|
Assembling the Trombone
Holding the Trombone
Equipment in Case
Caring for the Slide
(weekly)
Cleaning the Trombone
(annually)
Assembling the Trombone
-
Place the case on the floor
in front of the student. (Youngsters will inevitably knock over
a case that is on a chair -- probably with the instrument in it!)
-
Pick up the slide section first. Hold in left hand.
-
Gently place the bell section
on the slide and bring to proper width from slide -- carefully! Many slide dents are caused by a bell section that is not properly
attached.
-
Screw the two sections together. I recommend screwing backwards until a "pop" is heard
so that the threads are aligned properly. This will prevent a
"floppy" bell section later.
-
Gently set the mouthpiece into
the slide section and turn until it is secure.
Holding the Trombone
-
Left Hand -- Make a "gun"
with the left hand. Index finger should rest over the top of
the trombone. Thumb should rest over the brace of the bell.
The other fingers should grasp the first brace of the slide. Support
the entire weight of the trombone with the left hand.
-
Right Hand -- Hold the bottom of the
brace of the slide with two fingers and a thumb. The third and
fourth fingers should rest gently on the underside of the slide.
Make
sure that the palm faces in.
-
Elbows should be held out slightly
away from the body.
-
The trombone will probably have
a slight downward angle.
-
Do not lean the head off to
one side.
Equipment in Case
-
Water (spray) bottle
-
Slide-O-Mix
-
Paper towels
-
Mouthpiece brush
-
A "Snake" -- a long flexible
cleaning brush
-
Lanolin or tuning slide grease
-
Toothbrush/Toothpaste (for brushing
teeth after meals)
-
If F-attachment: 1 small screwdriver,
extra rotary valve string, rotary valve oil
Caring for the Slide
(weekly)
-
Remove the slide from the bell
section when cleaning. -
Carefully remove the outer slide.
-
Wipe off each inner slide using
a paper towel. Hold each inner slide by the top of the side you
are cleaning. This will help prevent misalignment. -
Apply a few drops of the small
bottle of Slide-O-Mix to the bottom of each inner slide.
-
Carefully replace the outer
slide and move back and forth a few times.
-
Apply the large bottle of Slide-O-Mix
to the top of the inner slide and move slide back and forth.
-
Spray entire inner slide with
water liberally.
-
If slide becomes sticky over
the course of the week, apply more water or repeat the entire
process. -
Repeat as needed, usually not more
than every other week.
Cleaning the Trombone
(annually)
Remember that bacteria can live
in the gunk inside a horn and cause illness!
-
The slide section (inner and
outer) should be cleaned with dishwasher soap, lukewarm water
not hot, and a snake. This can be done carefully in a bathtub,
shower, or with a garden hose outside.
-
The interior
tuning slides can
be cleaned with Brasso. (NOT THE LACQUERED PART)
-
The bell section can be cleaned
like the slide section. (The snake can be used on the smaller
tubing.)
-
The mouthpiece can also be cleaned
with soap and lukewarm water using a mouthpiece brush. This
should be done frequently.
If
you would like to be added to the TSMP
Email Mailing List and receive
periodic notifications of new articles and updates to this website,
then please email
TSMP.
The Texas School Music
Project is a source for ideas and information
concerning pedagogical
practices in the music classroom or rehearsal hall. The TSMP is a service provided to
all music specialists by the faculty
of
the Department of Music
at Stephen F. Austin State University.
For questions about this
site contact [email protected].
Copyright ? 2002, Department
of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University
|
|