[Trombone-l] left handed playing trombonists.

Wed Mar 4 15:23:02 CST 2009

Around 1945 the son of Salvation Army missionaries returned to the North 
America from a prison camp in China with severe damage to his right hand and 
loss of most fingers on his left hand. He desperately wanted to play 
trombone but could not hold the instrument. My Father, a Salvation Army 
Officer and a trombone player, and obviously a very creative guy, found that 
he was able to hold the horn with his right hand and move the slide with 
what was left of his left hand. My Dad then taught him how to play. As a 
teenager at the time I can vividly remember the gratitude and the joy that 
young man felt in playing the horn. He went on to play for many years and if 
memory serves me right, played with the Salvation Army Chicago Staff band. 
His name was Wesley Morris.

One of the best reasons I have ever heard for holding a horn with the right 
hand.

Dave Buckley.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dennis Clason" <dclason at nmsu.edu>
To: "Ray Horton" <rayhorton at insightbb.com>; "Trombone List" 
<trombone-l at samford.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Trombone for new elementary - now left handed 
playing trombonists.

>I believe Hoyt Bohanon also plays left handed, at least part of the time.
>
> I started out playing left handed but got quickly corrected.  I don't
> want to think about what a left-handed bass would cost...
>
> Ray Horton wrote:
>> Christmas 1970 or '71, I saw a Christmas TV special with the Seattle
>> Symphony with a left handed first trombonist.  I assume he was a sub.
>> Never saw the guy again.  Poor guy stuck out like a left handed
>> violinist.
>>
>> Slide Hampton is the only one I can actually name.
>>
>>
>> Raymond Horton
>>
>>
>>
>> Steve Gamble wrote:
>>> They can't do it with either hand at the beginning, so why not learn it
>>> the way the instrument is built.  Later on, you don't run into problems
>>> with weird f-attachments or clashing bells in the section.
>>>
>>> Steve Gamble, Librarian
>>> Tucson Symphony Orchestra
>>> 2175 N. 6th Ave.
>>> Tucson, AZ  85705
>>> 520-792-9155 x118 office
>>> 520-792-9314 fax
>>> 520-991-7056 cell
>>> sgamble at tucsonsymphony.org
>>> www.tucsonsymphony.org
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: trombone-l-bounces at samford.edu
>>> [mailto:trombone-l-bounces at samford.edu] On Behalf Of
>>> thetubameister at roadrunner.com
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 12:47 PM
>>> To: Dennis Clason; John Monroe
>>> Cc: Trombone List
>>> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Trombone for new elementary school player
>>>
>>> I gotta ask, for the sake of argument - Why not?  Assuming they're
>>> left-handed, shouldn't they play left handed?  I know a great left
>>> handed trumpet player.  And trombone may be the most reversible
>>> instrument in history.
>>>
>>> J.c.
>>>
>>> ---- Dennis Clason <dclason at nmsu.edu> wrote:
>>>> And don't let them assemble a Bb trombone to be played with the left
>>>> hand moving the slide!
>>>>
>>>> John Monroe wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In our school district, kids start trombone in fifth grade.
>>>>>
>>>>> Even the most careful kid will be banging his horn around.  And in a
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>> group setting the most careful kid will be surrounded by LESS
>>>>>
>>> careful
>>>>> kids!  So get something substantial.  And expect it to get dented.
>>>>>
>>>>> Also remember that kids are kids.  They have no idea how to assemble
>>>>>
>>> a
>>>>> trombone, so be sure to show them.  Give them step by step
>>>>> instructions and have them practice putting the horn together.  That
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>> will reduce the number of dents generated getting the horn in and
>>>>>
>>> out
>>>>> of the case.
>>>>>
>>>>> John Monroe
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mar 4, 2009, at 7:06 AM, Price Taylor wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> I asked this a couple of days ago..but might have used the wrong e-
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> mail
>>>>>> address (I use multiple e-mails and consolidate them with Gmail).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> =====
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hello list, my youngest son is 10, in 4th grade, and is expressing
>>>>>>
>>> an
>>>
>>>>>> interest in playing the trombone - of course, that's great (I
>>>>>> think...)!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I started playing in 5th grade but the current thinking now is 6th
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> grade - I
>>>>>> think that's because the middle school has band?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I was thinking that this summer might be a good time to get an
>>>>>>
>>> early
>>>>>> start
>>>>>> and begin playing.  Many years ago, I bequeathed my old King
>>>>>> Cleveland to my
>>>>>> high school, that was my first trombone.  Guess I should have kept
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> it, it
>>>>>> was pretty hard to hurt that horn.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm looking for recommendations for a beginner's trombone - ideally
>>>>>> something to last to 9th grade.  The Yamaha YSL-354 appears to be
>>>>>> the choice
>>>>>> of many, although I have no experience with Yamaha trombones (I
>>>>>>
>>> play
>>>>>> a Conn
>>>>>> 88H and King 3B).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any other suggestions?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks list!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -Price
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Trombone-l mailing list
>>>>>> Trombone-l at samford.edu
>>>>>> http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l
>>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Trombone-l mailing list
>>>>> Trombone-l at samford.edu
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> -- 
>>>> Dennis L. Clason, Ph.D.
>>>> University Statistics Center
>>>> New Mexico State University
>>>> Las Cruces, New Mexico
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Trombone-l mailing list
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>>
>>
>
> -- 
> --
> Dennis L. Clason, Ph.D.
> University Statistics Center
> New Mexico State University
> Las Cruces, New Mexico
>
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