Learn about the Bass Trombone with Denson Paul Pollard

Denson Paul Pollard, Bass Trombone, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

[@michaelhilton4859]

Not only is Paul one of the finest bass trombonists around, he's also one of the finest people I've ever met. I've known him for over 25 years - a fabulous musician, a fine person, and a good friend.

[@bobjacobson858]

From listening to this video, he seems to be very personable, like someone who one would want as a friend after spending just a few minutes with him. When I was growing up (in metro northeastern New Jersey) "a few decades ago", we started with instruments in 4th grade rather than 5th. In third grade we had a flutophone (tonette) class in which we played a simple plastic whistle-type instrument having a range slightly over an octave ("low C" to "high D" in the words of our instruction book), and those who followed all the way through with this class (as I did) had "first dibs" on choosing the "real" instruments the following year. I actually wanted to play brass, but got talked into playing clarinet by my father, who had played brass in high school and insisted it gives one a "sore lip". I did well with clarinet, but wasn't completely in love with the instrument, and in junior high school, I took up bass clarinet when the opportunity came (in spite of my father accusing me of trying to be a "jack of all trades"). Then a few years later, I took up double bass (for which my father accused me of copying a popular fellow student who played this instrument, but by watching him play it, I genuinely became fascinated by it). Now, after 8 years of retirement, this past March I started to play trombone and enjoy it very much. A few weeks ago I obtained a trumpet, which I'm also enjoying, becoming "spoiled" by the valves (and so far, no 'sore lips'!). However, I maintain my interest in the other instruments, and find it fun to be able to play several representing different "families".

[@ssjauron92590]

That smile after the pedal B tho 2:24

[@scarclan7178]

That B natural....

[@kevmadueke5671]

just amazing

[@saidoof9369]

Yup

[@CrewsTheWildDawg]

This is one of the best bass trombonists I've ever heard, up there with Charlie Vernon, Jim Markey, Blair Bollinger, and George Curran.

[@menhyr2835]

Lionel Fimeaux, man. Fly or die.

[@bpaudel2767]

Expired Nut lmao Fimeaux is nowhere near this monsters

[@Aduysvmncmkouyf]

@@bpaudel2767 but he still kicked ass in that solo

[@Aduysvmncmkouyf]

Brian Hecht is one upcoming bass trombonist

[@deadeyenumber2892]

He has such a beautiful tone and is very precise and technical. Amazing player

[@Saittham1987]

Wow, for Mr. Pollard that pedal B natural seems so easy to play, so effortless!

[@MinkDaddy]

Playing Bass Trombone in a Jazz Band was perhaps the most fun I've had in my life!

[@semarcus1]

Robert Rÿker, formerly of the Montreal Symphony.

[@ZarkosisSmash]

mr pollard is like a little giddy kid after he plays. its so funny how happy he gets :D

[@aidanowens7452]

I’m a tuba player currently. Started in fifth grade with tenor trombone then 7th grade switched to tuba but had to sit on books because I wasn’t tall enough now I am a Junior in marching band playing sousaphone and now this year I am switching to bass trombone for jazz band! This video helped so much it’s so much fun though!

[@hrendon84]

I miss my band years. I started with the baritone, but early on i switched to trombone. Best decision i made. I loved playing the trombone. My high school teacher wasnt the best, so I quit band after 2 years, but my love for the trombone still remains.

[@Travisbassbone0]

I’m a Music Ed Major pursuing the bass trombone as my primary instrument and also tuba on the side for brass quintets. I completely agree with what Denson Paul Pollard said about how the bass trombone and tuba timbres are different but still play in the same range.

[@paulhedges4625]

Idk about everyone, but trying to out low note your friends is a lot of fun

[@francoisvillon1300]

Какие полосатые галстуки!

[@wotan10950]

Since I live in New York, I go to The Met a lot. I like to use my binoculars to find interesting orchestra players, and see what I can learn about their instruments. Dr Pollard is one of them, Emmanuel Ceysson (harp) is another.

[@Josh-mp6kb]

As a High school bass trombone Player, I can tell you this is accurate.

[@typetoored]

Heard of this legend while practicing ballade by Eric ewazen. I aspire to be just like you Mr. Pollard

[@foreignparticle1320]

That orchestra is *CLEAN*

[@joemo3k61]

I love the trombone videos!

