Bass bone and marching

[Falin]

What ergonomic support, hand grip or other aid have been most useful for you when marching with the bass trombone? I really like my Sheridan get-a-grip, but it is also kind of in the way while shifting notes, and could be lost along the way, so I would like to check for other options.

[Burgerbob]

I use a strap.

[BGuttman]

I have an older King 7B which lets me put the bell brace between thumb and forefinger. A lot of folks seem not to like this arrangement, but it works great for me. Want something like it? Shires bar, bullet brace, or the like.

[Falin]

I use a strap.

That you made, or something that can be bought?

[Falin]

I have an older King 7B which lets me put the bell brace between thumb and forefinger. A lot of folks seem not to like this arrangement, but it works great for me. Want something like it? Shires bar, bullet brace, or the like.

Do you think you could provide a picture? English is not my first language, and I am not sure I fully understand what you mean.

[Burgerbob]

https://lscoguard.com/products/trombone-holding-strap

[Falin]

https://lscoguard.com/products/trombone-holding-strap

Interesting! It looks pretty solid, but also like your left hand is kind of stuck? I imagine it has to be pretty tight around the hand to be really useful, and I don´t think I could change notes with just the right hand. Now I must try!

[Burgerbob]

It's more flexible than many of the other options.

[harrisonreed]

Just don't march bass. Put your bass mouthpiece in a large tenor.

[Falin]

Just don't march bass. Put your bass mouthpiece in a large tenor.

No.

[BGuttman]

I have an older King 7B which lets me put the bell brace between thumb and forefinger. A lot of folks seem not to like this arrangement, but it works great for me. Want something like it? Shires bar, bullet brace, or the like.

Do you think you could provide a picture? English is not my first language, and I am not sure I fully understand what you mean.

This is me holding my King 7B

[AtomicClock]

Just don't march bass. Put your bass mouthpiece in a large tenor.

No.

Ha ha ha. History repeats itself.

From an old thread:

First, ditch the Conn 88H for marching.
...

I actually like marching with my 88H, and I have done it since -95 without damaging it at all.
...

[Falin]

No.

Ha ha ha. History repeats itself.

From an old thread:

I actually like marching with my 88H, and I have done it since -95 without damaging it at all.
...

And now that I finally got one I am planning on marching with the bass bone for the next 30 years!
I don´t know what it is with people and this no marching-business...

[harrisonreed]

Harder to hold, less projection, no one in the audience will know the difference, almost no marching parts requiring the instrument, easier to break during horns up because there are more valve knuckles....

There are actual reasons, it's not just a bias. But I second the strap Aidan mentioned, if you must march with one. I use it all the time on bass.

[JohnL]

Just to clarify...

What sort of marching are you doing? The needs of someone marching in a military band are quite different from someone marching in a show band that does a lot of choreography.

[sacfxdx]

Just don't march bass. Put your bass mouthpiece in a large tenor.

[AtomicClock]

What sort of marching are you doing?

If he's been marching since '95, it's some sort of adult activity. Strolling down the street, NOT like a regimented marching band, maybe?

[JohnL]

What sort of marching are you doing?

If he's been marching since '95, it's some sort of adult activity. Strolling down the street, NOT like a regimented marching band, maybe?

Agreed that most marching situations one is likely to encounter as an adult are "low intensity" (for lack of a better term), but I have seen a few marching show bands with "mature" members. I do horn choreography (with a bass trombone) whenever I play with my college alumni band.

It's also possible the OP is involved with some sort of high-energy marching style that we're not familiar with (there was a mention of English not being a primary language).

[BGuttman]

If the OP is in a Carneval or Fasnacht band (Celebrating the equivalent of Mardi Gras in German or Italian Europe) there won't be much "snap-to" choreography. FWIW I marched in an American Legion band with a Conn 79H and had no problems. Then again, we were just straight marching at around q=108; no fancy stuff. I played 3rd trombone parts, and once had to cover the tuba line.

