The predecessor to the trombone emerged not long after it occurred to Medieval Europeans that their signaling devices, which we know today as trumpets, could be used to make music. Trumpets had grown to 6 feet in length, and were first folded into a loop in the Middle Ages, when players of these “natural trumpets” had to adjust their mouths to change the notes. Then, someone came up with the idea of adding a telescoping slide to the...Continue Reading