Best
Beginner Trombone for Adults
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Overall: Closed Wrap F Attachment With A Thumb Rest; 0.525″ Medium Bore; 8″ Bell
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Best Feature: Yellow Brass; Nickel Silver Slide; Clear Lacquer Finish
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TedScore: 9.5/10
Best
Beginner Trombone for Children
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Overall: Lightweight With Accessible Design
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Best Feature: ABS Plastic; Slide Material - Glass Fiber
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TedScore: 9/10
Best
Trombone Accessory
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Overall: Stable, portable, and foldable stand
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Best Feature: Velvet Finish On The Flared Section And Base
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TedScore: 9/10
If you recently decided to learn to play the trombone, or your child is showing interest in this fantastic instrument – welcome! We created this article as a guide for all music enthusiasts who want to buy and start playing.
So, we’ll cover the basics you should know about best Trombones, but we’ll also include a beginner trombone list of what we think are the best instruments for new players. We’re optimistic you’ll learn a great deal about this member of the brass family, and find a great starter trombone that matches your needs.
A Beginner’s Guide to Finding the Right Trombone - Things to Consider
Buying any instrument can be a daunting task. There are so many factors to consider, like price, quality, level, and type, just to name a few.
Because of this, it can be very difficult to know where to start. When looking at purchasing your first trombone, it’s important to know what type of instrument you need before you look at anything else.
Another thing to decide before shopping is whether you’ll buy a new instrument or rent an old one. If you decide to rent or buy an old one, the condition of the slides is the most important factor you should consider.
In this buyer’s guide, we’ll concentrate on brand new instruments, as honestly, we think they are a safer, more practical option.
Material - plastic v brass
Generally, trombones are made of one of the varieties of brass, those being rose brass, gold brass, and yellow brass. The best student trombones are typically made from brass, with around 70% copper and 30% zinc. These best trombones produce bright tones.
If you’re an intermediate student, you may consider a more professional model made of gold brass, which comes with a higher percentage of copper (about 80%). Gold brass trombones have a wider and richer sound.
Trombonists who want warmer and mellower timbre pick red brass, which has around 90% copper.
Besides the traditional brass materials, manufacturers have recently introduced plastic trombones. While these instruments can’t compete with traditionally-built trombones in terms of tone quality, they come with numerous advantages.
They’re light to hold and carry, and they are more resistant to bumps. These features make them perfect for younger players and beginning students. Plus, plastic instruments are way cheaper than handcrafted brass trombones!
Budget
Once you have established what your ideal instrument is, you will next need to consider what sort of budget or price range you can work with.
Keep in mind that trombone prices have a vast range. The price depends on the trombone brand, used materials, and craftsmanship. That said, you can find best trombones for as low as £/$100 to £/$5,000+.
You can find plastic instruments for £/$150 and beginner trombone for about £/$500. Intermediate trombones may cost up to £/\$2,000, while professional trombones obviously cost considerably more!
Types of Trombone
Trombones are brass trombone instruments that come in multiple variants. The type will depend on the bell section, bore size, whether it has an F attachment or not, or other factors. It sounds confusing, but don’t worry. We divide trombones into seven groups:
- Tenor trombones
- Bass trombones
- Contrabass trombones
- Alto trombones
- Soprano trombones
- Sopranino trombones
- Piccolo trombones
Out of all these types, the first two are commonly used, and you, as a future trombonist, will probably specialize in at least one of them. Tenor trombone is classed as the ‘standard’ musical instrument to play.
Since bass and tenor trombones are used in various ensembles, symphonic orchestras, brass bands, and jazz bands, we’ll check them out in more detail in the following sections. We also included the alto trombone because it’s smaller and often considered a student trombone.
Alto trombone
While there are various beautiful compositions from the classical and romantic eras, including alto trombones, these musical instruments are also popular for another reason.
Given their size and weight, alto trombones are suitable trombone for younger students. Depending on the model, they may include a rotary valve for transposing down into Bb. So, the student will also get familiar with this trombone feature while learning.
Tenor trombone
The tenor is the most popular musical instrument in the trombone family. It’s pitched in Bb and may include an F attachment for playing lower notes.
A tenor trombone without an F attachment is known as a straight tenor trombone. The instrument doesn’t have tubing on the inside, and therefore, it’s lighter. As a student, you’ll start with a straight tenor, and as you develop your playing skills, you’ll move on to a trigger-type instrument.
Bass trombone
This trombone is the second most popular choice from the trombone family. It’s pitched in Bb, but unlike the tenor trombone, it has two rotary valves. This means that it can play lower notes.
Bass trombones also differ from the tenor in their size. They have bigger bells and bigger mouthpieces. Therefore, they’re also considered large bore trombones.
The valves allow the trombone to transpose. The first valve (identical to tenor F attachment) transposes the instrument to F. The second valve transposes the instrument to Gb or G. When both valves are used, the instrument transposes to Db or D.
You should know that the second valve can be dependent or independent. If independent, the second valve can be used without the F attachment. It sounds all technical, but it’s good for you to know these things if you’re thinking of buying a bass trombone.
Trombone Anatomy
Trombones have three main parts: the mouthpiece, the slide, and the bell. You have to assemble these parts to play.
The mouthpiece is the part on which you press your lips against. It includes:
- Rim – the shape of the rim affects the tone and flexibility while playing
- Cup – the cup depth affects the dynamic range and tone color
- Throat – regulates back pressure and tone quality
- Backbone – directs air into the horn
The slide is the next main part of the trombone. There’s an outer and inner slide. These parts are tubes, and the outer slide surrounds the inner slide.
The slide includes a slide lock, which is a safety feature because it stops the outer slide from moving. Another safety feature is the bumper, which is a piece of rubber on the end of the slide. The water key is another part used to release fluid from the instrument.
The bell of the brass instrument varies depending on the trombone type. E.g., the tenor trombone in Bb can be a straight trombone or an instrument with an F attachment, which consists of a rotary valve.
The rotary valve is activated by a trigger and transposes the instrument down by a perfect fourth into the F key.
