MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Preseason Maintenance for Brass Instruments

Author(s): John A. Hales
Source: Music Educators Journal, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Sep., 1979), pp. 54-55
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of MENC: The National Association for Music
Education

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PRESEASONMAINTENA

^-I.

SI ^1 I-

John A. Hales
As marching season begins, preventive maintenance requires each
band director's immediate attention.
Instruments used outdoors are subject to excessive abuse in handling,
extreme temperatures, excessive
moisture, and dirt. These promote
rapid deterioration of instruments
through dents, wearing of mechanical parts, and destruction of pads.
Biannual instrument inspection will
lead to early detection of problems
that otherwise would result in costly and inconvenient repairs.
Brass instruments are easily inspected. First,check the instrument
case for poor handles, broken latches and hinges, and interior and exterior damage that may cause problems when the instrument is
transported. Do not overlook the
protection afforded a mouthpiece,
especially in trombone cases, which
are notorious for loose mouthpieces that can dent the slide and
instrument.
Next, check each valve to be sure
it moves freely. If valves are sluggish, dirt is probably the problem.
When a valve does not function
properly after cleaning, send the instrument to a repair shop. This is
especially necessary with stuck
valves, which are hollow and cannot be driven out with drumsticks.
The author is program coordinatorfor the
musical instrument technology curriculum
at State Universityof New York in Morrisville.
Thisarticle is the first in a series on instrument repair and maintenance to be published on a periodic basis. Illustration by
Steve Pederson

54

mej/september

&.

Leaving all valves in the casing,

next remove all slides, starting with
the tuning slide. Never use the old
belt trick on the tuning slide, because the braces may loosen.
Rather,brace one hand against the
valve casing and the other against
the body of the instrument and pull
the slides out with your fingers.
The valve slides are usually quite
safe to remove. Place a length of
cloth clothesline or a handkerchief
through the crook. Depress the corresponding valve while bracing one
hand against the valve casing. Gently tug in the normal direction you
would move the slide. Most valve
slides do not receive large amounts
of saliva and therefore are usually
easy to remove. If the slides do not
pull, apply a good penetrating oil
and leave it on the slide overnight.
If the penetrating oil does not

work, do not force the slide further,

but send the instrument to a repair
shop. Remember, most baritones,
sousaphones, and tubas have movable slides on the top of the valves,
which can be distinguished by the
ferrule (see Figure 1). Horn slides
only should be pulled by hand
since a rope or handkerchief will
pull unevenly on the slide, causing
damage to the instrument. Trombone tuning slides also should
be removed by hand, using the
thumbs to push the tuning slide
brace (see Figure 2).
Inspect the inside of each slide
for dirt or corrosion. Any sign of
accumulation means the instrument
should be cleaned carefully using
lukewarm soapy water and a flexible brush. Do not use hot water,
which will remove lacquer from the
instrument.

.- ferrule
-

- slide-inside

slide tube

Figure 1. Non-ferrule (left) and ferrule (right) slide design

'79

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FOR

BRASS

INSTRUMENTS

Figure 2. Removing a trombone

tuning slide

The trombone slide should be

checked for ease of movement.
Check the inside slide on the
mouthpiece side for dirt by holding
it up to the light. Many students forget to clean the inner slide, which
continually deposits dirt between
inner and outer slides and may
create a drag on the slide. Never
grasp a trombone slide at any location other than at the hand brace.
Incorrect grip may cause even a
clean slide to drag. If a clean slide
drags, send it to a repair shop to
remove the dents or adjust the
alignment. Never work on your
own slide; inexperience may ruin
an otherwise good slide.
A general brass inspection should
include an examination of the water

key corks. A deep impression in the

cork is a telltale sign of problems.
The pressure of the spring will continually wear a cork until the side
splits or a defect in the cork leaks
air. The water key cork can be deceptive in that air leaks do not affect all notes, but rather only certain notes in the overtone series.
General appearance is the best
guide for replacement.
Next, look for dents, especially
on mouthpipes and taper end of
mouthpieces. These should be removed. Most body dents are not serious to the performance, providing
they are not larger than one quarter
of the tube diameter. This is only a
general rule, since certain locations
may greatly affect some notes of the
overtone series. The impact when a
dent is made may break solder
joints; therefore, carefully check
each solder joint near a dent.
After all instruments are cleaned,
lubricate the slides. The standby
vaseline and lanolins are probably
the least acceptable slide lubricants
due to the large amounts of water
that they contain. I have found the
best lubricant to be Army surplus
rifle grease, which is a noncorrosive, long-lasting, odorless,
low-cost grease. Regular rifle grease
sold in sporting goods stores has a
strong odor caused by additives.
For brass instruments used in a
marching band, a weekly flushing
with water and a thorough biweekly
cleaning with a brush is a good
precaution. The band instrument's
exposure to moisture, dirt, and
food particles creates greater risks
than do other instrumental performance situations. I

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