potentially make a general statement that it "sounds" better/brighter/darker/whatever - but the larger difference that we actually hear may be e.g. the beginning of the note/response that we get, how quickly we get a note to center, how comfortable it is to do things like vibrato, crescendo/decrescendo etc.
Markus Starke
https://www.mst-studio-mouthpieces.com/
Alto: Conn 35h, Kanstul, Weril
Tenor: 2x Conn 6h, Blessing medium, Elkhart 88H, 88HT, Greenhoe 88HT, Heckel, Piering replica
Bass: Conn 112h/62h, Greenhoe TIS, Conn 60h/"62h"
https://www.mst-studio-mouthpieces.com/
Alto: Conn 35h, Kanstul, Weril
Tenor: 2x Conn 6h, Blessing medium, Elkhart 88H, 88HT, Greenhoe 88HT, Heckel, Piering replica
Bass: Conn 112h/62h, Greenhoe TIS, Conn 60h/"62h"
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
When I studied trombone at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm we did an experiment. A teacher had sounds on a tape recorder where he had cut out the start and the end of a note and then we the students should take a guess on what instrument it was. We couldn't, I mean we were wrong. Couldn't even hear the difference between a violin and a trombone, so yes you are right, the sound needs the start and the end too. Articulation is an important part of the sound...MStarke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:25 am One key thought on the general question around bass trombone sound - maybe already adressed by others:
Do trombones (or other instruments) really sound so substantially different if you just take a plain long tone and cut out/eliminate differences in e.g. recording technique, volume, starting/ending the note, vibrato etc.?
Or does the difference that most people hear (mostly) come from articulation, vibrato, other stylistic elements?
.... and vibrato, dynamics phrasing, and to change or expand a sound and the ability to do music with everything When I think of sound all this is included. It is not just a single sound from a player, and the color change a lot with the dynamics and mood.MStarke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:25 am And that also spills over into many equipment discussions. E.g. a smaller/larger mouthpiece probably does have some impact on sound - and we would potentially make a general statement that it "sounds" better/brighter/darker/whatever - but the larger difference that we actually hear may be e.g. the beginning of the note/response that we get, how quickly we get a note to center, how comfortable it is to do things like vibrato, crescendo/decrescendo etc.
/Tom
Last edited by imsevimse on Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:57 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
Tom, thanks for these points!
That experiment you mentioned is what I remember reading or hearing somewhere before. That the very basic sound of just the sustained note is not very characteristic to differentiate.
And I find it totally normal that what we perceive much more than that as the overall sound and our preferences are build on all of it.
I just wanted to make the point that probably most people saying they prefer the sound of this and that trombone player actually mean many more factors than just the pure sound.
That experiment you mentioned is what I remember reading or hearing somewhere before. That the very basic sound of just the sustained note is not very characteristic to differentiate.
And I find it totally normal that what we perceive much more than that as the overall sound and our preferences are build on all of it.
I just wanted to make the point that probably most people saying they prefer the sound of this and that trombone player actually mean many more factors than just the pure sound.
Markus Starke
https://www.mst-studio-mouthpieces.com/
Alto: Conn 35h, Kanstul, Weril
Tenor: 2x Conn 6h, Blessing medium, Elkhart 88H, 88HT, Greenhoe 88HT, Heckel, Piering replica
Bass: Conn 112h/62h, Greenhoe TIS, Conn 60h/"62h"
https://www.mst-studio-mouthpieces.com/
Alto: Conn 35h, Kanstul, Weril
Tenor: 2x Conn 6h, Blessing medium, Elkhart 88H, 88HT, Greenhoe 88HT, Heckel, Piering replica
Bass: Conn 112h/62h, Greenhoe TIS, Conn 60h/"62h"
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
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Last edited by musicofnote on Sun Jun 30, 2024 1:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
I am primarily a Tenor Trombone player, But I do love playing Bass Trombone when the occasion arises.
When I started taking Bass Trombone seriously I had 3 sounds in my head that I`ve tried to emulate .
When I was in High School I had the privledge of studying for 2 summers with Don Knaub.
So that sound has stuck with me.
Then there were 2 players in Rochester that were FANTASTIC Bass Trombonists who I worked with a lot and LOVED Their sounds. Mike Purdy and Paul Able.
I have worked really hard to get a Nice round deep sound on Bass and try to base my sound on those 3 guys
On a side "note" - I was trying out a friends 72H a while ago and he looks at me and says .
"You have a nice tone, not a real power player. Shouldn`t Bass Trombone always hurt the conductor?"
When I started taking Bass Trombone seriously I had 3 sounds in my head that I`ve tried to emulate .
When I was in High School I had the privledge of studying for 2 summers with Don Knaub.
So that sound has stuck with me.
Then there were 2 players in Rochester that were FANTASTIC Bass Trombonists who I worked with a lot and LOVED Their sounds. Mike Purdy and Paul Able.
I have worked really hard to get a Nice round deep sound on Bass and try to base my sound on those 3 guys
On a side "note" - I was trying out a friends 72H a while ago and he looks at me and says .
"You have a nice tone, not a real power player. Shouldn`t Bass Trombone always hurt the conductor?"
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
Dave Taylor on pretty much anything he’s been involved with the last 50 years.
Am re-enjoying the great Bob Mintzer Big Band from the ‘80s. Check out Dave ‘s great playing on album ‘Incredible Journey’. It sets a standard
Am re-enjoying the great Bob Mintzer Big Band from the ‘80s. Check out Dave ‘s great playing on album ‘Incredible Journey’. It sets a standard
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Re: Bass Trombone Sound?
As of late, Christopher Davis has one of the best bass trombone tones i've ever heard.
Fort Wayne Philharmonic