Band Instrument Tips
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Tenon Corks
Do your tenon corks seem to tear frequently? Sometimes this is due to excessive cork grease penetrating underneath the cork and loosening the glue that holds it in place. The next time you need a new tenon cork make sure a few preventative steps are taken. After removing the old cork make sure to thoroughly clean all of the old grease and oil from the body using soap and water. A good clean surface is required to ensure proper adhesion of the contact cement when installing the new cork. (Don't use rubbing alcohol this could make plastic clarinets brittle and it can prematurally dry out wood clarinets.) After the new cork is on use perifin wax to coat the new cork initially before using standard cork grease. The wax acts to seal the cork and helps prevent the penetration of cork grease to the under side of the cork.
Putting a new tenon cork on is not for everyone. If you're not familiar with sizing the cork for a proper fit, it can be a frustrating task. Besides replacing tenon corks is very common and is generally not an expensive repair, so feel free to let your local repair shop handle this one. And as long as you don't come across as telling the repair person how to do their job, most will be receptive to a new trick once in awhile. Who knows, if you build a friendly relationship with them they might even share a few of their own tricks with you.
Key Maintenance
The most time consuming repair on clarinets is when pivot screws and rods become rusty or corroded and the keys become frozen. I've seen them so rusted that the keys had to be cut from the body and replaced with new ones.
Fortunately this type of repair can be avoided by doing some simple preventative maintenance. If you don't have any go to your local music store and get some key oil and some small fuzzy pipe cleaners. (You might check to see if they have a clarinet maintenance kit, which should have all that you need in one package.) You will also need some miniature screw drivers. Find one that fits perfectly in the screws on your clarinet, not too small and not too big.
Working with one key at a time, take the pivot screws (a short screw with a point on the end) or the pivot rod (a smooth rod that goes through the key with threads on one end) completely out. Don't worry if the key moves slightly out of place, this happens because of the spring tension on the key. You will have to hold the key in alignment when putting the pivot screws or rods back in. Pivot screws require only a small drop of oil in the post before putting the screw back in. Remember to keep some paper towels around to wipe up any excess oil. Key oil on the pads is not a good thing so make sure to use very small amounts of oil. Pivot rods should be wiped clean and new oil should be applied to the rod. If you feel comfortable in removing the key you can use a pipe cleaner to clean the old oil and dirt from the inside of the key, just remember how the spring was attached so you can put it back the same way it was.
If you take your time and do one key at a time you shouldn't have any problems. One thing to keep in mind is that some keys can not be removed without the removal of other keys. You'll have to judge your own confidence level if you want to attempt multiple key removal or complete disassembly. In any case, by periodically oiling the keys, say every 4-6 months you should avoid a costly time consuming repair.
If your keys are already frozen don't try to break them loose yourself, let the professionals handle it. (In other words DON'T FORCE ANYTHING!)
Reed Care
The price of reeds keeps going up so it pays to take care of them so you can get as much use out of them as possible. The best way to do this is to get a 4 position reed guard. This is a small storage device that holds 4 reeds flat as they dry. We recommend numbering each compartment 1-4 so you can alternate which reed you use each time. Since these holders hold the reed flat as they dry you won't experience the tips of your reeds becoming wavy, which makes it harder to play.
Flute
Instrument Assembly
When attaching the head joint to the body and the foot joint to the body they should slip together smoothly and snugly. Never use any oil or grease if the fit is too tight, it can actually act as an adhesive if left together for too long. A stuck head joint can be very difficult to pull loose, so don't hesitate to bring it to a repair shop if it seems too tight.
On the other hand if the joints are too loose then the instrument will leak causing it to play stuffy. Foot joints become loose if you wiggle it back and forth when removing it from the body. By doing this you slightly round over the edge of the tenon and eventually it starts to leak at this joint.
No matter if the joints are too tight or too loose get it to the shop, they'll have the proper tools to reshape those joints.
No Room In The Case
That's right, there is no room in the case for anything but the flute itself. Don't try to squeeze in that cleaning cloth or those couple sheets of music, you will only bend the keys and have to have them realigned. Key adjustments on flutes are very precise, so it doesn't take much to throw it out of alignment. Do yourself a favor and carry an additional utility case for your maitenance items and your music, you will be rewarded with an instrument that will give you consistent performance.
Sticky Pads
Sticky pads are sometimes caused by excess moisture so be sure to run a swab through the instrument each time you play it. If you have some keys that are sticking you should go to your local music store and buy some pad papers. You can get either plain pad papers or the kind with powder on them. The ones with powder on them are a little more money but they work really well in helping to dry off extremely tacky pads.
Tear one of the sheets out of the packet and place it underneath the sticky pad. Hold down on the pad with one hand while you pull the paper out with the other hand. Repeat this process until the pad no longer sticks. In a pinch you could use something as simple as a dollar bill until you get a chance to use standard pad papers.
Key Guards
Key guards protect the keys on the lower section of your saxophone. These guards are held on with screws that are constantly coming loose, so do yourself a favor and periodically tighten all the key guard screws because if a guard comes off it could render the instrument unplayable.
Trombone
Water Key Problems
If you're tired of dealing with torn corks in leaky spit valves or if your spit valve has come unsoldered due to the spring tension, request that it be replaced with an Amado water key. These are the barrel style water keys that don't use any corks but instead have a piston style valve that only needs a drop of oil from time to time to stay in good operating condition. The next time you bring your instrument into your local repair shop asked about this type of valve and it will make your life easier.
Trombone Stand
Resist the temptation to lay your trombone in the case when you're not playing it. Many dent repairs on main trombone slides are due to the case falling closed when the instrument has been placed there while taking a break from playing. Trombones are very awkward instruments to just set down when not in use and, believe it or not, this is when most damage occurs. The best thing to do to avoid this problem is to purchase a trombone stand. The good news is they have stands that collapse down small enough to be stored in the bell of your instrument while it’s in its case. Keep in mind; the cost of a stand is well worth it if you can avoid a trip to the repair shop.
Trumpet
Slides
Stuck slides can be one of the most costly repairs on trumpets so it pays to take measures to prevent this from happening. The first line of defense is to move all the slides on a regular basis. Every time you pick up your horn take a few seconds to move or take out all the slides and loosen all the valve caps both top and bottom. Just by doing this you will have a good idea if anything is drying out and starting to freeze up. If your slides are drying out remove them and apply some slide grease on the inside slide tubes, then insert only one tube at a time and work the grease into the receiver tube by pushing and pulling the tube in and out while twisting it back and forth. This procedure should give you good grease coverage throughout the entire length of the tube. Do this with both tubes on the slide before returning the entire slide to its original position. You can also apply a little slide grease to your valve cap threads to help keep them from drying out as well.
Stuck Mouthpiece
If your mouthpiece is already stuck so much that a normal twist won’t get it out DON’T FORCE IT! There is a special tool used to remove stuck mouthpieces to prevent damage to the horn. Most every band instrument repair shop will have this tool and most will only charge a token fee for the service of removing a mouthpiece. I have seen many severely damaged trumpets due to an over zealous parent trying to use improper tools to get out a mouthpiece. Be smart and let the right tool do the job.