Over To The Dark Side w/ pBone Mini (plus giveaway)


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My daughter has gone over to the dark side – she’s chosen a brass instrument! As a fully paid-up member of the woodwind section (I play flute, piccolo & saxophone), I wasn’t sure how to take this. But actually, seeing the look of sheer enjoyment on her face, I think I can forgive her (ish!).

Jenny’s instrument of choice is a trombone (her definition: “a big trumpet with a slide-y bit instead of buttons”).

At 6 years old, I wasn’t sure if she would be strong enough to hold a trombone. That’s when we discovered the pBone.

pBone logo

pBone

The pBone is a fully functioning trombone, but instead of being made out of the traditional metals, it’s made out of plastic and fibreglass. That makes it extremely light (just 800g!). It also means it is much more durable than a regular trombone and so it can withstand a bit of knocking around (phew!).

I wasn’t sure how the plastic would affect the sound of the instrument, but it sounds fab! – just the sound I was expecting from a trombone.

pBone bell and mouthpiece

The pBone is priced at just £125, making it significantly cheaper than a traditional trombone AND it comes in 8 fabulous colours!

pBone Mini

Then we came across the pBone Mini – this is still a fully functioning trombone but is a bit smaller than the regular pBone. It can be difficult for little arms to reach the full length of a trombone, so the pBone Mini is much better for them, and can be used from the age of 3.

pBone assemble parts

For those of you who are musically minded, the smaller design means the pBone Mini is pitched in Eb rather than Bb, but is played in exactly the same way.

We decided this would be the best option for Jenny and she chose a lovely red one.

She was so excited when it arrived in the post!

As soon as we unpackaged it, Jenny picked it up and had a go. She managed to get a note out of it straight away and was thrilled!

pBone Mini mouthpiece red

There were no instructions included on how to put the pBone Mini together or how to hold it which was a bit disappointing when it is aimed at beginners. But a quick search on google and we were soon sorted!

The pBone Mini is perfect as a first instrument – it makes the trombone accessible for so many more people because of its smaller size, lighter weight, durability, and price (£105). It also comes in a bag with a strap so it can be easily taken to school and back.

pBone Mini bag

pBone Mini carry case

pBuzz

But don’t worry if your little one isn’t up to starting on a proper instrument yet, because there is another fabulous instrument in the plastic trombone range – the pBuzz!

pBuzz full length

The pBuzz is shaped more like a recorder but still works on a sliding principle and has the same style of mouthpiece as a trombone. Make the instrument longer to produce low notes, and make it shorter for high notes.

pBuzz colour-coded trunk

We were sent a pBuzz for Charis (3yo) to try out.

She was really proud to have an instrument of her own. At first, she just kept trying to sing down it (!) but soon she realised that she could make a really loud noise if she blew raspberries into the mouthpiece instead! Now she’s really getting the hang of it!

pBuzz tombone mouthpiece

The trunk of the pBuzz is colour-coded to show how long or short it needs to be to make different notes. This means it is very easy to get to grips with.

It costs just £14.99 and is a great way to get young children started on their musical journey.

pBone Mini with pBuzz

If you’d like more information, feel free to pop over to pbone.co.uk

Giveaway

We have been so impressed with our instruments! They look fabulous and sound so authentic. I am working through a tuition book with Jenny and will keep you updated with our progress.

But in the meantime, why don’t you enter our competition for the chance to win a pBuzz of your own! Simply enter using the Rafflecopter widget below (and don’t forget to check out the terms and conditions underneath).

Competition ends: Tuesday 24th October

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Terms and conditions

pBuzz Giveaway

No Purchase Necessary. Giveaway starts Tuesday 26th September at 00:01 BST and ends Tuesday 24th October at 23:59 BST. UK entrants only. Entrants must be 18 years old or over. One winner will be selected at random using the random winner generator within Rafflecopter. The prize is one red pBuzz. The winner will be contacted by email and their name will be displayed on the giveaway page using the Rafflecopter widget. Where possible, I will also tweet the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. No cash alternative. Please note that pBuzz are responsible for fulfilling this prize and Lucy At Home is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfil their prizes. I have represented the sponsor with the expectation they will fulfil their prize and in a timely manner. I will only be passing your details onto the sponsor so that they can contact you regarding your prize. I will not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway.  Please note that in order to qualify for the Twitter entries, a valid account that clearly identifies the holder as being a Twitter user is needed, and any entrants found to be using multiple accounts to enter will be ineligible.

Disclaimer: We were sent a pBone Mini and a pBuzz for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own. For more info, check out my disclosure policy.


 

Don’t forget to pop over to the Lucy At Home t-shirt shop. We’ve got lots of designs like this new Pretty Fearless kids’ t-shirt.

Other colours and designs are available!

 

Lucy At Home Kids T-Shirt Pretty Fearless Sapphire pBone


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59 Comments

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  1. 25
    Mrs Mummy Harris

    This is such a cute idea for the little ones! My grandad played numerous wind instruments and revelled in teaching us all how to play them also! But I remember struggling with the weight of them all and could barely do the trombone so this is a great idea for those wanting to play!!!
    Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next week!

  2. 39
    Paula T

    My daughters would totally love this, they aren’t both very musical children as we are a very musical family. My favourite musical instrument as a child were the drums. Could never convince my mum to buy me a set though xx

  3. 55
    CLARE GORST

    This is a difficult one because my dad played saxophone so I love that but I always wanted to play the trumpet but never got the chance to learn. I suppose the answer is, my favourite instrument depends on what I’m listening to. Sometimes I listen to a song and I love the piano and want to play that. Then I listen to another and want to play the guitar…. it’s never ending! 🙂

  4. 58
    Giles Mcmillan

    My daughter was asking about trombones tonight and she loved it when I showed her some videos. It was also where I first saw plastic trombones!

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