Bore size

[lauriet]

Just learning about tbones here.
Can anyone explain the effect of bore size and how it may help my blowing.
Im guessing that the larger the bore the more lung capacity I will need, so discounting other factors, would the smallest bore be easier for me sustain long tones, without running out of air ?
(I know I should practice/learn/exercise my lungs and I will)
I saw that the conn 22H has a very small bore size.....what would this horn suit ?

Laurie

[Neo Bri]

Hi Laurie,

Welcome to TC!

Bore size has a variety of effects. Just starting out, most people use small bores. They do tend to require less air support. That being said, they can play softly or loudly, as can large-bore trombones. Or basses, for that matter.

Small-bore trombones tend to be more suited (these days) to Jazz, and sometimes pop and rock. Large-Bores tend to go toward the classical, orchestral, and similar.

Another option to consider (and these tend to be my favorite) are medium-bore horns. These are usually around .525" bore trombones. That measurement is the inner diameter of the inner slide tubes. These are very versatile, and tend to be favored in pit work, shows, sometimes recording, etc. I love them. I play them for many applications.

Hope this helps. Others will doubtless chime in.

[Basbasun]

Conn 22H is a 500 bore size horn, not very small, just small. (today, it used to be called medium whaen I was young)
as Neo Bri said it is common in Bigband, jazz combo, pop and salsa/latin music.
But sometimes the 547 is used in all kinds of music. The sound is more brassy in 500 bore that 547, the 525 is somewhere in the middle. If you want a brassy sound go with smaller bore if you want less brassy go with 547.
Most symphony orchestras use 547 bore more than the smaller bores.

[BillO]

I find the biggest things that contribute to the amount of air you need are dynamics and mouthpiece parameters. In other words, going from mf to f will require more air than it will to go from a .500 to a .547 both at mf. You will also find that the different moth pieces have different bores. These vary to a much greater degree than do trombone bores to the extent that you can double or half the cross-sectional area of the bore of the mouthpiece on the same trombone.

Also, I am of the opinion that bore size has less to do with the sound an instrument makes than does other factors like mouthpieces (again) materials and bell design (thickness, taper, bracing, etc..). To stress this I have a .500 horn (XO 1632) that is a lot less 'brassy' than a .547 horn (Shires with a 7YLW bell on it).

All that said, the tendencies already mentioned are there when going from a smaller bore to a larger bore, it's just that other factors make bigger differences to the sound than does the bore of instrument. Bore sizes, in my experience, only play a major role when it comes to extremes. Bigger bores tend to play better in the bass range, smaller bores tend to be easier to deal with at the high end, larger bores will allow you to play louder without getting an edge, smaller bores light up sooner at higher volumes and are a bit more responsive. However, these generalities can be overridden by other things.

If you can, go out to as many stores around you as you can and play as many trombones as you can. Get the one that produces the best sound to you rears and seems like the least effort to play. Don't worry too much about the bore size.