TromboneChat

After looking around for quite a while I today decided to buy the contrabass trombone that I had the chance to try out for a few days now.

It's a special instrument, built as the master piece of an instrument builder. I also got the full report on how it was made etc.

It is largely modelled after a Kromat example. Some facts:
- Tuned in F, valve tuning can be fully adjusted to personal preference. I decided to set it up for F/C/DB, so the same logic that most modern bass trombones have
- Mostly gold brass with red brass bell and narrow bell garland
- Regular not too large rotor valves which give a good degree of resistance which I actually find helpful on contra
- Two exchangeable lead pipes
- Some notable things that differ from other contras:
- The already mentioned fully adjustable valve tuning
- The long water key realized via a carbon tube and rod along the lower outer slide. Functioning quite well! I think the B and S Meistersinger models might have a similar design
- Unlike many other contras the distance between the mouthpiece/face and where the slide starts is not so much larger than on bass. I find that many contras for reasons unknown to me have a much longer distance there which is a) difficult to get used to and b) obviously makes it even more difficult to reach longer slide positions

I feel I am very lucky to have found this trombone. it may not be totally on the same level as e g a Voigt, Leuchter or Lätzsch. But it has the exact configuration that I would probably have got with a custom instrument, is fully made in Germany with lots of care and cost not much more than a Wessex.

Also it's interesting that I got back into contra playing quite quickly, although in the last 13 years I only played another one for maybe 60 minutes in total.

Congrats!

I wish you much happy playing! I myself am not into contrabass at all, so I'm only glad someone else wants to do that.

Cool horn! It's hard to go back once you have a remote water key.

Forgot to mention: It's a few years old, but only played a few hours before me. Unlacquered, so it doesn't look totally new anymore.

Thanks to all here who shared their contra experiences and especially to 2 or 3 forum members that answered some more questions 1:1. That really helped my decision-making.

Obviously the next question will be where to play it?
I might do some home recordings that include contra.

But will hopefully also be able to bring it to some trombone and brass ensemble projects.
And maybe some day there will be an orchestra project that requires a contra...

I’ll never own a contra but I think they are way cool! Can you tell us a bit about your impressions playing it?

Who made it?

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2024 5:00 pm Who made it?

It was made by an individual who apprenticed in brass instrument making and built this as his master piece (which I understand is the most important part of finishing that training here in Germany). He worked in multiple of the well-known shops. I don't necessarily want to put the name here as I bought it privately from him. So as said there is exactly one of these in the world and there will never be more.

LetItSlide wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2024 4:33 pm I’ll never own a contra but I think they are way cool! Can you tell us a bit about your impressions playing it?

Well, there is a lot to say. I have only had this specific instrument for 6 days now and for the last 13 years had not played much/any contra. However before that I played a lot of contra over a timeframe of 5-6 years.

Generally speaking I think it's essential to remember that contra is not just about being able to play louder and lower. (Same as alto is not only about playing higher and softer)
For me it's important that a contra keeps a good degree of "trombone core" in the sound and doesn't get too huge and undefined. It does however still have a clearly different tone compared to a bass. In certain settings it can create substantially more volume than a bass. On the other hand also in soft playing it can create a really nice and warm basis for a trombone/brass group.

Obviously some good examples can be found in Wagner operas. If you think about Siegfried's Funeral March from the Götterdämmerung: Yes, you can get the right volume on bass probably.
But if you listen to a good recording on contra you hear the difference in sound, e.g. or this example from the Alpine Symphony:

Or listen to Brandt Attema playing the Crespo/Bruckner Etude or Bourgeois' Osteoblast with the New Trombone Collective:


I think what makes the biggest difference:
In the range from appr. low Bb down it's getting in its prime territory. It's extremely resonant. Where you get into the pedal notes on bass (pedal Bb downwards), you still have a few notes on contra that are "only" in the valve register. It's not necessarily easier to play on contra, but it makes a substantially different sound.

There are some very low parts that in my opinion are actually easier on bass than on contra though. So as said it's not about ease in the low register, but about a conscious choice of sound.

that looks like a wonderful contra! you should definitely keep the stories and details he gave you on the instrument and give the instrument the wonderful start to it's life in your home. someday when you may pass the horn along to another loving home, pass its story and build story along. horns like these often have their stories lost and because they are often not marked with the maker and are unique. it's the graduation piece and passion project of some caring brassmaker and if it's a fantastic horn, deserves its history to be preserved from owner to owner.

NotSkilledHere wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2024 5:54 am that looks like a wonderful contra! you should definitely keep the stories and details he gave you on the instrument and give the instrument the wonderful start to it's life in your home. someday when you may pass the horn along to another loving home, pass its story and build story along. horns like these often have their stories lost and because they are often not marked with the maker and are unique. it's the graduation piece and passion project of some caring brassmaker and if it's a fantastic horn, deserves its history to be preserved from owner to owner.

Absolutely!

MStarke wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2024 1:49 am Generally speaking I think it's essential to remember that contra is not just about being able to play louder and lower. (Same as alto is not only about playing higher and softer)
For me it's important that a contra keeps a good degree of "trombone core" in the sound and doesn't get too huge and undefined. It does however still have a clearly different tone compared to a bass. In certain settings it can create substantially more volume than a bass. On the other hand also in soft playing it can create a really nice and warm basis for a trombone/brass group.

There are some very low parts that in my opinion are actually easier on bass than on contra though. So as said it's not about ease in the low register, but about a conscious choice of sound.

Agreed. Some of the best bits to play in the Ring are those quiet menacing chords.

Congratulations. Enjoy.

I also agree with MStarke,

We just added a couple Contras to our Trombone Choir, a G Contra and a BBb Contra. The G Contra is great but is best with its own part. Just playing the Bass Trombone part is not as cool as I thought it was going to be. Which means I can't 100% play it all the time. It does work for pieces with Tuba parts but I'm finding the need to rewrite works to include the Contra. I'm also hoping to find a use for the BBb contra but right now it is just collecting dust.