Low and Loud: A Guide

Put the hammer down!

[@Luis-mj4ok]

Wow, this really helps me think of playing low and high notes more clearly! Not being able to afford private lessons means I'm at the mercy of youtube videos, but thanks for the help! Makes sense as to why I'm a senior with a decent high range, but cant play below pedal A...

[@hamishdean4547]

Kudos dude, great stuff! Very succinct and well explained, this IS how to get a top notch sound, through all registers btw!

[@AidanRitchie]

Thanks, Hamish!

[@alexanderballinas8973]

as a tenor whos never touched a bass i can confidently say that i can play a pedal F very comfortable

[@zeng833]

I’m a tenor who’s learning bass at the moment, and I could too, but most of my problem was playing between low f and the pedal notes

[@qwertyuiopzxcvbnm9890]

Is there also a pedal E on the tenor trombone?

[@malachielmore-davis8642]

WOW THIS IS GREAT! IM SO GLAD YOU MADE THIS VIDEO!!!! THANK YOU

[@AidanRitchie]

No problem duder!

[@el-pesomuerto5683]

What I usually do to get nice loud pedals is that I just blow as much air through the instrument without producing a sound. I try to push as much air through it as possible, emptying as much air in my lungs as possible and as fast as possible. Then I can usually notice a immediate change in my playing.

[@upsidedownpyramid7617]

Thanks for this it’s incredibly helpful, especially for a new jazz bass bone, I have a pretty solid lead range for sure but I decided to challenge myself and take the bass position, using a school owned bass trombone. Low and loud is definitely the name of the game and I’ve got some low C glisses down and rhythmic pedal Bb in a shout section during one of my pieces.

[@AidanRitchie]

Nice!

[@jg2977]

In addition to using the right air speed and keeping the embouchure set but not as rigid as other ranges, it seems like it also helps if I back off on mouthpiece pressure just a bit.

[@jeremymarks1616]

Nice video, Aidan! When I play bass, I have a “break” at pedal G. Would you say breaks are due to air or embouchure, or both? If I reset, then all is fine. Thanks!

[@AidanRitchie]

Thanks, Jeremy! That's pretty common in most players, I think. Everyone has to change something in the face down there at some point- the only way around it is a lot of hard work to smooth out any large shifts. I spent a lot of time with Teele studies and others to try and be able to play everything in almost the same setting, but even now I can't really get clean slurs from pedal C to Eish.

[@3A5530NE]

You should do a video increasing volume and getting better Tone all in the high register

[@AidanRitchie]

Omeed Nyman only once I can do it!

[@3A5530NE]

I have a rough time just getting presence in the higher range but I’ve been practicing in that range a lot

[@AidanRitchie]

Omeed Nyman that's all about relaxing too! I've been putting a lot of work up there.

[@epicninja9303]

Good video, although I’ve usually had an issue with volume from the low E to the low B natural above pedal Bb. I can play pedal notes perfectly well with good volume, but the notes in between the pedals and the F just don’t have the volume I need. Transitioned from Euph to Bass for my high school jazz band. The trombone isn’t in good shape either, not much funding for the band sadly, heavy dent on the bell and some missing parts as a result.

[@AidanRitchie]

Don't fight the instrument down there. It's easy to move air too fast for it to respond. Also, make sure the slide is in exactly the right place. It's easy to be off and make your life a lot harder centering notes.

[@epicninja9303]

Aidan Ritchie My slide work is pretty good for being new, and I’ve heeded your advice about fighting the instrument. It might just be the triggers are off as I’m able to play the E (and Eb when I lip down) with strong volume and that characteristic bassbone sound, but once I touch the F attachment for the D or the E to make it easier the sound drops into a muffled tone. A tad similar issue with the Gb trigger too, although louder, it still muffled the sound enough to limit me to mezzo-forte and muffled. It’s an old Bach 50B with lots of abuse, being a school issued instrument. Going to have it sent to the shop this week hopefully. Thanks for the quick response btw :)

[@AidanRitchie]

Are the valves well oiled?

[@keithshockley3443]

Much to my knowledge, you can do this on tenor trombone, rite?

[@AidanRitchie]

No reason you couldn't!

[@AllaieJay]

I cannot play with the mouth piece in the center of my lips I play slightly to the left I get better tone and articulation but I have always had that issue

[@AidanRitchie]

jack page you can see in my videos that I play off to the left. No issue!

[@AllaieJay]

How do you achieve notes such as pedal Gb and pedal F

[@AidanRitchie]

Practice!

[@franciscoblanco5621]

what is the brand of your trombone ?

[@AidanRitchie]

This one was a Bach

[@ckeilah]

Can you get all these notes from a tenor trombone? Why is there a bass trombone if the ranges are the same?

[@AidanRitchie]

Just because you can play the same ranges with both horns doesn't mean you should use it that way in performance.

[@ckeilah]

Aidan Ritchie thanks! I obviously have a lot to learn about trombones. I think I can hear the difference though. In a nutshell: The bass trombone sounds like Wagner. The tenor trombone sounds like jazz.

[@AidanRitchie]

@@ckeilah lots of jazz bass trombonists out there too :)

[@JRERewindClips]

Because bass trombone sounds phat

[@aidancessna1548]

I like your name 😳😳

[@AidanRitchie]

That's because it's the best name