The Trombone

Work on the trombone has been a major topic. Trevor Herbert, Professor of Music at The Open University, was a professional trombone player before he entered academic life. He played in orchestras and with leading period instrument groups. One of the early projects led to the publication of a major monograph on the instrument, but there were many other outputs that focused on a variety of chronological periods and musical styles. The main emphasis of the work was on the way the trombone has been understood in different places and times, and how the idiom of the trombone has been the product of a wide set of cultural influences. The following documents are a selection of passages and tables from Trevor Herbert’s book The Trombone (Yale University Press, 2006).

Trombones and the Moravian Church (DOC, 32kb)

The Valve Trombone (DOC, 26kb)

Slide trombone methods (DOC, 40kb)

Valve trombone methods (DOC, 25kb)

Orchestral trombone sections (DOC, 40kb)