Hey folks, hope someone can help. The father of my flute student is looking to upgrade his trombone, and came to me for advice

I have basically given him some general advice and suggested he talk to his teacher/the people at the band he plays in.

His teacher has basically said "Get a Conn!", but I don't think he really feels he can spend that kind of money.

He's around G5 standard though some bits of his playing are evidently better than others, he intends any upgrade to last him more or less forever if looked after properly, and he is aware that, although he has a lot of work to do, fighting with the instrument isn't helping and is, to some degree, holding him back.

It occurred to me, a bit after the fact, that if I were advising someone on a flute upgrade who was at his stage/had his kind of aspirations then I'd probably suggest going for a better standard of manufacture without worrying so much about material (ie a top class make but a lower model of instrument, rather than the solid silver flute from a less than brilliant maker), but I don't know if this would hold true for brass.

Is this advice sound/would it help? I'm far from the only person he has to turn to for help on this one (and among the least qualified!), but if he can look into the option of an instrument with excellent quality workmanship without feeling he has to plump for the top of the range model, it might give him some wriggle room to find an instrument which will last him. So *if* it's likely to be helpful, I think it would be a good idea for him to chew on, but I don't want to tell him that unless it's a reasonable assumption that it applies to brass as well as woodwind.

Thoughts??! Hope this makes sense. If I am talking rubbish and the same doesn't apply to brass, please tell me!!

Thanks!

The price differences between different materials of so-called brass instruments are fairly small. I'm not familiar with trombones, but Alexander used to supply their main designs of horns in three different materials: plain brass(M), gold brass (G, a stronger alloy allowing thinner tubing and bells), and nickel silver (N, which they claimed made instruments "more brilliant and powerful"). On the double horns, which had most material in my 1972 catalogue (nowadays triples use more) the price increase from M to B was about 8%, and from M to N 20%. What you do not want is a soft brass that will collect more and worse dents. There are two mailing lists for horns, on which one can enquire about disadvantages of particular designs and dates of manufacture (particularly important for Conn horns, which have been made in multiple factories with different production quality at different times). I expect there are similar internet sources for trombones.

These considerations apply mainly to the reliability and longevity of an instrument. As regards the playing quality, best is to try before you buy, but an expert may be able to give a description of a design that will give some indication of how its characteristics match the ones he is trying to improve with an upgrade. Of course, if the teacher can come on a shopping expedition, he will assess the overall quality an instrument better than the pupil will.

Is he aware of the varieties of bore and layout available on trombones (not quite as varied as horns!)? Which you choose needs to take account of the music you intend to play. A jazz soloist will probably own a medium- or narrow-bore slide-only tenor, and the medium bore version of this will probably be all he needs as a brass band player. An orchestral player will have a medium or large-bore plug (thumb valve) tenor in Bb and F, unless he intends to specialise in bass trombone, in which case he may prefer a large-bore double-plug instrument (essential in a professional symphony orchestra); any of these instruments would be able to play bass trombone parts in a brass or wind band. D alto and G bass trombones are nowadays almost entirely for players in historically informed performances (e.g. of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Mendelssohn).

I'm not convinced that you you do have to upgrade your instrument simply because you are getting more advanced in your playing and my teacher has always told me that the effects of an upgrade can be quite subtle. That said, I know someone who bought a new King recently who told me he could reach certain notes more easily and he felt he could play to a higher standard with it.

I started with a student Blessing which I would have happily stuck with for ever were it not for the fact that the balance was wrong so it was always a struggle to hold it level and stop it pointing at the floor. I was lucky enough to be offered a second hand Boosey & Hawkes Imperial which has transformed my playing because it is much lighter and much better balanced.

Once I realised I could never go back to the Blessing I decided to trade it in so I could have a spare that I could actually play. I toddled off on my own to a trombone repairer with a large stock of second hand instruments where I spent a morning trying out lots of instruments and ended up choosing a Bach Stradivarius. She adjusted the balance on it to suit me there and then, and took the Blessing in part exchange. My sole considerations were weight and balance rather than sound. I play the Imperial and the Bach equally well and would walk into an exam with either one. I'm fortunate that my teacher is relaxed about what make of instrument I play - I can't blame my instrument for any problems I have!!

So I would recommend looking at a second hand instrument from a reputable dealer (preferably a trombone specialist) which I think would offer very good value for money.

Thank you both very much - there's a lot of helpful detail here I can pass on which, as a non-brass player, I had no idea of!

I think the balance is pretty off with his current instrument, which has been giving him a lot of problems and stopping him playing, so an upgrade is definitely on the cards soon.

Thanks again - much appreciated!