I’m showing you a number of different types of the more commonly seen trombones. However, there are quite a few different variations of trombones. Instruments pitched in different keys, with several different attachments that give that particular instrument unique capabilities. So, you may very well see trombones that look slightly different than the ones here.

This is a rarely seen instrument. I’ve been repairing band instruments for 52 years and I’ve only seen 2 of these creatures. The alto trombone is almost always pitched in E♭ which is a fourth higher than the tenor trombone. It was commonly used from the 16th to the 18th centuries in church music. They are not seen much these days. It is certainly smaller than the Tenor Trombone but I haven’t yet located the length of the instrument. Info to come.

When you think of a trombone, this is a standard Bb Tenor Trombone. Nearly all trombones use a telescoping slide mechanism to alter the pitch instead of the valves used by other brass instruments. The word "trombone" derives from Italian tromba (trumpet) and -one (a suffix meaning "large"), so the name means "large trumpet". During the Renaissance, the predecessor to the current day trombone was the "sackbut".

The bass trombone is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to facilitate low register playing, and usually two valves to fill in the missing range immediately above the pedal tones. Pedal Tones are very low notes.

It sounds just like the Tenor Trombone and is pitched the same but instead of having a telescoping slide, it has 3 valves like a trumpet.

I couldn’t find a better photo of this unique instrument. This instrument has 3 valves and a functional telescoping hand slide that can be used individually or simultaneously. I used to play in a band with a 4 piece horn section and one of the players used a Superbone.

I know that this looks like a trombone but it’s not. The slide trumpet is an early type of trumpet fitted with a movable section of telescopic tubing, similar to the slide of a trombone. Eventually, the slide trumpet evolved into the sackbut, which evolved into the modern-day trombone.