subject: How To Properly Care For Brass Instruments [print this page] To ensure that your brass instruments are well cared for and continue to play with that deep, melodic sound that they are so well known for, it is important that you perform some regular cleaning and maintenance on them. Caring for brass is very different to caring for string or woodwind instruments, so it is very important that you pay attention to the following instructions.
Washing
It is recommended that the interior of brass instruments be washed on a regular basis to prevent the growth of bacteria and other nasty bugs. Fill a basin with warm water and a squirt of dishwashing liquid, place the instrument into the solution and leave to soak for about 10 minutes (being sure to have removed any valves). Rinse off the brass using warm clean water to remove any remaining soap residue.
Cleaning
Using a snake (a long, wired cleaning brush), give all of the tubes of your brass instruments a good brushing out. You should also give all of the valves and mouthpieces a good brushing out using special brushes that should be available at any good music store. If you washed the brass, make sure that it has completely dried before attempting to brush the valves and so on out.
Lubrication
Not all brass instruments will need to be lubricated, but two that commonly do include the trumpet and the trombone.
Trumpet: Unscrew the valve cap, either completely removing it or lifting it half way. Apply some valve oil to the wider part of the valve and push it back into position. Place your fingers on top of each valve cap and push them up and down until the action feels smooth.
Trombone: Apply a small amount of slide grease to the slides of the brass instrument and then put it back together.
Accidents
When performing maintenance tasks on your brass instruments, it is important that you avoid some common accidents that could actually damage them beyond repair. Dont over force the mouthpiece when re-inserting it, as it can get stuck; and dont lean on the bell of the instrument when re-inserting the mouthpiece, as it can severely damage it.
At the end of the day, cleaning and maintaining your brass instrument can be fairly simple, providing that you know what you are doing and follow the instructions carefully. And remember the safest place for an instrument that is not being played or cleaned is in its case!
