Proper maintinence of the Trumpet
J. M. Jerge
Proper maintinence and care of your Trumpet is vital to the life of your instrument and the potential of your abilitys. I belive proper maintinence of Trumpets, and instruments in general can't be stressed enough.
I. Daily care of instrument
The daily care of your instrument is the most important facet of keeping your Trumpet in good shape. Neglecting to remove as much moisture as one possibally can before storing the instrument for even a short period of time can lead to lime build-up and actually change the bore of your instrument slightly. Before storage of one's instrument, one should always take the following steps:
B. Remove all valve slides and remove excess water from them.
C. Extract all valves and wipe excess moisture from them.
D. Swab mouthpiece with brush or q-tip.
E. Wipe fingerprints off of valve casings and bell if nessisary with soft jewelery cloth for silver or soft brass cloth for brass instruments. One should do this as gentely as possible as to avoid polishing scratches.
II. Weekly care of instrument
Once a week I like to do a few extras to insure my Trumpet is in tip top shape. One thing is spending some quality time on my valves. The holes in the valves constantly recive spit as the air flow diverts through them, therefore, they too are a prime spot for Lime buildups. I try at least once a week to give them a good ol' scrubbin', using a normal mouthpiece brush. Make sure there is no scuzz and absolutly no lime in any of the holes in the valves. Then swab them dry feeding a rag through the holes and twisting. My favorite type of rag is an old undershirt. Be sure the valve is completly dry, then lube it generously.
Usually about once a week I try to detail my instrument's finish, by cleaning between the valve casings, valve slides, deep into the bell, under the water key(s), and anywhere else I neglect out of lazyness when I polish my Trumpet. The favorite spot on my Trumpet that grime and dirt likes to hide is in the crack of the rivet at the end of the bell. I still haven't found a good method of getting that trash out, usually I just use the end of a broken wooden pencil, or a broken Cotton Tipped Applicator.
Once a month or soI like to try to rinse my whole instrument out with lukewarm water. Usually I just use the bathtub to pour water into the bell of my instrument and come out the mouthpipe. Do this for like 15 or 20 minitues, or until your grandfather gets pissed at you for using too much water, whichever comes first. MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETLY DRY OUT YOUR TRUMPET!!!!! Use a gun cleaning swab. Also dry all the outter parts of your instrument. Play it for a good 30 minutes afterwards to get all the water completly out. You'll be suprised at how much crud comes out of it. It's pretty disgusting actually.
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