When I was in college, the Bullet Brace from Edwards was a new and exciting innovation to help bass trombonists deal with the arms race of ever increasing trombone sizes. Since then, the market has exploded with semipermanent solutions like the Bullet Brace, to minimalist straps and grips that fit over any horn, to very large […]

I have previously posted about the advantages of a trombone-specific music stand. It turns out that Manhasset also makes an extra tall stand. At this past year’s Texas Music Educators Association conference, I stopped by the Manhasset booth and asked if they sold an extra tall trombone stand. The company doesn’t, but they pointed out […]

Each role in an orchestra comes with its own set of non-musical challenges. For instance, percussionists carry a lot of equipment and need early access to venues to set up, not to mention special parking privileges for loading and unloading. Trombonists are no exception, but our challenges are sometimes less well understood. I can’t even […]

I once heard a potentially apocryphal story about a musician who was asked to play a morning concert. His response was “Ten o’clock? I don’t even throw up before noon!” Whether or not this episode occurred, there’s certainly some truth to it. Musicians do not work a traditional 9-5 schedule. When I was on tour, […]