What are the physical demands of playing the trombone? Why is good physical condition necessary to play?
The trombone is probably the instrument that has changed the least over the centuries… Look up Sackbuts for the Renaissance version of the trombone and you will see that the design is basically the same. There was a whole family of trombones back then (much like you see with Saxophones today) but only the Tenor, Bass and occasionally the Alto and Contrabass are seen today. The materials used are much the same and only the making methods have changed as technology has advanced. The bore size (the inside diameter of the tubing) has generally increased especially on modern orchestral instruments. You might want to check out the German style trombone and compare it to what you are used to. There are also valved trombones to look at. Verdi wrote for the valved trombone in his operas and also for a Cimbasso (a sort of valved contrabass trombone) instead of the Tuba. Have fun following these leads up!
