pBone Music at NAMM 2024

The pBone Music team flew from the UK and Chicago to Los Angeles for NAMM 2024.

This year's event sees the debut of our new brand, pBone Music. As well as a chance to meet with familiar faces and check out the vast array of new products, we had some exciting offerings on our stand. 

pBone and pTrumpet are previous winners of the coveted NAMM Best in Show Award for 2012 and 2016. 2024 sees the launch of two revolutionary publications that continue this legacy of innovation and accessibility. 

The Learn to Play Rock & Pop books are available in both trumpet and trombone editions. Written by Chris Fower and Grant Golding and published by Hal Leonard, the books utilize a new way of reading and playing these instruments: BrassTabs. 

Drawing on the intuitive engagement and simplicity of guitar tablature, BrassTabs uses the harmonics of a trumpet and partials on a trombone, encouraging beginners, returning players, and anyone picking up an instrument to use their ears. 

By drawing on session horn-style brass licks - as opposed to standard notation on a stave - players of all ages and abilities can play the songs they know quickly and in a fun way. This is further enhanced by a collection of the biggest pop and rock hits of the last five decades. From classic arena hits from Queen to modern pop jams by Maroon 5 and BTS, there is a trumpet or trombone tune for everyone. 

Handy QR codes in the book take readers to audio takes of the horn licks played by real musicians (recorded in the hallowed halls of Red Tape Studios at Sheffield Music Hub). 

But what about younger musicians who are only just beginning their musical adventure (and who are too young to know the keyboard lick in The Final Countdown)?

Also making its NAMM debut is the pBuzz Journey, the perfect starting place for educators looking to introduce pBuzz into the elementary classroom. 

Also published by Hal Leonard and written by several leading educators in the US and beyond, the pBuzz Journey is packed with exercises, lesson plans, and simple songs to get more children started with pBuzz. 

Accompanying the book is a free pBuzz Journey teacher’s guide, which gives an overview of what to expect and bonus lesson ideas. 

“But what about new instruments?” we hear you cry. Well, two new pInstruments are making their first appearances at NAMM. 

pCorder is the world’s first (and probably only) carbon-neutral, antimicrobial, and fully recyclable recorder. Although new to NAMM, pCorder was created as part of our groundbreaking project in Wales, where a Year 3 child was given a primary instrument. Along with pBuzz, many children are on the first step of the woodwind ladder with pCorder. 

The antimicrobial technology used in all of the construction of pCorder is Polygiene BioMaster, found in key areas of our other instruments, such as our unique mouthpieces or the valves of pTrumpet. This means pCorder is designed to stand up to the rigors of the classroom. The rugged ABS construction ensures bumps, scrapes, and drops don’t mean more money on replacements and repairs. pCorder is also backed with a two-year warranty for peace of mind. 

Besides the expressive tone and colorful design, the winning feature of pCorder is that it is good for the planet. Carbon-neutral and completely recyclable, pCorder ships in a cardboard ‘box for life’ case. Made of - you guessed it - recycled cardboard, the tube design can be used by children to store their pCorder. It includes a hole for ventilation, space to write their name and class, and even a QR code to scan for free resources to get started. 

Wait...didn’t you say TWO new instruments?

Eagle-eyed spotters on our social media channels may have seen another new pInstrument. We don’t want to string you along too much…but when we announce our latest launch, it certainly won’t be a fluke. 

Look out for more updates about NAMM 2024 and what to expect from the music industry this year, with pBone Music.