F3 Trombone Position
How to play F3 on the trombone: 1st 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 is all the way in, resting gently against the stops. The staff is in bass clef, the trombone's home clef, and in bass clef the trombone sounds exactly as written.
Hear F3 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 F3 position, step by step
- Move the slide out to 1st position — the slide is all the way in, resting gently against the stops.
- First position is the home position: every harmonic of the open tube is available here, and your lips and air choose which one sounds.
- 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: 1st position.
Alternate position for F3
6th position.
Yamaha’s official chart badges this alternate. Played on the B♭3 harmonic, it exists to save the long trip back to 1st position: in passages around C3 (6th) and B2 (7th) it keeps the slide where the music already is.
About F3 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.
F3 in 6th position is the most famous alternate on the instrument — Yamaha’s official chart badges it, and generations of teachers have taught it. Played on the B♭3 harmonic, it turns an F that would need a trip back to 1st position into a short step from C3’s 6th or B2’s 7th.
F3 is note 8 of the 32 in the full trombone slide position chart, sitting between E3 below it and G♭3 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 F3
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 F3
What position is F3 on trombone?
1st position. F3 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 F3 sound as written on trombone?
Yes. In bass clef the trombone is a non-transposing instrument, so written F3 sounds as concert F3 — the same pitch a piano plays. Only brass-band treble-clef parts transpose.
Is there an alternate position for F3?
Yes — 6th position. Yamaha’s official chart badges this alternate. Played on the B♭3 harmonic, it exists to save the long trip back to 1st position: in passages around C3 (6th) and B2 (7th) it keeps the slide where the music already is.
Think this position is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.