Contrabass Trombone?

[Biggs]

If Im not mistaken, Bartoks Concerto for Orchestra was written for bass trombone not the Contra Bass, right? When Ive done it Ive had to reach over and lend a hand on the Gliss...its a section pleaser as the tuba player goes for the "reach-around"

Pardon my ignorance (once again), but what is the challenge unique to the bass trombone glissando in Concerto for Orchestra? As a former trombonist, I am particularly curious.

[Chuck Jackson]

The gliss is from a low B natural to an F, impossible for a trombone pitched in Bb. The beauty of the F bass trombone is that the gliss is from 7th-1st position, a breeze.

Chuck

[Mudman]

Pardon my ignorance (once again), but what is the challenge unique to the bass trombone glissando in Concerto for Orchestra? As a former trombonist, I am particularly curious.

It's not possible to gliss from low B-natural to low F without resorting to some trickery.

There are several techniques for doing the Bartok Gliss on a conventional bass trombone.

1. Play low B-natural using both valves, then let up the second valve while glissing (half-valve technique) and land on F. Very effective if you can get enough sound out to cover up the half-valve. Takes practice.

2. Tuba player plays the low B and bass bone sneaks into the gliss. I think that it is done that way on one of my Montreal Symphony recordings with Dutoit conducting (not certain--it's been awhile since I listened to that recording).

3. (my favorite just for the crazy factor) Tie a string to f-attachment tubing. Pull out f-attachment slide so you can get a low B in 7th position. Tie the other end of the string into a loop that goes around your foot. While glissing up, move your leg out to pull in the f-attachment tubing. Works like a charm.

4. Pull out f-attachment so you can play low B in 7th. While glissing up, have the tuba player push in your f-attachment slide. This is also a good way to have the tuba player push the mouthpiece away from your face resulting in some strange (or no) sounds. Risky unless you are buddies with the tuba player.

5. Use a sliding-extension valve (thumb trigger to kick your attachment slide in and out). Aharoni has pictures in his Bass Trombone method.

6. Rent an F bass.

On an audition, you are not going to have an F bass. The conventional way is probably #1 (half-valve through the gliss). If the hall is resonant, the listener can't tell that you are changing valves during a gliss.

[Tom Mason]

Let me muddy the picture some more.

Doug Yeo also played contra in some of the BSO works. He had a Bach 50 bell and 2 slide sections put together to make an F contrabass. It is rented out in a Boston shop to those who want to use it. Double slide and no valve last time I saw it.

F contrabasses, C contrabasses and BBb contrabasses offer differeng glissando options as well as having differing timbre issues. Some of these issues are addressed by having 1 or 2 rotors added in different configurations than normally attached to a trombone. (F, D, C; F, E, C: BBb, FF)

One other option becoming available, but less frequently used is the bass trombone in Bb, F, Gb, D with a D slide for the second valve. It makes the horn Bb, F, D, B; with enough room for the second valve to be in C or B; therefore both being in BBb or A. The downside to this setup is more combinations to remember and the stuffiness associated with some contrabasses. Bach and Weril make these optional slides for their horns, as far as I know.

Tom Mason

[Chuck Jackson]

OK Joe, maybe not impossible, at least your answer keeps you in business