An Overview of the Trombone in the Eighteenth Century (Excluding France)

Early in the eighteenth century, trombones hardly differed from those described by Praetorius a hundred years earlier. The bell was shaped like a cone, with little or no terminal flare. The instrument as a whole was still held together by removable flat stays. Trombonists could use not only their basic trombone and mouthpiece, but could also add crooks. According to Anthony Baines, these lowered the fundamental pitch of the instrument a semitone; by combining crooks, it was possible to add enough tubing to lower the pitch as much as a fourth, which enabled the player to transpose as needed. ¹