tromb.html

TUBE TROMBONE

This is a variation on the tube horn from February. It's simple to transform the tube horn into the tube trombone once you have the right materials...

Here's approximately what it should sound like:

YOU WILL NEED -

2 telescoping cardboard tubes (one must be able to slide into the other)

For example, I find that plastic wrap tubes (saran wrap, etc.) fit nicely into paper towel tubes.

The best kind are gift-wrapping tubes or similar sizes, but in a pinch even a paper towel tube will work just fine. You can even tape together three toilet paper tubes end-to-end and that will work ok. A good rule to remember is this: The wider the hole in the tube is, the longer the tube should be. Of course, the best way to learn about anything is endless experimentation, so try different size tubes to see what works best!

A piece of paper

Thick paper works best, like construction paper or a file folder.

Tape

Masking tape or duct tape is preferable.

PROCEDURE:

1. Shape the paper into a funnel with a hole just big enough for the bigger tube to fit into.

2. Tape the funnel to the tube as shown:

tube taped to funnel

The tube shouldn't stick too far into the funnel - just enough to be secure.

Now slide the smaller tube into the bigger tube. The ideal is to slide smoothly in and out of the bigger tube without catching, yet must be pretty snug to the side of the big tube.

If your smaller tube is too loose inside the big tube you lose the "trombone slide" effect. If the difference is not too much it is possible to wrap masking tape around the bottom end of the smaller tube to make a sort of gasket that prevents too much air from escaping (see below).

tape wrapped around tube

How to Play:

1. First, practice making your lips buzz. It's kind of like when you used to make machine gun sounds with your lips. Also you might consider the way that a horse does it (remember the old Mr. Ed shows?).

2. Press your lips up to the end of the smaller tube and buzz away!

3. Try making your lips buzz faster and slower. You'll soon discover that if you buzz your lips just right, you'll get the best sound from the horn. This is because of an effect of sound waves. When the length of the sound wave you create matches up well with the length of the tube, the sound gets stronger. The funnel acts as an amplifier - it makes the sound much louder. If you don't believe me, try one tube without a funnel and one with a funnel. There should be a BIG difference!

HINT: With really short tubes (paper towel size, etc.) you can enhance the slide effect by buzzing your lips slightly faster when the slide is in and slightly slower as you pull the slide out.

Variations:

1. It can be difficult to find just the right sizes of tubes. Sometimes the tubes are even too wide to get a good lip-buzz off of it. In this case you can cut the plastic spout off of a soda or plastic milk container and tape it to the end of the cardboard tube. This narrows the width sufficiently to make it easier to get buzzing.

sodatop

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