C4 Trombone Position
How to play C4 on the trombone: 3rd position. — on the 5th partial, in bass clef, sounding exactly as written.
The diagram shows the trombone from the side with the slide pointing down: the dark bar is the slide brace, and it stops at the numbered marker for this note's position — the slide brace sits just before the bell. The staff is in bass clef, the trombone's home clef, and in bass clef the trombone sounds exactly as written.
Hear C4 and try the position
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The C4 position, step by step
- Move the slide out to 3rd position — the slide brace sits just before the bell.
- Move from the elbow with a relaxed wrist, and place the slide by ear as much as by landmark — positions are places you hear, not marks on the tube.
- Check the pitch against the harmonic: if the note will not speak cleanly, the slide is usually close and the lips are aiming at the wrong partial — re-centre the buzz before moving the slide further.
In short: 3rd position.
Alternate position for C4
6th position.
Played on the B♭4 harmonic, this alternate suits passages living around B♭4 and A4, where 6th position is closer than 3rd. It is also a fair tuning option: C4’s main position rides the flat 5th partial.
About C4 on the trombone
The middle register is the trombone’s home territory — the 4th, 5th and 6th partials, where school band music mostly lives. This is where the classic alternate positions appear (F3 in 6th belongs to the register below, but B♭3 in 5th and D4 in 4th are here), and where the flat 5th partial has to be managed: its notes sit about 14 cents low and want the slide a touch in from the landmark.
C4 is note 15 of the 32 in the full trombone slide position chart, sitting between B3 below it and D♭4 above it. Like every position on this site, it was checked against Yamaha’s official chart and the NoteAtlas slide position chart before publishing.
Practising C4
Practise this note against a tuner, and if it belongs to the 5th partial (B3 to D4), expect to sit a little inside the textbook landmark. Then play it in a phrase — position is a habit of the arm, not a measurement.
Questions about C4
What position is C4 on trombone?
3rd position. C4 is played on the 5th partial (harmonic) of the trombone's tube in the middle register. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
Does C4 sound as written on trombone?
Yes. In bass clef the trombone is a non-transposing instrument, so written C4 sounds as concert C4 — the same pitch a piano plays. Only brass-band treble-clef parts transpose.
Is there an alternate position for C4?
Yes — 6th position. Played on the B♭4 harmonic, this alternate suits passages living around B♭4 and A4, where 6th position is closer than 3rd. It is also a fair tuning option: C4’s main position rides the flat 5th partial.
Think this position is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.