I'm having to play bass bone at work a bit more often and am running into a new issue. While playing, the handslide is coming loose - I usually discover this when the second valve is making contact with the bottom of the slide.

I suspect that my left hand is coming into contact with the connection point and rubbing the bolt loose. I imagine that it's probably an ergonomic issue with the bigger horn. By training I'm a euphonium player and consider myself competent on large and small tenor bone.

Are there any good tips or advice for getting over this presumably bad habit, or a solution for managing the weight on bass? I use an ergo bone - it looks silly but works very well and has done wonders for my playing, but the problem of the slide coming loose persists. Thanks in advance!

Would the bell section stay in place if you didn't tighten the lock nut? If it is too loose to stay by friction fit you have to have that looked at. It could be as simple as lubricant on the tenon, but if the connection "bottoms out" before you tighten the locknut you need to have the tenon replaced or serviced.

If you are unlocking the nut while playing, you may need to have the second valve lever adjusted. You should not contact the locknut when using the second lever.

Same happens to me. Make sure you position the bell and tighten it down adequately when you put it together and check/retighten periodically as you play. Possibly clean the tenon to make sure valve oil isn't getting in there.

You might consider an EZgrip or Yamaha type device. The nut probably isn't loosening as a result of your grip. Vibration is probably the cause.

[quote="ajeasley"]I usually discover this when the second valve is making contact with the bottom of the slide.[/quote]

This doesn't make any sense to me. Do you mean "When the second valve LEVER (or PADDLE) is making contact with the bottom of the slide"? So the slide is flopping outwards from the bell? But even then I don't see how anything could make contact with the BOTTOM (lower slide tube) of the slide. :? Anyhow ...

This isn't an uncommon problem (especially if you've got something like a big cup mute in the bell). It may be partly caused by how your holding (and "manhandling") the instrument to keep it in the attitude you want. If you're tightly gripping or squeezing the horn/slide with your left hand while you're playing, you're going to be applying torque to the slide and forcing it to move. You want to achieve a neutral and unforced holding position with the left hand so you don't need much force to "grip" the horn. This will require that your second valve linkage/paddle is adjusted so that you don't have to stretch for it. It should sit easily under your finger while you're holding your horn, and it shouldn't require any stretching or particular force to use it (especially in conjunction to using the thumb lever). Holding the bass trombone should feel as comfortable to you as holding the euphonium.

It shouldn't be an effort just to hold the horn in position and have your thumb and finger in perfect and relaxed position for valve use. If it is an effort, then the horn doesn't currently fit you correctly.

I would guess -- since you're new to the bass trombone -- that your grip is just pretty bad and that it's not adjusted to the horn and/or the horn isn't adjusted to it (and don't overlook the possibility of having the linkage adjusted to your own requirements -- bass trombone definitely isn't a "one size fits all" scenario). Maybe take it to a good trombone tech and have him/her check out that adjustment for you.

On my Getzen, I don't have this problem (except the tendency when there's a heavy mute in it) as long as I tighten the nut down very firmly. (But it took me quite a while to get that adjusted just right after I got that horn.) On my Schiller (Chinese 7B clone) it was more pronounced, and the way I solved it was to (a) cut and bend the second valve lever to position it better for my (relatively small) hand, and (b) add a rubber O-ring under the nut so that, when the nut was tightened, the compression on the O-ring would provide enough friction to hold the slide in place.

But as others have mentioned, you need to regularly clean any oil off the slide tenon and where that seats into the horn body. If you do that and tighten the nut down, then that friction and pressure should hold the slide in position pretty well -- as long as you're not twisting the slide back and forth yourself as you're playing.

One final thought: If the horn seems front-heavy to you, add a counterweight so that you get close to neutral balance in your hand as you're holding it. That will relieve most of any need to "squeeze" the horn and hold the front end up as you play. I'd be miserable without my counterweight.