Trombone basso

As Printed on a Score

Labels the bass trombone, on its own staff or shared with the tuba, abbreviated Tbn. B.; in three-trombone scores it is often just Trombone III. It is written in bass clef at sounding pitch. Older German and English scores meant a bass trombone in F or G, longer than today’s B-flat/F instrument.

How Composers Use It

The foundation of the trombone section, with a wider bore and valve attachments that fill in the low register down to about B-flat1 and below, and a heavy, dark fortissimo. It anchors brass chords, doubles the tuba or the bass line an octave up, and has strong pedal tones. Its lowest notes need time to speak and a great deal of air, so avoid long fast passages there.

Example

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”), second movement: the bass trombone has a staff of its own, “Trombone Basso” (“Tbn. B.” on later systems), below the “Tromboni Alto e Tenore”.

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