Because I have been a professional trombonist for thirteen years and I still need one.
Like most beginners, I could barely reach 6th position and not reach 7th at all when I started. Unlike the majority of kids, my parents were able to buy me a trombone with an F attachment, so this wasn’t really a problem until I got to Juilliard.
At Juilliard, I encountered the first piece that was impossible to play without using 7th position, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite. Despite my teacher, Joe Alessi, teaching me every possible trick, I still could not reach 7th position enough to play in tune. Joe supposed that this was a common enough problem that there must be some kind of slide extension handle on the market.
At the time DEG Music made this extension handle. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. There is no slide extension handle on the market.
This seems completely unacceptable to me. I know that I am not the only player, female or male, who has a hard time reaching 7th position. It seemed imperative that someone create a solution.
Extendabone is my solution. It is designed to be easy to use and comfortable to hold. Its shape mimics the empty space created when one holds a trombone slide properly between the thumb and first two fingers. There is even a groove on the back to show beginners where to place tier thumb. I designed it this way because I wanted to create something that not only solved the problem of short arms, but also helped encourage good technique when not using Extendabone.