Hello brass players,

Never having played a brass instrument, I have no idea how to look after one properly. We have a trumpet (a cheap beginners' one, but nevertheless nice new and shiny!) It has been sitting around the house for a couple of years. My 7 year old has recently started taking it out 2 or 3 times a day to do his trumpet 'practice' ie blasting a few notes then putting it away again. I know this would be very bad for a woodwind instrument, but is it likely to create any problems for a trumpet? Do they need cleaning out in some way after being played? Sorry to be gross, but what about the saliva? Will it make the instrument damp/mouldy? He isn't having any lessons, so we don't have a teacher to ask..

Thanks,

Clueless mother

There should be little keys that you can use to open small holes in various parts of the tubing in order to blow the condensation out (they're often called spit valves, but as with woodwind, most of what's in there is just condensation).
You can also remove the valves in order to clean and oil them, but that's just an occasional thing.
Wiping down the outside with a soft cloth is good, to get rid of whatever it is that hands produce which erodes the finish. My cornet is a very cheap one and the laquer has kinda worn away somewhat at the places where I hold the instrument. Not sure what you're supposed to do with plated instruments as I don't have one, but I'd guess that aggressive cleaning with metal polish is probably a bad idea, so if that's what his is, I'd go with wiping it over with a soft cloth for the time being until someone who's got one can give more specific advice.

Hopefully someone who's more of a brass specialist will reply - I have to admit that my cornet hasn't exactly been pampered.

T.

I am no brass specialist but have been playing for nearly 6 years now and can answer most of your questions. Luckily the trumpet is quite a low maintenance instrument. It is fine to play it and put it away without doing anything- in fact it is important to encourage your child to play often. The liquid inside the trumpet is not saliva- it is water condensation- don't worry yourself with this causing corrsion or anything. The trumpet has been designed for this to collect in the tubing and to be realised through the spit valves, any water on the outside will just evaporate in the air without damaging the finish.

Truthfully I do not clean my trumpet enough at all but when I do I use the following method:
* Take trumpet apart including all valves, slides and caps.
* Fill basin/ bathtub with luke warm water and add a few drops of washing up liquid.
* Carefully place all trumpet parts in bathtub.
* Use cleaning brush (use special ones from instrument shops) through appropriate pieces.
* Run some cool water over everything, including through bell of trumpet, to remove any soap residues.
* Leave trumpet parts to dry before reassembling.
* Once dry apply a tad of slide grease to slides (I use vasaline) and a squirt of valve oil to each valve.

I am not too sure about how often you should clean a trumpet but I would guess every few months.

It is important to use valve oil more often than cleaning. Whenever your valves become sticky squirt a bit on and it should resolve the problem.

Thanks!

I also found this website which has lots of useful info on.

http://www.soundjunction.org/allaboutthetrumpet.aspa

Enjoy!

Trumpetsav's advice sounds good. I'll add a few tips, my 2c worth...

Oiling the valves. Some people turn the trumpet upside down and squirt the oil into the holes underneath. This is not very efficient, and it can drip back out onto your clothes. To oil the valves, unscrew the top, take out the valve and apply the oil directly. You need to cover the outside surface of the valve, but not so much that it runs off. Check there are no hairs or fibres on it. Shake a few drips off and replace it.

When cleaning the valves, use a fine cloth which won't abrade the surface or leave fibres on it. I use a jaycloth (with the bowl of washing-up liquid and water, into which every part is carefully dopped). Oil the valves before putting them back in.

After replacing a valve, slowly turn it until it clicks. That usually works. But with some models you need to align the valve before replacing it, as it can click into 2 different positions - one right, and one wrong. These have a clue of some kind, like a slightly bigger notch on one side.

Slide grease. I use vaseline. But you can buy dedicated slide grease aswell. It is only necessary to do this after washing it. Rub the thinnest possible amount onto the surface of the slide, to coat the metal. Then push the slide in (gently! - wobbling it up and down slightly if necessary; if it gets stuck, pull it out a little then push in again). Get a cloth and wipe away any excess from the joint.

Also add a little grease to the corks on the spit valves, to help seal them.

A pack of cleaning brushes is very useful, including a plastic coated 'snake' which you can push through the tubing. Be careful it doesn't get stuck - some sections of tubing may be impossible to clean properly.

I wash my cornet thoroughly once every month or two. Someone I know runs water through it after every practice session. I would oil the valves once every week or two for a learner.

Oil valves as per instructions, grease the slides (which are only used for tuning, so if your 7 year old is just blasting a few notes, they shouldn't be using them too much).
No, it doesn't damage the instrument, unless you dent it, and that isn't the end of the world (my second tuba has zillions of dents).

It's good idea to move slides every few weeks and grease them every few months, even if the instrument is not being played, because the grease gets stiffer as the volatile components evaporate, and they will eventually get stuck if you abandon them.

You should clean it every couple of months if it isnt used that often.
I would recommend that you clean the mouthpiece more often though, especially if the instrument is lying around for long periods at a time.

I wouldn't worry about cleaning it every couple of months, you may cause more damage doing that.
My trumpet gets played weekly but i only give it a full internal clean once a year.
the lead pipe where the mouthpiece goes i clean every month just running a a brush and some water down it this is where all the gunk seems to collect.

The mouth piece once a month should be fine with a mouthpiece brush or a pipe cleaner.

Clean the out side with a polishing cloth after each use as the sweat off your hands will start to corrode the laquer. (depends if brass or silver?)

valve oil and grease for the slides as well and you should be fine!