![trombone position chart essential elements trombone position chart essential elements](https://i.etsystatic.com/9986576/r/il/975bdc/2177997254/il_fullxfull.2177997254_c0t4.jpg)
This is because the closer you are to first position, the shorter the instrument is, and the greater the proportion of conical tubing compared to cylindrical. For now, I want to focus on something else: the favored slide position for a given note is almost always the one closest to first position. The harmonic series, then, becomes a tool for finding alternate fingerings or positions for various purposes.
![trombone position chart essential elements trombone position chart essential elements](https://d29ci68ykuu27r.cloudfront.net/items/2983936/look_insides/large_file/file_5_page_1.png)
There, my point was that the intervals between partials are the same in each position, as are the tuning tendencies of each partial, and that this pattern holds for all brass instruments. I used as my example a simple chart showing the first eight partials in each of the seven slide positions on a tenor trombone without using the F-attachment. In my most recent article for The Instrumentalist ( Understanding Brass Instruments, June 2020), I explained how the harmonic series is the key to understanding how brass instruments work. This article will briefly consider why certain positions are primary and others alternate, and then explore the factors that should inform position choices. However, mechanical ease is not the only factor to consider when determining which positions to use in a given passage. One reason is obvious: the trombone’s inherent mechanical difficulties can sometimes be mitigated through the judicious use of alternate slide positions. While determining how and when to employ alternate fingerings is important for all wind players, this is especially vital for trombonists. The number of notes with only one available fingering on these instruments is relatively small, but in most cases a primary fingering is easily identified, with others labeled as alternate. Wind players typically begin wrestling with alternate fingerings early in their playing careers.