TromboneChat

Hi everyone,
I am playing a Jay Friedman gold brass bell*. I have had the tuning slide shortened so it is more comfortable playing a 1/2 " out from first position. I love the sound and response of the bell. My slide is a 42 light weight bach slide (nickel and nickel crook).
I am thinking of purchasing a new slide (perhaps Edwards) with the goal of improving my attacks and maintaining my current sound. It would also be nice to be able to experiment with different lead pipes.
Thanks in advance for any input or suggestions.
Randy

I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but I remember Edward's slides being shorter than Bach's. Being that you already had your bell section shortened, that may end up being a problem.

Mamaposaune wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2024 2:03 pm I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but I remember Edward's slides being shorter than Bach's. Being that you already had your bell section shortened, that may end up being a problem.

Correct, Edwards slides are shorter. Maybe they've done "Bach" length slides before?

It won't be a problem, just pull the tuning slide out a bit more.

I had a problem with playing on an edwards slide. Positions were just slightly out of wack. Like my high F was in tune right at the bumper. My low Bb was sharp, just were stuff like that. I replaced the tubes with gold MK outers and cut them at Bach length. Plays so much better and the partials line up like my Bach slide. It’s worth swapping the outers IMO, the inner slide is just too short for some things though. Like Hary Janos doesn’t work with an edwards slide and bach bell.

I also had a Bach 50 with axials at one point with the Edwards slide. It played pretty well but the intonation suffered a bit with the positions being off. I found a used 50 slide and everything seemed to lock in and come together.

I play an Edwards slide with my Bach 42 bell, I actually prefer that it‘s a bit shorter as we usually tune to A=442 or even 443. If anything I‘d say the partials line up better than with my Bach slide.

MrHCinDE wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2024 4:14 pm ... we usually tune to A=442 or even 443.

If that were the case here (in the U.S.A.), I'd have to toss (or at least irreversibly cut the tuning slides) on my two superb symphonic trombones. I'm not willing to make that sacrifice.

My wife, a professional oboist, really resists the desire of orchestral string players to raise "concert pitch" (I guess so they can sound "brighter"?). She explains that American oboes really are "tuned at the factory" to A=440 Hz, and it requires unhealthy alterations to their reeds to tune much higher. She tunes the orchestra to A=440!

[Not to mention that my brain has been tuned for my entire long life to A=440! ]

Posaunus wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2024 7:51 pm
My wife, a professional oboist, really resists the desire of orchestral string players to raise "concert pitch" (I guess so they can sound "brighter"?). She explains that American oboes really are "tuned at the factory" to A=440 Hz, and it requires unhealthy alterations to their reeds to tune much higher. She tunes the orchestra to A=440!

[Not to mention that my brain has been tuned for my entire long life to A=440! ]

What makes me absolutely crazy are ensembles that tune to A=442 and then buy fixed pitch percussion (bells, glocks, xylos, marimbas, vibes, etc.) tuned at A=440. WTAF is up with that?

Posaunus wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2024 7:51 pm My wife, a professional oboist, really resists the desire of orchestral string players to raise "concert pitch" (I guess so they can sound "brighter"?).

Don't the string players blame the winds? I don't think they like it either. (It must be true -- I read it on the internet.)

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Sat Oct 19, 2024 1:14 pm

Posaunus wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2024 7:51 pm My wife, a professional oboist, really resists the desire of orchestral string players to raise "concert pitch" (I guess so they can sound "brighter"?).

Don't the string players blame the winds?

NO! Wind players almost universally struggle with raised pitch.

Posaunus wrote: ↑Sat Oct 19, 2024 3:25 pm
NO! Wind players almost universally struggle with raised pitch.

Flutes are kind-of an exception to that rule. Most modern high-end flutes are A=442. According to my wife, you have to special-order an A=440 flute. She bought a new Haynes hand-made a few years ago, and it's 442 because she didn't want to wait for them to make it.

And a big YES to struggling with raised pitch. I can get my Shires horns up to 443 if I have to, but my Bach bass was toast if the reference was over 440. I had to pray there was nothing in flat keys...

Thank you all for the comments. I hadn't considered the intonation aspects of an Edwards slide on my Bach 42.
Think I will stick to my current Bach 42 LT or consider an new Bach 42.
Thanks

Again, the Edwards slide doesn't change that much. Tuning slide is out just a bit more.