I have what I think is a simple question:
Does Dorico 4 have a Tenorbass Trombone? Is it by chance the one that shows up as Trombone/Tuba?
I hadnāt previously heard of such a thing, and if Wikipedia is to be believed, itās also not in common use anymore. Dorico doesnāt have it in the list either, but you can of course just take a standard Bass Trombone and rename it.
Iāve been involved in music for over 60 years and Iāve never heard of ātenorbass trombone.ā I see from wikipedia that itās a tenor trombone with a trigger which lowers the pitch a fourth. Thatās very common on many trombones, even where people donāt play lower parts. That trigger makes certain passages very easy which are much more difficult with just a slide trombone. The sound of a tenor trombone with a trigger isnāt any different from the same model tenor trombone without a trigger. Many companies (Conn, King, Bach and Yamaha among the long-established makers) make the same models with and without the trigger.
For Doricoās purpose as well as for whomever will be playing your music, you can simply use the āTromboneā instrument. If you will be writing in the lower range which the trigger allows you might label the part āTrombone With F-Attachment.ā Donāt worry about whether Dorico tells you the notes are out of range, write them any way.
Labeling the part āBass Tromboneā might be confusing since these days the term ābass tromboneā implies for many tombonists a very large bore instrument with two triggers, one for F and for D. And the D trigger only works if the F trigger is opened first. It gives a great extended range and the larger bore gives a nice fat but clear sound down well into the tuba range.
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I think the simple answer is ānoā, since I was looking for one the other week. I used the bass trombone option, for range purposes, and specified in the performing instructions that Iām expecting the player to use either a tenor/bass, or a tenor except for specific passages if they prefer.
I think that sample libraries have tenors & basses, but not tenor/basses ā a generalization that maybe someone can counter with specific examplesā¦
Hey everyone,
Thanks for your replies.
I know that Tenorbass trombone exists in the Spanish language (Tenor-bajo), because I have it documented in an orchestration book from 1950, by authors Casella & Mortari. In this book they talk about the Bass trombone loosing itās place within the symphonic orchestra of the 20 Century and being replaced with the Tenorbass trombone, which is in B flat, with a valve that changes it to F so it can reach the lower register notes more comfortably.
here the caveat is that Iām translating from Spanish and I am not a trombone player, so ā¦ what do I know. 
In any case, I appreciate your replies and Iāll use them to guide me in scoring this instrumentās part.
Any other ideas are certainly welcome.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
The Bass trombone (in F or even E flat) existed a long time before the Tenorbass trombone. When valves were invented in the 19th century, instrument manufacturers combined the flexibility of the Tenor trombone (in B flat) with the low register of the Bass trombone (in F, with the valve pressed) and called it Tenorbass trombone. Often this instrument had a slightly bigger bore compared to the normal Tenor trombone.
Well, that didnāt happen, thankfully. Iād get a more trusted book on orchestration, like Walter Pistonās.