The
trombone is a
musical instrument in the
brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips (
embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Nearly all trombones have a
telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Special variants like the
valve trombone and
superbone have three valves like those on the
trumpet.

The word
trombone derives from
Italian tromba (
trumpet) and
-one (a suffix meaning "large"), so the name means "large trumpet". The trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore like its valved counterpart the
baritone and in contrast to its conical valved counterparts, the
euphonium and the
horn. The most frequently encountered trombones are the
tenor trombone and
bass trombone. The most common variant, the tenor, is pitched in B
♭, an octave below the B
♭ trumpet and an octave above the B
♭tuba. The once common E
♭ alto trombone became less widely used as improvements in technique extended the upper range of the tenor, but it is now enjoying a resurgence due to its lighter sonority which is appreciated in many classical and early romantic works. Trombone music, along with music for
euphonium and
tuba, is typically written in
concert pitch, although exceptions do occur, notably in almost all brass-band music where tenor trombone is presented as a B
♭ transposing instrument, written in treble clef.


A person who plays the trombone is called a trombonist or trombone player.
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