The Trombones

Musicians
Emmanuel FRANQUEMANGE	Michel PIENOZ
Patrice DUBOIS	Nathan
Albin AURIAC	Valérie VIRET
Delphine MARTIN

The trombone is a wind instrument with a metal mouthpiece in the brass family. The ancestor of the trombone is the "Saqueboute "(XV century), the name resulting from the contraction of the verbs of old French verbs "saquer" and 'bouter" respectively meaning to draw and push. The English name derives from the Italian "tromba" (trumpet) + "one" (large), meaning "large trumpet".

The trombone is characterized by the use of a telescopic slide, but there are also models with valves. Its range is lower than that of a trumpet, and higher than the tuba. Its elongated shape is like a curved "S" (which is why the French use the English word "trombone" to refer to a paper clip!). It consists of four major parts: mouthpiece, outer slide, inner slide and bell section (conical tube). The latter gives it a more brilliant sound than euphoniums or saxhorns with a comparable register. It is used in many musical genres, from classical music to jazz, from salsa, ska, funk, to military music, orchestras and symphonic bands.