The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-08-19
PLAYING A TROMBONE
A Rather Easy Matter, the Musi-
clan Seemed to Think.
SUCH A SIMPLE Instrument

SUCH A SIMPLE instrument
But Somehow or Another the Elk.
1 PLANTATION Only MuddIed the Man
VIII Wanted to Learn and Who De-
cided to Tackle an Accordion.
The band was playing loudly in the
Trinkfestbiergarten and the little bald
headed man had his eyes fastened inter-
estedly on the trombone player. When
the players stopped to recuperate he
beckoned the man who works the loose
horn over to his table and ordered two
glasses of schoenesbraue.
my name is Biggs," said the man
whose hair was absent. Zone Of my
lungs is trying to quit work, and the
doctor advises me to break up its shift
less habits by blowing a brass. The
careless way you yank that pump horn
looks good, and I want you to put me
on"
"What do you want to knowY" asked
the musician.
"Just a hint about how you handle
that wind machine so nonchalantly."
1.-THE trombone is very simple" re-
piled the musiker, wiping his lips,
which curled in thick, red volutese.
1.-THE slide is divided into seven shifts,
or positions. about three inches apart.
starting with the lowest note in the
first position-the slide closed-you get
B fat. Push out the tubes and you hit
successfully A. A fiat, G. F. sharp, F
and E."
THAT'S only seven notes." objected
Biggs.
Eyes. Getting the rest depends on
how you pucker your lips. In the first
position you can make, figuring up
ward. B fiat. F, B fiat, D, F, B fat and
c. In the second you obtain A, E, A,
G sharp. e. G and a. The third gives
you A fiat, E fiat, A fiat, c., e fat and
A fiat. It works out the same all the
way down.
"There are higher notes that l 4 didn't
mention. but you won't want to mon.
key with them. But a good player has
a compass Of more than three octaves."
Biggs looked troubled.
"Let me see." he said. "You start in
the first position with B fat"
Eyes," replied the ~other-"that is.
provided you are playing in the bass
clef. In the treble clef the first posi-
ton is c."
"What" exclaimed Biggs. ITS one
note one time and another another?"
G1n Tho fpsnl1n o1oF - 1~~1o{~o1 kl,~
musician. 1.-THE trombone is a B fat
horn. In the bass clef 1t is a G horn"
Biggs mopped his brow.
"Say that again, will you?" he ap-
pealed.
Don't you sect" came the answer.
"When the first position is c it's a
b fiat horn. When the same shift is
b fiat it's a G horn"
Biggs unbuttoned his coat.
"You may all this thing simple,' he
said. "but If it is I'll give myself up at
the nearest asylum. You are talking
antonyms."
The musician grinned.
"WeIl take one thing at a time" he
said. "In getting at what a B fiat
horn is let's consider a ~cornet."
LETS, If it's simpler" said Biggs
hopefully.
"It's because it's always a B fat
horn." replied the other. Then he add
ed, Except when it's an A horn"
Biggs gave a sickly smile.
"The lowest note on a cornet when
open-when no keys are pressed down
is really b fat" said the bandman.
"But it is called c."
''That doesn't make it c." said Biggs.
"For oil practical purposes it does,"
was the reply. There is a reason for
doing this, but it's complicated and at
present I'm keeping to simple facts"
Eyes. indeed" murmured Biggs.
I'm an orchestra, for instance, when
the first violins are playing In G nat
ural the cornetist's score Is two semi
tones higher and Is thus written in D
or two sharps. When the violins are
playing in d the cornet player is toot-
ing in f OF four sharps. But If things
kept on this way the %cornetist would
soon be lost in a confusion of sharps
and double sharps, so he slips an A
crook on his instrument. That raises
the signature three semitones. When
the tiddles play in A or three sharps
the cornetist is blowing along the easy
path Of c natural"
"Look here" said Biggs, "if my
wife is playing Under the Pink Lilac
Bush on the piano, couldn't I play
with her from the song score?"
"Not unless you can mentally trans.
pose rs you so along" said the mu-
stefan. 1.-The system looks queer at
first. but it's logical. Its purpose is to
bring the same music within the nat