Trombone slide lock

[DomD]

Hi!

I am a new user to trombone chat and would love to hear from the community. I am a high school student in an engineering project. My project entails finding a solution to the problem of a trombone slide falling off when playing. A new lock would allow someone to play the instrument and lock it from falling off instead of the lock that keeps you from playing. Below I have attached a survey and I am kindly asking for your feedback! Please fill this form out: https://forms.gle/ZjR3dXsmHgNqL4mQ6

[tbdana]

Seems to me you should just learn to hold onto your slide. I haven't lost mine in 50 years.

[AtomicClock]

It's very rare for the slide to "fall off", but whenever it does, I'm cleaning or putting it on a stand, not "playing". When playing alto trombone, the slide is in constant danger of coming off. But since it isn't "falling", I guess that's not relevant, either.

[DomD]

Definitely a silly mistake but I see it happen very often. Either way thank you for the feedback!

[walldaja]

I'll take your survey; but, I keep control of my slide. Sure, they come off--saw two players lose theirs in the last month. I use my slide lock when the horn is on a stand or in the case, when I'm playing my little finger keeps it in check.

[AtomicClock]

The only time my slide "fell off" while playing was at the start of my very first marching show! I mimed the whole show, and afterwards an adult came running over with it. I was amazed it wasn't stepped on at all.

[tbonesullivan]

An interesting idea, but not really sure if it would be entirely feasible, and I'm sure that it has been thought of in the past, and found to not be worth the effort. You would need some type of device to interface with the outer slide and prevent it from going past 7th position. It would need to be as long as the slide is, so it wouldn't be small, and it could easily get in the way.

Either that, or you would need to have a way for the slide to determine that it no longer was being touched by a human hand, and engaging a clutch. I'm sure that would work great for marching bands where they wear gloves.

[AtomicClock]

I know a guy who used to advocate circular slides, which would held at the center of a circle but the tubing runs around the rim; the wrist just rotates. Something like that would have to have a limiter, and would be trivially easy to implement. I just don't know how to build or align the slide.

[SamBTbrn]

Some makes of old German trombones from the 1900's had such a thing, making it impossible to take the slide off the end of 7th position while playing.
Max (LeTromboniste) has one, or had one. Not sure anymore.

[brassmedic]

Some makes of old German trombones from the 1900's had such a thing, making it impossible to take the slide off the end of 7th position while playing.
Max (LeTromboniste) has one, or had one. Not sure anymore.

I have one of those somewhere in the shop. The mechanism can be unscrewed if you need to take the outer slide all the way off.

[SamBTbrn]

Some makes of old German trombones from the 1900's had such a thing, making it impossible to take the slide off the end of 7th position while playing.
Max (LeTromboniste) has one, or had one. Not sure anymore.

I have one of those somewhere in the shop. The mechanism can be unscrewed if you need to take the outer slide all the way off.

I have a feeling that they were probably made with the military players in mind. Then was probably listed as an extra option available if you wanted it. They certainly are rare to see.

[blast]

The slide 'locks' were made, and patented by Robert Piering. I have three examples. They work.

[MStarke]

Reg the original request above:
1) For beginning trombonists/kids this might be interesting, before they destroy their instruments. But it would need to be very easy to use, allow disabling the mechanism to take off and clean the outer and obviously be cheap and ideally optional like an attachment
2) On the other hand it seems like centuries of trombonists survived mostly without it. So the disadvantage of additional parts and potential complications and cost may be larger than the actual advantage

Also would someone mind sharing pictures and explanation of the Piering mechanism?
I know I have seen pictures before, but cannot recall where and would like to understand how it works. Pure curiosity

[timothy42b]

At ATW some years back I saw a player lose his slide on stage. If you haven't been to one, they end the final concert with all the guests and military members playing Rolling Thunder at breakneck speed out in front of the band.

One of the slides came shooting out towards the audience. I was later told it was a mechanical failure, that was a "tuning-in-slide" outer and it came apart.

[tbonesullivan]

At ATW some years back I saw a player lose his slide on stage. If you haven't been to one, they end the final concert with all the guests and military members playing Rolling Thunder at breakneck speed out in front of the band.

One of the slides came shooting out towards the audience. I was later told it was a mechanical failure, that was a "tuning-in-slide" outer and it came apart.

I've seen that video. It was a Kanstul 1662 Bass Trombone I believe, and the word was that the TIS retaining screw came loose, and it went flying.

IMHO never been a fan of rolling thunder.

[heldenbone]

An appropriate length of nylon fishing line can restrain a slide just before it drops off, if this really an issue.

[CharlieB]

See the Piering lock here:
viewtopic.php?t=12367&sid=f9c1480c85997 ... cdf582324c

[Dennis]

IMHO never been a fan of rolling thunder.

You mean Rolling Blunder?

[timothy42b]

IMHO never been a fan of rolling thunder.

Years ago the ETW/ATW ended with 100 amateurs up on stage damaging slides and stumbling through a chorale and 76 trombones. I did it because the kids were young and wanted to see Daddy up there, but it was always a pain.

Now there are morning warmups where anyone can play and maybe learn something, and the final concert ends with the pros and invited guests racing through Rolling Thunder. Great improvement!

[SoVTTb]

If I were tasked with making one, I’d put together a wicked long rod on the upper cork barrel running through a bracket with a hole and a treaded end for a stop nut like you find on some trumpet third valve slides. You’d have to make sure that the rod didn’t get bent at all which would be probably more difficult than never losing your slide, but I’m sure it’d work