[Trombone-l] Doubling on Bass

[Howard Spindel]

There are a lot of nice bass trombones out there (e.g., Conn, Yamaha, 
Getzen, Bach, Shires, Edwards, Rath, and don't flame me if I left out 
someone's favorite brand).  Which one is best for you is impossible to say.

I'd suggest playing a bunch of them.  Peninsula Music in Palo Alto 
had a good stock of horns last time I was in there - give them a 
call.  They might have a used bass you can rent.

When you meet other trombonists, ask if you can try their horn - I've 
never had anyone refuse me.

I'd suggest taking your time and finding a horn that you really like 
rather than plunking down a lot of money when you haven't tried a lot of horns.

I mostly play tenor but occasionally double on bass.  I have trouble 
switching rim sizes.  I use a 4G size on tenor.  I can tolerate a 
switch to a 3G size easily, but more than that is hard for me.  You 
could try switching one size larger, then two sizes larger, etc., 
until you reach your comfort level of trade-off between playing the 
notes and managing your embouchure.

Consider what your approach to alto was.  Did you tolerate a large 
difference in rim size easily?  How did you find a horn you 
liked?  Maybe the same approach will work for you on bass.

Just some ideas...

Howard

At 11:03 PM 5/17/2009, Jeff Marcilliat wrote:
>Hello trombone world -
>
>I've been on this list for years but this is my first post!  I need to
>start doubling on bass rather quickly.  At IU I went the other route
>and learned alto.  While I'm trying my best to find a bass in the Bay
>Area, what is a good mouthpiece for my tenor (Shires .547) that would
>facilitate the lower range a little better?  I've been working in the
>low register this week on my Bach 4G, but feel like bigger equipment
>could help immensely.
>
>Also, what are the best bass trombones out there?  The Conn 62 HCL
>caught my eye.  I just need something that plays easily and has both
>valves.  Hoping to hear from you guys.  Thanks!  And if you know
>somewhere that rents basses in SF, let me know!!
>
>- Jeff Marcilliat
>San Francisco
>
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