Buying a Beginner Trombone

Trombones are a wonderful and fun instrument—one on which your young musician will enjoy making music for years to come!

You may have lots of questions about this new journey. In fact, you may even be wondering if the trombone is the best instrument for a young musician. While they can be somewhat harder instruments to play, if your student shows interest in the trombone, there’s no reason they can’t learn it! It’s a good idea to talk to the school music educator to ensure your student is making the best decision.

Typically, students start with a straight tenor trombone (when you hear “trombone” it almost certainly means tenor trombone – the most popular model) and later graduate to a horn with the F-attachment. A typical time to upgrade to an F-attachment is at high school age, so if your child is younger than that, stick with straight tenor trombones.

Start with a Small Bore Trombone

For the beginning player—especially young players—it is best to choose a smaller bore horn, anywhere from under .500" to around .525" because it takes less air for sound production. Many student trombones will feature a small bore size specifically for this reason.

What Family Do Trombones Belong To?

The trombone is in the brass family of instruments. In fact, the trombone was the first harmonic brass instrument! Until the trombone’s invention sometime in the 15th century, brass instruments didn’t have valves and were used for signaling (think bugles or military horns). The trombone paved the way for other harmonic brass instruments like the tuba, the valved trumpet and the French horn.

As mentioned, the tenor trombone is the most popular. There are other trombone types, but it’s unlikely a beginner would play any of these:

  • Alto trombone
  • Bass trombone
  • Contrabass trombone
  • Soprano trombone
  • F attachment tenor trombone
  • Valve trombone

Who Plays the Beginner Trombone?

A musician who plays the trombone can simply be called a trombone player or a trombonist. While the trombone is a somewhat more difficult instrument to play than other popular instruments, if your young musician shows interest in this beautiful brass instrument, they certainly can learn to play it! As mentioned above, it’s best to consult with your music educator to ensure you’re on the right path.

What Does a Trombone Look Like?

The trombone is a mostly cylindrical tube bent into an elongated "S" shape. But instead of being completely cylindrical from end to end, the tube is a complex series of tapers with the smallest at the mouthpiece end and the largest just before the bell flare.

 

What Are Beginner Trombones Made Of?

Yellow brass is the most common material in trombones—brass is a mixture of 70% copper and 30% zinc. You may also see trombones made of gold brass (85% copper and 15% zinc), red brass, or sterling silver. But, when shopping for a beginner trombone, you’ll mostly see yellow brass.

Recently, plastic trombones have come onto the market, including the pBone and the Allora Aere series. These horns come in many colors and are popular in pep bands. These are fun and high-quality instruments, but you should check with your music teacher before purchasing a plastic horn.

What Do Trombones Sound Like?

You might describe the trombone sound as brassy, brilliant, powerful, solid, dramatic, or round. An interesting note: the sound of the trombone remains homogeneous throughout its entire range. This means there are no big differences between the registers such as those found in the clarinet or the bassoon.

Popular Beginner Trombones Brands

You can find affordable and high-quality student trombones from brands like Conn-Selmer, Giardinelli, Allora and Etude. These brands strive to create horns that are durable, easy to play and will inspire pride of ownership and musicianship in your trombone student.

Best Beginner Trombones

If you’re ready to start shopping for a student trombone, here are some excellent models that will perfect for a young trombonist:

Prelude by Conn-Selmer TB711 Series Student Trombone - the TB711 student trombone features a .509" medium bore for easy tone production. The yellow brass bell is designed for excellent projection and resonance. This horn has a durable finish to stand up to the use by younger players.

Giardinelli GTB-300 Student Tenor Trombone - The GTB-300 is a solidly constructed student trombone that will provide the young musician with an affordable instrument to develop his or her skills. It is built with quality materials and craftsmanship will help it withstand rigorous student treatment.

Allora ATB-250 Student Series Trombone - a premium student trombone that features a .500” bore for a quick response and excellent tone, plus an 8" yellow brass bell for excellent response and projection.

Etude ETB-100 Series Student Trombone – this beginner trombone features a .495" bore designed for easy tone production and projection. It has a brass outer handslide and crook plus a chrome inner handslide for enhanced durability.

Trombone Accessories

Maintenance is an important part of owning any trombone and young musicians should be taught early on how to properly care for it. There are many brass care & cleaning accessories that will be needed to keep a trombone responsive and performing at the highest level. Regular use of mouthpiece brushes, slide snakes, slide spray, slide cream, tuning slide grease and lint-free polishing cloths will keep a trombone in fine playing condition.

While most instrument cases provide some room for additional items like cleaning kits and extra mouthpieces, cases made exclusively for trombones can provide ample storage for all the player’s accessories and provide much-needed protection for your instrument.

Most trombone players also benefit from practicing with metronomes, no matter what your playing level is.

Buying a Trombone from Woodwind & Brasswind

When purchasing a trombone, be sure to take into account the performer’s age and skill level to ensure years of satisfaction. When buying a beginner’s first instrument, it is beneficial to speak to the student’s band director or private instructor before making a final buying decision, and keep in mind the importance of following proper care for your instrument to give yourself the longest life-span possible.

No matter what type or category of trombone you are looking for, Woodwind & Brasswind has been meeting the needs of students and professionals for decades. Each purchase is backed by Woodwind & Brasswind's 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, giving you 45 days to decide if the instrument is right for you. If it’s not everything you need it to be, you can return it for a full refund.*

While making sure you find the right instrument is important, making sure the price is right matters, too, and Woodwind & Brasswind’s 45-Day Price guarantee means that if you find the same model trombone for less elsewhere, we’ll make up the difference. As musicians of all levels have done for decades, you can buy from Woodwind & Brasswind with complete confidence that you received the best instrument for the very best price.