The
trombone (; ) is a
musical instrument in the
brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips (
embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Nearly all trombones have a
telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Many modern trombone models also utilize a rotary valve as a means to lower pitch of the instrument. Variants such as the valve trombone and
superbone have three valves like those on the
trumpet.