E3 Trombone Position
How to play E3 on the trombone: 2nd position. — on the 3rd 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 comes out a short way — roughly a hand’s width. The staff is in bass clef, the trombone's home clef, and in bass clef the trombone sounds exactly as written.
Hear E3 and try the position
Pick an instrument and a note and the diagram updates instantly — filled keys are the ones you press. The same finder sits on every note page, pre-set to that note.
The E3 position, step by step
- Move the slide out to 2nd position — the slide comes out a short way — roughly a hand’s width.
- 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: 2nd position.
Alternate position for E3
7th position.
The 7th-position version sits on the B♭3 harmonic. Use it when the passage is already out in 6th and 7th position — around low C and B — where it saves hauling the slide all the way back to 2nd.
About E3 on the trombone
The low register is built from the bottom rungs of the ladder — the 2nd and 3rd partials. Its positions run counter-intuitively (B2 in 7th, C3 in 6th) because every note here is a harmonic lowered by the slide, and the only harmonic low enough to borrow from is F3. These notes want slow, warm air and a relaxed embouchure; forcing them only makes them bark.
E3 has the low register’s most useful alternate: 7th position, on the B♭3 harmonic. It looks like a longer journey, not a shorter one — its value is in passages that are already living around 6th and 7th position, where E3 in 7th keeps the slide in the neighbourhood instead of hauling it back to 2nd.
E3 is note 7 of the 32 in the full trombone slide position chart, sitting between E♭3 below it and F3 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 E3
Low notes speak with slow air and an open throat — think of fogging a window, not blowing out a candle. For 6th and 7th positions, move early and move smoothly: arriving late and jerking the slide into place is what makes low entrances blare.
Questions about E3
What position is E3 on trombone?
2nd position. E3 is played on the 3rd partial (harmonic) of the trombone's tube in the low register. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
Does E3 sound as written on trombone?
Yes. In bass clef the trombone is a non-transposing instrument, so written E3 sounds as concert E3 — the same pitch a piano plays. Only brass-band treble-clef parts transpose.
Is there an alternate position for E3?
Yes — 7th position. The 7th-position version sits on the B♭3 harmonic. Use it when the passage is already out in 6th and 7th position — around low C and B — where it saves hauling the slide all the way back to 2nd.
Think this position is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.