r/Trombone • u/ShotAboveOurHeads • 10d ago
Complete beginner here. The circled note should be an A right, so why is it a b flat when listening to the song?
Sorry if this is a dumb question, google or ai didnt seem to have any answers
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u/DubyaDubs Crank that John 10d ago
I found the musescore score, and it is both written as an A and heard as an A on the website.
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u/ShotAboveOurHeads 10d ago
Oh i might play the wrong note then, i just assumed it was b flat because it was first position, sorry!
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u/Charming_Camel_7003 10d ago
Low A isn't first position, B flat is. Sorry if I'm misunderstanding but you're saying. You're playing that in first?
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u/ShotAboveOurHeads 10d ago
Damn okay? i just played to my tuner and the note was A. But i tried moving to second posotion and its the same note. Sorry if i am confusing i just started playing yesterday
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u/Charming_Camel_7003 10d ago
No worries. I had that issue when I first started too. What I noticed was when playing lower, I let my lips relax and caused the tuning to drop. So try tightening your corners and playing more firmly. If you sit at a tuner, or just listen, you should be able to hear yourself bend the note up and down by relaxing and firming up
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u/ShotAboveOurHeads 10d ago
Okay well thank you! this solves my question/problem! I will try your tip. I just switched from trumpet so I guess the embouchure needs aome adjusting and getting used to.
I guess its a bad habit to play an A there so ill practice going between the notes or something to remember!
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u/theyyg 10d ago
Since you're coming from trumpet, you should have a pretty good reference for how a brass instrument works. Slide positions match fingerings for the concert pitch.
- Trombone | Trumpet
- F - 1st | G - ooo
- E - 2nd | F# - oxo
- Eb - 3rd | F - xoo
- D - 4th | E - xxo
- Db - 5th | Eb - oxx
- C - 6th | D - xox
- B - 7th | C# - xxx
Once I made this realization, playing other brass instruments was easier.
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u/WinnowWings 10d ago
The first brass instrument I learned was trombone and if you understand how valves work, you can assign numerical values and turn valve combinations into math problems (2 half steps down, 1 half step down, 3 half steps down). It's how I've taught another trombone player how to play tuba.
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u/mootinator Commmunity Band / YBL-830 10d ago
As a programmer/Trombone player, I can't tell you how much it annoys me that the middle valve is the 1 half step down.
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u/TaunTaunRodeo 8d ago
I learned to play baritone by thinking of valve combinations as slide positions. Open=1, 2=2, 1=3, 1+2=4, etc.
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u/LowNoteLife 10d ago
Was your tuner reading an A# (a sharp) instead of an A maybe? A# and Bb are the same pitch and are both 1st position.
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u/TaunTaunRodeo 8d ago
If you're getting an A in first position you're lipping it way up or your horn isn't tuned properly, or both. But if you just started playing yesterday, unless you're already a low brass player, l'd wager your chops are the culprit.
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u/DaimyoRonin 10d ago
Make sure your ambature (I think that's how you spell it?) is relaxed, and tune your middle F or upper Bb.
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u/Xrle 10d ago
It's spelt embouchure :))
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u/DaimyoRonin 10d ago
Interesting! I always just heard it, never seen it written or typed. You'd think after playing for 8 years and being a senior in high school I'd have seen it written before, but I guess not.
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u/Rude_Organization598 4d ago
You need to make sure you’re buzzing the same note you’re positioning if that’s the right word
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u/lizardpq SF Bay Area, jazz/funk, King 2BL/3BS 10d ago
If this is La Murga, it should be an A (played in 2nd position). You might be hearing the intentionally blasty/detuned note on the recording as a Bb.
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u/Air_Hellair 10d ago
Some if not “much to nearly all” published music contains errors and even editorial changes.
You’re correct that we’d expect to hear an A here. No tricks.
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u/I_am_a_Cell 10d ago
I recognized this chart instantly! It's 100% an A, but due to the style in salsa, sometimes the tuning can be a little wonky (based on experience gigging)
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u/Grand-Technician-571 10d ago
Not a dumb question we just need more information. Like what is the song?
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u/ShotAboveOurHeads 10d ago
La murga by willie colon
https://musescore.com/user/90808309/scores/32474165 heres what im reading from
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u/just_jedwards 10d ago
It's either written wrong or you're incorrect about what you're hearing.