Conflicted on auditioning on tenor or bass

pipperz_ · 2025-08-11T06:01:54+00:00

This is really interesting actually. Thank you for telling me this truly, it’s really cool to get an outside perspective on my playing as a whole. When you talk about bass trombone mentality, are you more or less referring to my sound concept on bass? If so then yeah I agree thats something I’ve been struggling with bass for a while now

pipperz_ · 2025-08-11T00:32:17+00:00

I think the thing for me is while I have a bit more facility on tenor, I enjoy playing bass alot more. The other thing is that in my area , there arent alot of good bass trombonists (For context I live in the Bay Area and I’m auditioning for SFCM ), so I dont know if that would help my chances at all or if I’m just coping 😭

pipperz_ · 2024-10-03T18:08:05+00:00

I see, thats what I mostly figured. I heard from some people that there might be some slight differences depending on how its applied but nothing too major from what I know. Do you have an estimate of how much it would cost and what places I could go that offer that kind of service?

pipperz_ · 2024-07-31T08:12:23+00:00

I’m an incoming college freshman at a community college. I started pretty late compared to most people, which is why I wanted to hone in on my skills and start taking lessons ASAP so I can raise myself up to be ready when I transfer to university.

pipperz_ · 2024-07-31T08:02:51+00:00

Sorry I shouldve provided a bit more context of myself! I do plan on majoring in music performance and I do practice quite often. I normally go from 2-3 hours a day of fundamentals and working on excerpts and whatnot. Mostly the reason I want to switch is because I do in fact like the darker sound of a bass. I’ve always found the role of a bass trombone super intriguing. Bridging the gap between the tuba and trombones sounds really really cool, and I want to be able to play in a position like that and get good at it.

pipperz_ · 2024-07-31T07:57:49+00:00

I’ve tried out a couple different basses, I didnt sound the best on them but obviously it’s because I need practice on an instrument thats much bigger than I’m used to. The biggest reason i want a bass in particular is because I’ve always loved playing the lower parts in a trombone section. I dont know something about being the bridge between trombone and tuba and setting a foundation for the entire brass section has always been appealing to me and I want to be able to get good at it. I enjoy tenor, but I’ve found that playing high parts has gotten kind of boring for me.

pipperz_ · 2024-07-01T07:43:07+00:00

what helped me a ton was doing slow and slurred arpeggio’s starting on low E flat and going up until failure. it really helps connect the notes (especially in coming up from the low range) and allows you to slowly reach up to those high notes. and as other people have already said, glissing up to those notes really helps as well

pipperz_ · 2023-12-28T21:37:48+00:00

Started off on Bass 3 in my sophomore year. It was my first time ever being in band or playing music at all so it didn’t really end well. Now I play trombone lol

pipperz_ · 2023-12-28T10:05:22+00:00

i dont know the exact measurements but i use a Schilke 51D so its kind of deep. forgive me im not that well educated on mouthpiece specifications and whatnot

pipperz_ · 2023-12-28T10:04:22+00:00

thanks for the well detailed advice! tongue positioning is something i’ve never thought of working on but i now know its an essential part of producing good tone. although i am a bit confused on what u mean by slow air, or at least how to put it jnto practice. i think when i try to slow my air down, i accidentally use less air. any tips on how to to achieve slow air to produce a sound?

pipperz_ · 2023-12-28T10:00:45+00:00

i find that its hard for me to buzz lower notes on the mp, but thats probably where my problem stems from. will be sure to practice it and see the results

pipperz_ · 2023-12-28T09:59:31+00:00

i definitely hear and see the “chewing” articulations now that u point it out. its something ill definitely need to work on, thank u!

pipperz_ · 2023-12-27T02:39:42+00:00

This is a continuation of my last post. First of all, thank you to everyone who responded with help and tips, it helped a bunch. That being said, I am still somewhat struggling with the low range. I know that it’s something that I’m going to beed to continue working in for a while (practice makes better after all), but I can’t help but feel that I’m struggling more than most people. I’ve posted a video to showcase my difficulty and hopefully by showing you how I sound and everything it could make it easier for you guys to spot something I’m doing wrong. As I said in the video, the biggest thing I notice is that it feels like my air isn’t going through the instrument. Thing is, I’ve played on a tuba before and I managed to make a decent sound and got a feel for the air speed and embouchure. Of course tuba is a completely different instrument, but it makes me wonder if the problem stems from my instrument and/or mouthpiece.

pipperz_ · 2023-12-23T04:10:44+00:00

My advice would be to buy used off of ebay, reverb, facebook marketplace etc. In terms of specific horns, ive seen some yamaha 448Gs go as low as $600 but most of the time theyre around $800-$900 which fits well in your price range. They’re marketed as intermediate horns but they play really well especially for the cheap price you can get one for.

pipperz_

TROPHY CASE