The trombone plays notes that are lower than the french horn, though not as low as the tuba. The tone of the trombone is rich and brilliant. If you were to unwind the trombone, the total length of the tubing would be about nine feet.

While most brass instruments use valves to play different pitches, the trombone uses a slide. The slide may make it look different, though the way it works is the same as valved brass instruments. When the trombonist plays, he/she moves the slide back and forth to select one of seven different lengths of tubing. This is how they change the pitch. The rest of the brass family instruments select a different length of tubing by pressing down a different set of valves.