Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-07-23
A TROMBONE
A Rather Easy Matter, the Musi-
clan Seemed to Think.

A Rather Easy Matter, the Musi-
clan Seemed to Think.
SUCH IA SIMPLE INSTRUMENT
But Somehow or Another the Ex-
I PLANTATION Only Muddled the Man
Who 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 brass. The
careless way you yank that pump horn
looks good. and / want you to put me
4 on \
what do you want to know r. asked
the musician.
Gust a hint about how you handle
that wind machine so nonchalantly''
''The trombone is very simple" re-
piled the musiker, wiping his lips,
4 which curled in thick, red volutese.
'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 fiat Push out the tubes and you hit
successfully A. A fiat, G, f sharp, F
and e.
That's only seven notes." objected
Biggs. IL.
s"Yes. Getting the rest depends on
how you pucker your lips. In the first
position you can make, figuring up
ward. B fiat, F, B flat, d, f, B fat and
g. In the second you obtain A, e, A,
G sharp, e. G and A. The third gives
you A fiat, e fiat, A fiat, G, e fat and
A fiat. 1t works out the same all the
way down. ai s%..
There are higher notes that l didn't
mention, but you won't want to mon
key; with them. But a good player has
compass of more than three octaves.' 2
# Il Biggs looked troubled. M
LET me see," he said. ".You start in
the first position with B fiat"
Yes" replied the other that is,
provided you are playing in the bass
clef. In the treble clef the first posi-
tion is c.
&! "Whatp' exclaimed Biggs. "It's one
note one time and another another?"
Sin the treble clef," explained the
musician, .'the trombone is B fiat
horn. In the bass clef It is g horn"
Il Biggs mopped his brow. 3.
''Say, that again, viii your" he ap.
! pealed.
Don't you see r., came the answer,
when the first position is g it's a
/ 3 fiat horn. When the same shift is
B nat it's q G horn"
i Biggs unbuttoned his coat.
y. ssYou may call this thing simple" be
!. said, "but If it Is I'll give myself up al
i the nearest asylum. You are talking
] antenyms."' Iss,s .s.
4 The musician grinned. -.as
i We'll take one thing at tme," he
said. I'm getting at what a B fa1
horn is let's consider a cornet."
B 3 Let's, IL it's simpler said Riggs
] hopefully. 3.
4 TITS because it's always a B fai
4 horn" replied the other. Then he add.
4 ed, Except when it's an A; horn"
II Biggs gave a sick1y smile. , f.
4 "The lowest note on cornet when
d open-when no keys are pressed down
4 lis really B fiat" said the bandman
"But 1t is called c."
'That doesn't make it c. said Biggs
For all practical purposes it does,'
Il was the reply. '"rhere is reason fol
i doing. this, but it's complicated and al
. present I'm keeping TO simple facts"
Eyes, indeed" murmured Biggs
I'm an orchestra, for instance, wher
. the first violins are playing In Q nat
. ural the cornetist's score Is two semi
81 tones higher and is thus written in {
!, or two sharps. When the yiolins are
4. playing in D the cornet player Is toot
!, ing in 3 or four sharps. But lie things
kept on this way the cornetist would
|, soon be lost In confusion Of sharps
8 and double sharps, so he slips an a
!, crook on his instrument. That raises
!, the signature three semitones. Wher
!, the fddles play in A or three sharp.
! the cornetist Is blowing along the easy
] path of @ natural.'
! Look here. said Biggs, s'if my
4 wife Is playing Under the Pink Lilas
Bush on the plano. couldn't play
I with her from the song score2''
'Not unless you can mentally trans
Il pose as you 80 along" said the mu
Il sician. THE system looks queer al
i first. but It's logical. Its purpose is t.
If bring the same music. within the nat
{ ural compass OF all the instruments oi
q band or an orchestra. But II yor
!, are going to play the trombone yor
won't have to bother your head abou
A i. -