Trombone slide position chart: beginner notes and full reference

This chart shows where to put the slide for each note, starting with the five notes most band books begin with. Every note is written in bass clef, the way it looks in your music. Tap any note or position to hear it.

Beginner chart: the first five notes

These five notes run from the B♭ on the 2nd line up to the F on the 4th line. Check where a note sits on the staff, not just its letter. The F on the 4th line is 1st position, but the low F below the staff is 6th:

How to read this chart

The number is the slide position. 1st position is the slide all the way in. Each position after that is one half step lower, out to 7th, with your arm nearly straight. The number after a note name, like the 2 in B♭2, is its octave: B♭2 is the B♭ on the 2nd line, and B♭3 is the B♭ an octave higher, just above the staff.

One position plays several notes. Each position has a family of notes, called partials. The slide picks the family, and your air and lips pick the note in it. That's why B♭ and F are both 1st position. For why this works, see the harmonic series and brass valve combinations.

Positions are spots to aim for, not exact marks. Your slide has no bumps or lines, and every trombone is a little different, so you fine-tune each note by ear:

• Sharp? Move the slide out a little. Flat? Move it in a little.
• Some notes sit flat. The B just above the staff in 4th, middle C in 3rd, and D♭ in 2nd usually need the slide a little farther in than normal.
• Positions spread out. The gaps get bigger as the slide goes out. 6th to 7th is a longer move than 1st to 2nd.
• Trombone reads concert pitch, so a tuner shows the same note name you see in your music.

For ways to find each position by ear, see trombone slide positions and alternate positions.

Full slide position chart

Every note from low E to high B♭ in one chart, plus F-attachment positions down to low C. Each column is a slide position, and each row is one partial: the family of notes your air and lips can pick in every position. Read down a column to see all the notes in that position.

• Outlined notes are the first five in most band books.
• Shaded notes are alternates: the same note appears in another column closer in, which is usually easier and more in tune.
• The bottom rows only apply if your trombone has an F attachment. Their columns are trigger positions T1 to T6, which sit in different spots from the normal ones.

Not sure why F♯ and G♭ share a position? See enharmonic notes and the chromatic scale. For faster reading above and below the staff, see how to read bass clef ledger lines.

Alternate positions

Some notes can also be played in a second position. The usual position (solid) is the one to learn first and use most of the time. The alternate (dashed, amber) plays the same note farther out, for when it makes a passage smoother:

For example, F on the 4th line to C in the 2nd space is a long jump from 1st to 6th. With F in 6th, the slide doesn't move at all:

The full chart above shows the common alternates. For when to choose one, and slide drills that use them, see trombone slide positions and alternate positions. Brass Trainer accepts common alternates, so you won't be marked wrong for using one.

With an F attachment

Many trombones have an F attachment: extra tubing you switch on with a trigger under your left thumb. With the trigger down, every position plays five half steps lower, so 1st position plays what 6th plays without it. That turns some long reaches into short ones and adds four low notes below low E. Trigger positions are written T1 to T6, and they sit in different spots from the normal ones.

To see where T1 to T6 sit on the slide and when the trigger helps most, read the trombone F trigger. In Brass Trainer, turn on the F trigger in settings to practice trigger positions too.

Practice these positions

• Say it, then play it. Move the slide through 1, 6, 4, 3, 1 while saying the note names, without playing.
• Long tones with a tuner. Hold each beginner note and notice where the slide really sits on your trombone.
• Eyes closed. Play the five notes once without looking, finding each position by feel and by ear.
• Quiz yourself. Brass Trainer shows a note and you pick the position. When that's quick, switch to Play the Note and play it for the microphone.

Still working on your first notes? Start with how to make your first sound on trombone.