7th Position

[peteedwards]

This question came up in another thread, I was curious to see what people think

[Inspector71]

I would add another catagory:

"When it keeps the slide going in one direction and/or there is a technical advantage"

That's the one I would click...

Just a thought.

[hyperbolica]

Yeah, I agree with Inspector71. I use 7th as an alternate position if I have a lot of notes in 6th or 5th, and need an Ab, E, B or sometimes low C in b7.

I had a horn with an Eb valve which required Bs and Es to be played (those are plural B and E, not the European meaning - flat) in 7th.

If I had an instrument meant to be a compact bass with 2 triggers, I would not miss 7th position. There would be other alternate position opportunities with the triggers.

[peteedwards]

I would add another catagory:

"When it keeps the slide going in one direction and/or there is a technical advantage"

That's the one I would click...

Just a thought.

I am more curious about the %, the reasons are more just for fun.
Also to clarify I intended this poll to be about performance use, not warm-ups or practice.

[AndrewMeronek]

I would add another catagory:

"When it keeps the slide going in one direction and/or there is a technical advantage"

That's the one I would click...

Just a thought.

This, and this applies to pretty much all common alternate positions. I've put in a fair amount of work making sure I'm comfortable with B-flat in 5, D in 4, D-flat in 5, etc.

[Burgerbob]

My Edwards dual bore doesn't have 7th. Can't use what you don't have!

[imsevimse]

I'm playing long poitions which means my 7:th position is almost out of reach. I have to use it on the straight horns and then b is at the tip of the slide.

/Tom

[ronnies]

My arm is too short to guarantee 7th in tune so on bass I always use T2. Of course on my straight 42 I have no option but to stretch out and use 7th.

Ronnie

[ghmerrill]

Actually I use S3 a lot for that, and am working on using it more.

[bimmerman]

My Edwards tenor barely has a 7th, but it does, so I still prefer to use it so that I don't have issues with muscle memory going to the straight horns.

I will use 7th when it makes sense-- if T2 makes sense, use it, but I try to treat T1/T2 as alternates not the default for C/B. Entirely depends on the line though.

[sterb225]

I tune a little sharp and then play longer positions for first position tuning flexibility - so 7th is reserved for those cases when it makes sense physically.

[timothy42b]

My normal method is to use 7th when it makes sense physically, as a couple have mentioned above.

I may rethink that. This week I'm working harder on intonation, and I'm discovering a tendency to be sharp out there. I'm not sure there really is a difference in tone quality between a long position and a trigger note, but if there is I'd still rather play the note on time and in tune.

[Mikebmiller]

I tend to use it more for B natural than low E. I get a better sound on the open horn for E. But it all depends on how much time I have to move the slide and set my chops for that note. I am 5' 8", so I have to rotate about 20 degrees to the right to reach a proper 7th.

[BflatBass]

Some of my method books emphasize minimizing slide movement. I try to do this as well as minimizing what I call "slide jacking" (moving the slide back and forth a lot). Therefore I use 7th (or any alternate) to smooth out the slide movement as often as I can.
Another category, based on what peteedwards said about questions regarding performance and not practice, would be how much room you have to use 7th without putting a dent in your slide crook or poking the alto sax player in front of you in the bum. Your playing a piece that requires you to use 7th quickly and your reading your music, watching you conductor and trying to not damage your horn all at the same time! My tenor is a straight King 3B and I will be replacing it with a tenor with an F attachment eventually just for this reason

[GBP]

I use 7th when it makes sense to do so. I don’t try not to use it, but in most situations, there are better solutions available.

[trombonejb]

I don’t like seventh position because it encompasses an area of my slide that doesn’t move very freely. Even then I feel I gotta point the horn right so my shoulder isnt having to work as much to reach that far.

Now I know I’m using a Gb/D setup on the bass I play years from now

[2bobone]

OK ---- Here's the "skinny" on this subject ! If you only use six of the seven positions that exist on a trombone slide, you may NOT call yourself a trombone player, but just a "trombo" player. [ One letter for each position ]. To get more credit you must use all seven positions which brings you to the status of being a "trombon" player, which sounds at least the same as "trombone player"and is also French for "paper clip". Adding the extra "E" ? That stands for "excellence" !! Can we imagine a string player who refuses to use any one of the many positions that are relevant to playing a violin --- viola --- cello --- and yes, even double bass ? How many auditions do you think they will win ? Karl Rucht, an old teacher and former principal trumpet of the Berlin Philharmonic once said to me, " Remember --- The instrument can't change ---- YOU must change" ! A better bit of brass wisdom I have never received. All the boutique tweaks that are available won't help remove the obvious solution ---- use it all ! Just sayin' --------------- Cheers to all !!