Trombones in C
The trombone family is very firmly based in B-flat. Modern tenor, bass, and soprano trombones are in B-flat, and the first contrabass trombones were in B-flat as well (with a few still made that way today). E-flat and F are the other standard keys - E-flat for alto trombone (though F altos do exist), and F for modern contrabass trombone. Anything else is much rarer. At one time G was the standard key for bass trombones in a few parts of the world (most notably Great Britain), and has also been used for a handful of modern trombones such as the Minick G “great bass” trombones made for Jeff Reynolds, and the Carol Brass CTB-2005-GLS-G-L soprano trombone in G. But apart from truly odd keys like D-flat and A-flat (both of which have had trombones made or modified to be in those keys), for a slide trombone the key of C is probably the rarest of them all. (We’ll discuss valve trombones later.)
Why is that?
You’d think that C, the most basic of all keys, would have a little more representation in the trombone world. However, since the trombone has been based in B-flat since its invention in the 15th century (though it was originally thought of in A due to different pitch standards at the time), there has been little demand for a trombone in C. There was a brief time where the standard trombone sizes in France were F alto, C tenor, and G bass, but the only lasting remnant of that time was the widespread use of the G bass trombone in Britain. France largely abandoned alto and bass trombones for a while, and the B-flat tenor became the standard there (like everywhere else). The result of all this is that there are very few trombones in C out there, and they are mostly regarded as odd curiosities at best. Additionally, most that do exist have a valve that puts the instrument in B-flat (and sometimes it is reversed so the instrument stands in B-flat), rather than fully embracing the key of C.
So what trombones in C do exist?
Possibly the most well-known example is the Conn 60H “Preacher” model. This instrument was built in the early 20th century, a time when many people in the United States played instruments at an amateur level and trombone parts were often written in transposing treble clef. Instruments like the 60H were built so that a trombonist could read from church hymnals, songbooks, and other music written in concert pitch treble clef.
Conn 60H “Preacher”, from a 1924 Conn catalog (scan from saxophone.org)
Conn 60H “Preacher” description from the same 1924 Conn catalog (scan from saxophone.org)
The modern equivalent to the Conn Preacher model is the Yamaha YSL-350C. This instrument was designed for young players who can’t yet reach 6th and 7th position, but still need a simple and lightweight instrument. To accomplish this, the YSL-350C stands in B-flat with the valve engaged, and pressing the trigger bypasses the valve to put the instrument in C. The C valve is then used for 6th and 7th position notes. Unlike the Conn Preacher, the YSL-350C does not have a slide long enough for 7 positions in B-flat, as it is designed to be used with the ascending C valve rather than exclusively in B-flat or C. So although this instrument is technically pitched in C, it is functionally a B-flat instrument and we think of it as such. The few other trombones with ascending C valves function in the same way (see my ascending valve article for more details), and I don’t count them as trombones in C as they are designed to play in B-flat.
Yamaha YSL-350C
Apart from the early-20th century C/Bb Preacher instruments and the ascending valve trombones (if you count them), slide trombones in C are extremely rare. Most that do exist are cut-down B-flat tenors, and I own one such instrument myself:
This is a 1979 Olds Recording R-20 tenor trombone, which has been cut down from B-flat to C. The valve attachment was also cut down significantly from the original F to become a minor-third attachment in A. This modification was made to fully commit to the key of C, rather than having a B-flat option or crutch. The slide gives 7 full positions in C, and its .495/.510” dual bore makes it feel similar to my Conn alto, which has a slightly smaller dual bore of .491/.500”. It has a neat sound roughly in between a (normal, small bore, B-flat) tenor and an alto, but leans a bit more towards alto in feel and sound when played with a small mouthpiece (which it prefers over larger pieces). But for all its alto-like characteristics, the R-20’s relatively large 8.5” bell helps it maintain a more tenor-like broadness to the sound, especially in the low register. With a smaller bell, it may very well be better described as a C alto rather than a C tenor.
