The Valve Brass

Family
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF VALVE BRASS INSTRUMENTS

Taking care of the valve brass instruments should be the first, most important step in your instrument maintenance plan. By following the suggestions given here, you can avoid many of the problems, which may cause the valve brass instruments to malfunction. Although this might be a review for you, it is suggested that you share this information with your students, so they will also understand proper instrument care. When the student understands the reasons for the maintenance procedures outlined here, there is a better chance that he or she will follow them. If any of these procedures seem too complicated contact your local instrument repair shop for advice and repairs

STORE THE INSTRUMENT CAREFULLY

Valve brass instrument should always be stored in a case when not in use. An instrument left lying about on a chair, table or music stand is easily bumped or dropped on the floor. Serious damage can be done to a brass instrument if this happens. Denting is likely and this will often cause a malfunction in the valve or slide operations.

Sousa phones and tubas often do not have a case. These instruments, however, should have a place reserved for them for proper storage. There are a variety of sousaphone storage racks available that hold the instrument quite securely. These are recommended over the common practice of leaving the instrument on the sousaphone chair. These chairs often are in the center of the student traffic patterns and are very susceptible to being bumped and knocked

If the tubas are used in your school they should have a case for storage. Although large, the cases could be located in an out-of-the-way place in the room, and students should be instructed to place the tuba in the case when not in use.

The sousaphone mouthpiece, mouthpiece and mouthpiece bits should be removed when the instrument is stored. This will insure that these pieces are always movable and, at the same time it discourages other students from blowing on the instrument while is in the storage rack. When the mouthpiece and bits are not removed, they will eventually become frozen in place, making it impossible to clean the instrument properly.

Never attempt to transport any instrument without a case. One can hardly imagine a band director loading the band’s entire instrument into a truck without cases and hauling them to another town, yet it is done all too often with sousaphones and tubas. Remember that the large brass instruments are just as easily damaged, as are the other brass instruments.

Before storing the brass instrument, always be sure that you have drained all saliva and condensation from the instrument. Never store an instrument without draining. Saliva contains acids and bacteria, which will corrode the brass. Always flush out all brass instruments before long storage. The Horn Flush brass instrument cleaning system is designed specifically for routine maintenance and long term storage cleaning.

CASES

The instrument case should be designed to hold the instrument securely. Most cases have a storage section to hold the mouthpiece and other accessories. The mouthpiece of any brass instrument should be stored in its proper location. A loose mouthpiece can be the source of many valve problems caused by dents to the valve casings. Extra accessories such as lyre, polishes, polishing cloths, brushes mutes and lubricants should also be stored in the storage compartment. If you case does not have a special storage section for accessories, it is unwise to put these items into the case. This can cause denting and scratching.