Plastic Instruments - Fun For Everyone!
Meet the pBone line of plastic instruments—vibrant, lightweight, and built to last! Perfect for beginners, students, and young kids and children, these durable instruments combine eye-catching designs with high-quality sound. From trombones to trumpets, pBones are easy to play, budget-friendly, and great for travel or classroom use.
Whether starting your musical journey or looking for a fun way to experiment, plastic instruments make music accessible and exciting for everyone. Keep reading to discover why these innovative instruments are changing the way we play!
Why Plastic Instruments?
There are several reasons why you would purchase a plastic instrument:
- The flexibility to play outside
- Novelty during a performance
- Players with metal allergies can safely play without a reaction
- It weighs less than your typical Brass instrument
- Accessible for musicians of all shapes and sizes
pBone Lineup
The pBone line is Canada's favourite series of plastic instruments. It includes trumpets, trombones, bugles, and beginner brass instruments. These plastic instruments are lighter in weight than their traditional brass counterparts, making them an excellent introduction to children's musical instruments.
pBuzz Series
pBuzz Plastic Musical Instrument with 6-note Slide
The pBuzz is the entry-level offering in this line of instruments. It is often used to introduce younger players to a brass mouthpiece and teach them how to buzz and make noise. The pBuzz is like a condensed trombone slide, with six notes on the slide marked with a colourful sticker according to the tone.
Players can learn how to buzz a brass mouthpiece and associate tones with letter names. The pBuzz is a fun, beginner instrument for children of any age interested in playing brass instruments.
pBugle Series
The pBugle is for brass players interested in learning the bugle or enthusiastic musicians who cannot play a valve instrument like a trumpet. It is identical to a brass bugle in size and shape but much lighter to hold.
Bugles produce all the tone using the embouchure, so there are no valves to press or slides to move to change notes. pBugles are a lightweight and affordable option for people unable to commit to a standard brass bugle's price or physical requirements.
pBone Series
pBone Plastic Trombone is available in multiple colours!
The highlight of the pBone products is undoubtedly the pBone itself. The pBone is available in two different sizes, and each size affects its fundamental tuning.
The Mini Alto pBone mainly targets young beginner brass players whose reach is too short for a tenor trombone. The Mini pBone would also interest anyone wanting to play trombone, but the standard tenor trombone needs to be more robust for them to hold and play. The mouthpiece that comes with the Mini pBone is geared for younger players, but adults can play it. A standard small shank is another mouthpiece used with the Mini pBone.
The standard pBone is identical in size to a brass trombone; however, it is far lighter. From an accessibility standpoint, it allows all trombonists to practice and perform, regardless of their capability to hold and support a brass instrument.
Furthermore, pBone has designed the grips on these instruments to include ergonomic features that allow players of all shapes and sizes, or those with restricted use of their hands and arms, to find a comfortable way to play the trombone.
The Mini Alto pBone and the standard pBone are available in a selection of bright colours and sold as a complete package with a carrying bag.
pCornet & PTrumpet Series
pCornets have the same body composition as a trumpet and are offered as an option to students who are smaller and unable to hold a full-size trumpet. pCornets are slightly smaller, more compact than trumpets, and have a more straightforward balance point.
pCornets are a great, budget-friendly instrument for kids who are beginners or more seasoned brass players who want to enjoy playing trumpet but need the compact size of the cornet.
pTrumpets come in an array of colours to suit any preference. From an accessibility standpoint, the pTrumpet weighs less than half of its brass counterpart, which makes it an excellent way for players of all ages and abilities to play the trumpet without being hindered by the physical weight of brass.
The pTrumpet 2.0 has improved the original pTrumpet design and its tone across its range. It also has further improvements, such as modifying the bell-bow shape and the mechanics of the piston and valves. pTrumpets include a cloth carry bag and are available for under $200.
A Plastic Instrument For Everyone!
Ultimately, physical ability shouldn’t hinder a budding or seasoned musician from following their musical inspiration and path. As a musician and teacher, I hope more accessible instruments like the pBone line of instruments are introduced to the market because everyone deserves to be musical!
Other plastic musical instruments for kids can be purchased in person at various Long & McQuade stores, or you can shop online and have them delivered straight to your home.
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Kristy is a multi-instrumentalist with an Advanced Diploma in Applied Music. She has been with Long & McQuade at the Bloor St. location in Toronto since 2017 and is the harp specialist for stores nationwide.