[@japanvintagecamera8869]

When I was going to join the band class, I wanted to play the French horn. We went to the music store to rent one, but the cost was $50 per month. My mom said she could afford $10 per month. The only instrument the store had for that price was a trombone, so I became a trombone player.

[@wisegamer706]

I love this guy

[@BobHoff]

Somebody added more tuba parts to Dvorak 9...

[@buckahanhan6265]

I play the tenor trombone right now but I'm gonna switch to bass

[@nikomitrione]

2:24 heheheheheheheh B for brown note! (Jk I’m not actually stupid)

[@gabe5120]

I wish I got to start band in fifth grade. I started in 7th.

[@gabe5120]

I'm in 9th now

[@enriquethetrombonist1901]

Trombone_Nerd started on 6th I’m in 8th

[@Stand_Tall]

Canada?

[@tromboneman4517]

Trombone_Nerd, I started in 6th grade.

[@suriya8857]

I started in 10th, don't worry!

[@mikesb69-87]

I saw a trombone with a double slide once.

[@alexreaper9822]

Contrabass trombone :)

[@gabe5120]

Contrabass trombones are cool. They pretty much use a tuba mouthpiece too.

[@Channel47Timeless]

❤️

[@cybergooodnessgaming9210]

I play trombone and I’m sad cus we have 3 bands at school concert (lowest) symphonic (middle) and stage (highest) and me and my best freind are in all of them except he isn’t in stage and because we talked once next year I am taken out of concert and he is out of symphonic so we aren’t ever in the same band :(

[@daveenyart]

Superb. I wish better excerpts that feathure 3rd trombone were used.

[@themightyquinn94]

Bass trombone and tuba timbres 'slightly different'? Lol

[@Travisbassbone0]

Quinn Parker he’s not wrong you know.

[@kevmadueke5671]

Travis Wohlstadter yup he’s not

[@kevmadueke5671]

the tubas voice is rlly wide thats why one tuba can fill the whole band, the bass bone is more pointed tho

[@cbfedge5593]

@@kevmadueke5671 quite often only one bass bone though

[@jonathanradney3022]

What type of mouthpiece is he using?

[@brananherndon6947]

I'm starting to learn bass trombone this summer for jazz band at school, I already play tuba for concert band and sousaphone for pep band.

[@michael_young]

5:48 Me after the first two months I started playing in 6th grade

[@thebossterrance2415]

Michael Young same

[@mr.incredible6276]

I think that the bass trombone and the tuba have the same mouthpiece and in brass ensembles, it plays the same parts as the tuba.

[@llkk9900]

The bass trombone mouthpiece is smaller.

[@decimater97]

Mr. Incredible it doesn’t have the same size mouthpiece and it doesn’t play same parts as the tuba most of the time. In British brass bands we tend to play with the tenors in most parts...

[@Aduysvmncmkouyf]

@@decimater97 Interesting, in the concert band the bass trombone can play with the tubas and trombones, so it’s like a euphonium in a way.

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

5:15 🎹 🔥

[@AlonsoRules]

I never knew Kier Starmer was a trombonist

[@ec-hi1br]

What model is this trombone?

[@jakubpirowski4536]

It's a Antoine Courtois specially designed for him with g valve

[@joshferels1918]

Is it bad I started on a bass trombone them

[@ata_5208]

Joshy Oof it’s not bad to start on bass per se, just don’t neglect your high range! Bass trombonists will eventually need a solid high B flat at the minimum, better if you can reach the C or D comfortably in addition to your low range work.

[@nathanieloxford6288]

What group is this? There are a few familiar faces but not from the same orchestra.

[@spoilerzado]

Nathaniel Oxford I think the same

[@djadesi]

Nathaniel Oxford this is the All-Star Orchestra. It's a program for specifically selected musicians to play a bunch of orchestral repertoire. They broadcast the performances on television and interview the musicians to spread the the love of music to an audience that may not have access to music like this. It lasts for a couple of days and the selected musicians change every season (depending on what the orchestra will play and what kind of sound said musician has). Hope that helped!

[@matthewlockyer5571]

i play the trombone

[@laurahepler5139]

I love the tronbone and i'm only nine

[@peterdegroff7318]

there are a lot of women trombone players now. THere is no reason you can;t be one of them.