[MrHCinDE]

I‘ve marched with a bass quite a bit in British brass bands and ‚Musikverein‘ bands in Germany. I like the sound of the bass trombone parping away at the front of the march. Just look up „Whit Friday Marches“ on YouTube, it’s a highlight in the British bass trombonist‘s calendar.

I quite like my caldergrip for marching, it gives some support but doesn‘t feel too restrictive. I tried a single valve bass to save weight but found that quite a few low Cs pop up and I have a hard enough time keeping in step without contorting my body to reach long the low C.

[Falin]

Harder to hold, less projection, no one in the audience will know the difference, almost no marching parts requiring the instrument, easier to break during horns up because there are more valve knuckles....

There are actual reasons, it's not just a bias. But I second the strap Aidan mentioned, if you must march with one. I use it all the time on bass.

Harder to hold, definitely, that is why I started this thread. The rest of the reasons I don´t agree with at all. I am sure that is your experience, but not mine.

[Falin]

Just to clarify...

What sort of marching are you doing? The needs of someone marching in a military band are quite different from someone marching in a show band that does a lot of choreography.

Not that it really matters, since my question wasn´t if it was appropriate to march with a bass trombone, but it is mostly military band.

[harrisonreed]

So, I'm not sure what kind of military marching you are doing, but a lot of military bands will have a movement to the "at ease" position, where you move the horn to rest with the slide on the ground and hold the bell near the tuning slide with both hands. For me, using the strap for bass (or any grip assister) makes this movement impossible to do correctly. You need to take a second to get the strap off your hand and it's not smooth.

I'm not sure if your band does this movement, but if they do, the strap might be out.

[marccromme]

A cheap one valve bass trombone like a used YBL 321, 322 or 421 will probably do the marching job just fine. If in doubt, put those pesky C and B under the staff just an octave up and let it for the tubas to fill the void.

Advantage is less weight, cheaper if damaged, and less valve and position thinking when you need to focus on your marching moves.

Its a win win

[JameyMorgan]

I tend to use a Neotech when I march bass. I've been marching with an independent tru-bore Shires setup with the Navy. It does take a bit of trial and error to make motions smooth with it, but the rigidity of this grip makes it easier than with a strap like the one suggested above in my opinion.

https://neotechstraps.com/products/trombone-ultra-grip

[AtomicClock]

I've been marching with an independent tru-bore Shires setup with the Navy.

I've never seen a marching trombone part that needed any valve. But that was as a student, and 30 years ago. What does a modern Navy bass part look like?

[JameyMorgan]

I've been marching with an independent tru-bore Shires setup with the Navy.

I've never seen a marching trombone part that needed any valve. But that was as a student, and 30 years ago. What does a modern Navy bass part look like?

Anything we take on the march could absolutely be played on a tenor, but I like (and have been encouraged) to take some of the written parts down an octave. Some other newer arrangements made by some of my colleagues also go down into the valve register, and I like the ergonomics of the Gb valve for those admittedly limited use cases.

[tbdana]

I'm really not trying to be smart when I ask this, but when I saw the thread title, "Bass bone and marching," my first though was, "Why?" There really isn't any marching literature requiring a bass trombone, at least that I'm aware of. And why carry any more weight than you have to?

[Burgerbob]

Two of us on the forum do bass trombone marching professionally... it's definitely a thing.

[Posaunus]

Two of us on the forum do bass trombone marching professionally... it's definitely a thing.

Disneyland, I presume? Not such a "normal" gig, but no question that that's what you get paid to do.

[JohnL]

I don't think I've ever seen a traditional street march by an American composer with a bass trombone part, but some British marches (e.g., Army of the Nile and Great Little Army by Kenneth Alford) have third trombone parts that go down into the trigger register; not surprising, as British military bands in Alford's time would have used a G bass on the third trombone part.