Trombone Power
Reading a Slide Position Chart
You can teach yourself to play more notes on the trombone. Use the slide position chart in the back of your book. Each slide position has a number that will help you find the approximate position for each note. Look at the pictures of the positions in your book and then check the slide position for the note you want to play. Here are some tricks to get you started:
POSITIONS
1st position: slide all the way in
3rd position: hand just above (toward your face) the bell
4th postion: end of the slide just below (away from your face) the bell
6th position: reach your arm out as far as it will comfortably go for now
The larger the position number, the lower the pitch will be.
PARTIALS
Each 1st position note is the top (highest) note in a partial. The larger the position number, the lower the note will be below that partial. So, for example, If you play the note F in 1st position, you can find Eb (which is 1 whole step lower) in 3rd position, D in 4th position and C in 6th position. Work your way down from the top note of the partial.
See how many different pitches you can play in 1st position. Then work your way down to lower pitches from each of these notes by moving your slide out to 3rd, 4th and 6th positions.
POSITIONS
1st position: slide all the way in
3rd position: hand just above (toward your face) the bell
4th postion: end of the slide just below (away from your face) the bell
6th position: reach your arm out as far as it will comfortably go for now
The larger the position number, the lower the pitch will be.
PARTIALS
Each 1st position note is the top (highest) note in a partial. The larger the position number, the lower the note will be below that partial. So, for example, If you play the note F in 1st position, you can find Eb (which is 1 whole step lower) in 3rd position, D in 4th position and C in 6th position. Work your way down from the top note of the partial.
See how many different pitches you can play in 1st position. Then work your way down to lower pitches from each of these notes by moving your slide out to 3rd, 4th and 6th positions.