How Trombones Work

The simple explanation for how a trombone works is this: the musician forces air through the input valve and this air resonates through the instrument, releasing sound through the bell. The slide enables the musician to lengthen or shorten the length of the tube. Lengthening the tube results in a lower pitch, while shortening the tube results in a higher pitch.

Types of Trombones

Though there are quite a few variations of the trombone, tenor and bass trombones are the most widely used. The bass trombone has a wider bore than the largest of tenor trombones and result in a lower pitch than tenor trombones. The typical bore size of a brass trombone is 0.562 inches in the slide and 0.580 inches in the valve, with a bell that ranges from 9 inches to 10.5 inches in diameter. The alto trombone has a higher pitch than the tenor trombone and is typically used in orchestral, choral, and operatic settings. Although the slide of the alto trombone is generally shorter, the bore of the alto trombone is very similar to that of the tenor trombone. The alto trombone typically has a 0.450 inch to 0.500 inch slide diameter with a bell diameter of 6.5 inches to 7 inches.

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