The valve trombone is a brass instrument in the trombone family that uses valves to change the pitch instead of (or along with) a slide. It comes in different sizes, from alto to contrabass, but the tenor valve trombone, which is pitched in B♭ and one octave lower than the trumpet, is most commonly used. Most models have three piston valves. These instruments are often found in jazz and popular music, as well as in marching bands in Europe, where they are frequently built with rotary valves. They were also widely used in orchestras during the 19th century.
History
The valve trombone was created at the same time as valves were invented in the early 1800s. Many early valve trombones kept the shape of the slide trombone, using three valves instead of a slide. Others used valves to try new designs while keeping the same round shape and bell.
The valve trombone became very popular in the 1800s, when valve technology improved quickly. It was widely used in European orchestras, especially in Italy and Austria, where composers wrote music for groups of three valve trombones. One of the first French valve trombones was called the clavicor, which had three Stölzel valves and was used briefly in bands before being replaced by saxhorns.
Valve trombones were made in many styles for marching bands and for bands used by soldiers. A type of trombone made by Adolphe Sax in the 1860s had six valves, one for each position on the slide. These valves worked by shortening the length of the tubing instead of adding more. The unusual shape helped players hold the instrument easily while riding on horseback. These trombones were taught at the Conservatoire de Paris in the second half of the 1800s and used in French orchestras, even though they were heavy and hard to play. In the 1860s, instrument makers in Austria-Hungary created a family of trombones called Armeeposaune, designed for use in marching and mounted bands.
Valve trombones were common in American brass and military bands during the middle to late 1800s. In New Orleans, slide trombones were not used until the "tailgate" style of playing began around 1904.
Some valve trombones were made in the key of E♭, but these are rare and only a few remain in museums.
A large valve trombone called the trombone basso Verdi was developed in the late 1800s. It was used mainly in operas by composers Verdi and Puccini. This instrument inspired the modern cimbasso, which has become popular again in video games and film music in the 21st century.
By the early 1900s, mass production of high-quality valve trombones with smooth slides led to a return in popularity for slide trombones. However, valve trombones are still used in some places, such as parts of eastern Europe and Italy, in Banda music, military and brass bands in South America and India, and in jazz, often by trumpet players who also play other instruments.
Performance characteristics
Some musical passages, especially fast ones, are easier to play on a valve trombone than on a slide trombone. Italian composers, such as Verdi and Rossini, often used the valve trombone because it allows for quick playing. The valve trombone is also helpful in situations where moving the slide is difficult, such as when marching, riding, or playing in a small orchestra pit. Many musicians believe the valve trombone produces a sound that feels less open and more closed compared to the slide trombone. It is not commonly used in orchestras today.
In jazz
The B ♭ tenor valve trombone uses the same fingering as the B ♭ trumpet. Because of this, some jazz trumpeters play it as a second instrument. Famous musicians who play this instrument include Maynard Ferguson, Bob Brookmeyer, Clifford Thornton, Juan Tizol from the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Rob McConnell, and Bob Enevoldsen.
In the 1920s, a valve trombone was changed into a saxophone shape in Germany. This instrument was called the normaphone (German: Normaphon). Later, American jazz musicians like William "Hicky" Kelly in the 1960s and Scott Robinson in the 1970s started using it.
Hybrid slide-valve trombones
In the late 19th century, companies like Besson and C.G. Conn created trombones called "duplex" or "hybrid" instruments that combined a slide with valves. In the 1940s, a musician and inventor named Brad Gowans designed a new type of trombone called a "valide," which combined a slide with three piston valves. In the 1970s, jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and Larry Ramirez from Holton Musical Instruments created and patented a trombone called the Holton TR-395 "Superbone" for Ferguson's band. This instrument has a narrow bore of 0.484 inches (12.3 mm) and three piston valves, and was made by Holton from 1974 to 2004. In the early 21st century, instrument makers Wessex and musician James Morrison developed newer models with a larger bore of 0.525 inches (13.3 mm). Morrison's version, made by Schagerl, includes three rotary valves built into the bell section.