[@Jack-ot9vq]

@@peterdegroff7318 bruh

[@peterdegroff7318]

@@Jack-ot9vq What is bruh supposed to mean?

[@satchelharris2543]

tuba players: NANI

[@407kc9]

3:26 lol

[@user-ok9oz4om3p]

この曲ってなんだっけ？

[@Mitioritos]

lowest note is contra bb... its still part of the oficial range...

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

Not if you're playing a Bb/F/G/Eb bass like he is. He has done a video explaining that he prefers G tuning over Gb for his second valve and that's probably why double trigger is at the end of the slide for him.

[@phillipecook3227]

Notice he didn't play the highest note on the bass trombone .... : )

[@ckeilah]

1:15 the slide tuba! :-). WTF is he going on about the bass trombone having the same range as the tuba? Even with the valves and extra tubing, can a 9 foot trombone really match the pedal tones from a 12 or 13 foot tuba? My understanding is that a tenor trombone and a bass trombone are the same 9 foot length of tube. Finding honest, factual information about the actual notes that can be accomplished on these instruments is proving to be difficult. I can go pretty low on my straight tenor trombone, but I don’t think I can match a sousaphone for low pitch. Can I? And does a bass trombone really allow you to go lower than you can on your tenor?

[@camvacc1640]

Hi! I'm a bass trombone and also a tuba player (I started the tenor trombone at the age of 8, and then became a bass trombone (player) when I was 15 and and a tubist at 16). For your question (can you match the low pitch of the tuba), well as a tenor trombone player you can because you have 1 valve but it's really hard (as a tenor trombone I used to play until a pedal C, (I couldn't try a pedal B cause my arm weren't long enough...😂) and then I choose the bass trombone cause I really (and still) love the pitch and the register of the bass trombone). So yeah the bass trombone and the tuba have quite similar register as Mr. Pollard said. Of course it's easier for a tuba to play low but the bass trombone can do it too! You might also know that the contrabass trombone exist. The contrabass trombone and the tuba really have the same capacity to reach the low register maybe the contrabass trombone is even lower than the tuba (idk I don't have the chance to play the contrabass trombone...). Idk know if u can understand everything (i'm 🇫🇷, so there might be a lot of mistakes...). Bye...

[@Leo-vr3bg]

Yes a contrabass instrument can play lower than a bass, but bass trombones on much more likely to be asked to play in the pedal register than a tuba. Actual music wise the lowest I’ve seen written go is a pedal f on bass and a low d on a tuba. When you get in those low notes on tuba it becomes difficult to here, but that register on bass has a very unique timbre.

[@ckeilah]

Cam Vacc Merci beaucoup! Vous expliquez très bien.

[@decimater97]

ckeilah yeah you can play much lower with two valves than a regular straight tenor bone and it has a lot more tubing as well at the top. Doesn’t look like it at first but the weight difference is surprisingly large...

[@ckeilah]

Decimater 97 it sure is! My wrist is tired! :-p. I’ve seen some kind of strap that supposedly helps support some of the weight. I want to try one. I have an idea for a hatstrap to help take some weight, but people will look at me funnily. ;-p

[@bun-bun5623]

Who tf enters highschool at age 13

[@tesmith47]

same range as the TUBA??? no i dont think so!!!

[@ckeilah]

Thomas Smith actually, it seems to be true! Bass trombone probably has a greater RANGE, as the bass trombone can be shortened to 9 feet, and can go higher and sound better up high, but with both valves engaged becomes a 13 foot instrument, just like a Bb tuba/sousaphone. True, there are tubas with 18’ or more of tubing that can go lower, but it appears that the Bb bass trombone can keep up (down?) with a B-flat tuba. The harmonic series is different, though. And I think that equally skilled players would sound “different“. To my ear there is definitely a distinctive timbre to the conical bore tuba/sousaphone versus the straight plus conical trombone. When I learn and get good I’ll have to have a “race to the bottom” with an equally skilled tuba player. Nothing beats first hand science! :-)

[@Jack-ot9vq]

@@ckeilah tuba can definitely play lower, coming from a player of both

[@Aduysvmncmkouyf]

@@Jack-ot9vq depends on the player, there are trumpets who can play an F1, and sound good, perhaps you’ve never heard of the contra trombone.

[@igarinblessyou7927]

Not music. Only good quality of sound technology, technique..and instruments. But you don't understand this music) 😭..not feel.