Bass trombonists well versed in the orchestral literature know that Bela Bartok, in his famous "Concerto for Orchestra" (composed for the Boston Symphony Orchestra) requires an "impossible" glissando from low B--->F. On a standard B flat/F single valve bass trombone, this gliss IS impossible, and in the 1960s, several bass trombonists including Edward Kleinhammer, Kauko Kahila and Alan Ostrander, worked with American instrument companies to develop the modern double valve bass trombone so the low B could finally be played comfortably by bass trombonists. But even the modern double valve bass trombone is a compromise for Bartok's glissando. It's important to keep in mind that Bartok, like many other composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, was writing for the old bass trombone in F - and for such an instrument, Bartok's glissando was quite playable from 7th to 1st position. No break, no valves, no problem. The F bass became obsolete in the 20th century but there are still many pieces by Bartok and others that simply work better on the instrument for which they were conceived. I was therefore very fortunate when Yamaha made an F bass trombone for me. In the photo above, the slide is extended to seventh position as I play Bartok's glissando for the first time as the composer intended. The Yamaha F bass trombone is one of a kind, made in the Yamaha Toyooka Factory in Hamamatsu, Japan. Yamaha made this instrument for me as a gift and it was a complete surprise to me. Many years ago I had mentioned - in an off hand way - how fantastic it would be if Yamaha could ever make an F bass trombone. I subsequently forgot about this in the rush of life and you can imagine my surprise when, in the summer of 2004 when I was in Japan teaching at the 10th Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy and Festival, that Yamaha presented me with this extraordinary instrument. The photo above shows the F bass on a long table that has the full range of trombones made by Yamaha. From the foreground you can see the F bass, my YBL-622 bass trombone, a Yamaha tenor trombone, alto trombone and, hidden behind the alto, a prototype Yamaha soprano trombone. The F bass trombone is so long that it needs a substantial handle on the slide in order for the player to reach sixth and seventh position. The photo above gives a close up view of the handle of the F bass (my YBL-622 bass trombone is to the left). While larger than the traditional 19th century F bass trombone, this new instrument blends very well with modern tenor trombones. I have used this instrument many times in the Boston Symphony including performances of Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra" and works by Olivier Messaien. The relative size of the Yamaha F bass trombone is easily seen in this photo (left). Before making this instrument, Yamaha had never made a trombone this large. They needed to develop special machinery in order to draw such a long slide. A joint collaboration with Yamaha's trombone and tuba designers, the instrument went through multiple design phases before finally being manufactured. While I was at the Yamaha Toyooka Factory in 2004 I made a video that explains the process of making a Yamaha trombone. The video concludes with footage of the moment that I noticed the F bass trombone on the long table of instruments - again, remember this was a complete surprise. To see the video (it is available online for free) and hear some audio excerpts of my playing this extraordinary instrument, visit the Making Trombones video page.