Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Seven slide positions fill the gap between the harmonics. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

A trombone changes pitch by sliding a tube

Seven slide positions fill the gap between the harmonics The slide lengthens the air column smoothly, allowing glissandi no valve instrument can match. Skilled players adjust the slide by ear because positions are not exactly the same in every harmonic. The instrument appeared in the fifteenth century. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Music trivia

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In a brass instrument the lips make the soundThe tube only amplifies and filters what the player's lips buzz Trumpet valves add short lengths of tubingThree valves give seven combinations and a full chromatic range A brass mute changes the sound, not just the volumeIt adds a filter that cuts low frequencies and emphasises others Snare wires add buzz to the drum soundMetal strands under the lower head rattle when the top head is struck Some instruments sound at a different pitch from the notes writtenA written C on a B flat clarinet comes out as B flat A harp changes key with seven pedalsEach pedal shifts every string of one letter by a semitone

Tags: brass, trombone, instruments

A trombone changes pitch by sliding a tube: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Seven slide positions fill the gap between the harmonics. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.