My experience with this instrument leads me to wonder what a larger instrument cut to C would sound like. The R-20’s design lends itself well to a more alto-ish experience, but perhaps an orchestral tenor trombone would keep a more tenor-like character. The R-20 is a fairly unique design to begin with, so a more mainstream design might give different characteristics.
Conn 36H alto trombone in E-flat (top), Olds R-20 tenor trombone in C (middle), Willson 311TA tenor trombone in B-flat (bottom); all with minor-third attachments
Another thing I’ve noticed with this instrument is that a C tenor trombone slide might just be the perfect length. On a B-flat tenor, 7th position is far out enough that most people have to contort their body to reach it. It’s a big reason why trombonists tend to avoid 7th position most of the time. An alto has the opposite problem; the slide is short enough that it’s easy to accidentally overshoot 7th position and take the outer slide completely off. On C tenor, 7th position is roughly where 6th position is on a B-flat tenor, which is reachable with a fully outstretched arm without any contortion necessary. There is no danger of overshooting, and no discomfort necessary to play all 7 positions. Additionally, the slide positions feel closer to tenor positions than alto positions, meaning fine pitch adjustment is easier and the whole instrument feels more stable. Of course, human arms come in many different lengths, so no commentary on trombone slide length will be a universal experience. But for me at least, tenor C might be the Goldilocks slide length.
Apart from the rare C tenor trombone, there have been a handful of contrabass trombone in C. The most modern example is the Miraphone 670 CC:
Miraphone 670G in C (image from hornguys.com)
The Miraphone 670 contrabass trombone is usually a single valve instrument in B-flat, in the style of the famous Conn B-flat contra. In this form it is…not a good instrument, to put it lightly. Steve Ferguson of the Horn Guys wrote to Miraphone one night suggesting a version of the model in C with 2 valves, and Miraphone made it. It is reportedly a big improvement over the B-flat model, but I haven’t played one myself.
According to Jeff Reynolds, the famed brass maker and technician Larry Minick built a single-valve contrabass in C for the Bethlehem Moravian Trombone Choir, many years before the Miraphone. But the oldest C contrabass is likely the one made by Boosey in 1880, nicknamed “King Kong”:
1880 Boosey “King Kong” contrabass trombone in C
The only other low C trombone I know of is a certain model of Egger bass sackbut, which can be configured in a bewildering number of keys including “small contra” low C.
Finally, at least one soprano trombone in C exists, built around 1820 and currently stored in the University of Edinburgh’s collection.
ca. 1820 soprano trombone in C (image from mimo-international.com)
C Valve Trombones
Now, all of the above has been exclusively discussing slide trombones in C. In the valve trombone world, C trombones are much more common. Tenor valve trombones have been manufactured in both C and B-flat in equal measure for as long as the valve trombone has existed. Nowadays, the C valve trombone is still in regular use in Mexican banda music, Catalan folk music, and other local styles. Due to this demand, C valve trombones are manufactured by quite a few manufacturers including Yamaha and Jupiter. C valve trombones may even be more commonly used than B-flat valve trombones, as no current style of music that I know of has B-flat valve trombone as a standard instrument. B-flat valve trombones are usually only used by the occasional jazz soloist and school jazz bands (so that euphonium players can play in the jazz band). Historically, while Bob Brookmeyer and Rob McConnell played their jazz soloist careers on B-flat valve trombone, Juan Tizol played in Duke Ellington’s band on a C valve trombone.
Additionally, cimbassi in C are used regularly in movie soundtrack recording sessions, in addition to the more typical cimbassi in F. When the cimbasso’s entire purpose according to the orchestrators is to play very low notes extremely loud, a cimbasso in C makes a lot of sense. Cimbassi in C are manufactured by Rudolph Meinl, Mike Johnson, and others. In fact, both Rudolph Meinl and Mike Johnson make cimbassi in all four common tuba keys (F, Eb, C, and Bb).
