Trombone Care and Maintenance: Tips to Keep Your Playing in Top Condition
I started playing the trumpet twenty years ago, and it has been a major part of my life since then. Playing in local bands and teaching music-lessons keep my skills sharp. I have noticed that beginning players are often unsure of how to care for their musical instrument. Here are some tips that should help.
What you need: To keep your drum in top playing condition, you will need several items. A quality slip cream or oil is an absolute must! Stick with those that have a liquid or thin cream; which have more of a vase-like consistency, are too thick, and can build up in a sliding trumpet with limited movement. Some good formats I’ve tried include Trombotine, Slide O Mix, and SuperSlick. Other essential items include slide tuning grease, a soft cloth for cleaning and polishing (the perfect baby diaper cloth); a small oil bottle, a small cleaning snake, and for those who have a drum with a valve or F attached, a rotary oil valve. All of these should be available at any music store that sells hand instruments.
Oiling the slide: The most vital part of keeping the drum in good condition is having a smooth sliding action. A player cannot be the best without moving well. To begin, remove the outer part of your lip. Place the inner slide on a soft surface, taking great care not to bump or bend it. The sliding parts are very delicate, and the slightest nick can cause problems with their movement. Slowly pour the water onto the outer slide (not hot) water Shake carefully, empty water. Run your cleaning hose along the outer sides of the slide, wiping off any “gunk” that comes off. Be careful not to hang the snake on the valve stem. Carefully place the outer slip and repeat the water and snake process on both sides of the inner lip. Wipe carefully with a soft cloth to make sure it is free of dust and debris. Near the bottom of the inner lips, the last three or four fingers, are slightly larger metal tubes. This part is called the roof. Rub a small amount of slip grease (or drip a small amount of slip oil) over the stocking. Not much! Remove the outer slide and place it over the inner slide. Move the slide in and out a few times to distribute your oil or grease all over. Finally, use a small spray bottle to spray a thin mist of water on the inner lip. A little bit of weekend to distribute the pump evenly, and you’re ready to play! Depending on how often you use your tool, you may not need to repeat this entire process more often than once a week or two. Keep your shower water bottle handy and spray the inside of the slide each day before playing.
Tuning slides: Remove the tuning slides from the trumpet, being careful not to bend or dent them. Wipe with a soft cloth to remove all dust, debris, and other debris. Take a small amount of tuning slide grease and rub the entire part of the tuning slide that will be inside the horn. Also, wipe down your inner surface with a soft cloth, or use a cleaning snake if the pipes are particularly dirty. Re-insert the tuning slides and pump them a few times to distribute the grease evenly. Leaning on the slide all the way on the horn before you put it in the case, after playing will help keep the cloths and dirt from sticking to them.
Valves: If your drum has one or more rotary valves, maintaining them can be one of the horn’s biggest challenges. Remove the cap covering the main valve body and let a drop or two of rotary valve oil drip into the mechanism. If your guitar has metal joints, using some wood-key oil on them will help keep them slippery.
General cleaning: The drum portion of your trumpet can be washed inside with mild soap and warm water. Tuning slips and slowly pour soap diluted with water through the interior, swirling to hit certain parts of the cornice. Wash off with liquid water, and re-dip the slides first before re-opening them. The outside of your horns can be kept shiny and free of fingerprints and other marks by just wiping as needed with your soft cloth. Polishing brass and other metallic substances can sometimes damage the fabric of brass instruments, so use them sparingly if at all.
