How to Care For a Trumpet

Like any instrument, a trumpet needs proper maintenance to work well. This article will give you a brief overview of the proper care for a trumpet.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Trumpet
• Valve Oil
• Slide Grease
• Soft Cloth
• Trumpet Case (optional)

1. 
    
   Valves Exterior/Interior

   LUBRICATE THE VALVES: Unscrew each of the valves with the trumpet right side up but at a slight angle so the valves stay up. Put a several (5-7) drops of valve oil on the valve stems. Slide the valves up and down and twist them side to side to spread the oil over the surface of the valves. Let the valves drop back into place turning them side to side until they stop turning. Then tighten the screw tops of the valves.

2. 
    
   Tuning Slides

   GREASE SLIDES: Remove each slide from the trumpet one at a time and place a few drops of grease or oil on the parts of the slide that go into the trumpet. Use grease on the Second and Main Tuning Slides and oil on the First and Third Tuning Slides. Both lubricate and prevent corrosion, but first and third tuning slides need to move faster than the second and main tuning slides.

3. DRY EXTERIOR: Use the cloth to remove an excess oil and grease from the exterior of the instrument. The oil and grease may make the instrument slippery and over time, can corrode the metal of the instrument.

4. 
    
   Mouthpiece

   DISINFECT THE MOUTHPIECE: Use a mouthpiece disinfectant spray - can be purchased from the same places as the oil and grease - to clean the mouthpiece. One spray on the part where you place your mouth should be sufficient. Be sure to clean up any excess before placing the mouthpiece in the trumpet as you do not want extra moisture inside the instrument. (This is not necessary if you are the only user of the instrument, but if the instrument is a loner, you may want to do this before you use it the first time.)

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you are using valve oil on the valves and grease on the slides. The bottles tend to look similar, but the results are not.
• Grease the slides once or twice a month. This will prevent corrosion from your saliva and keep your slides moving.
• Oil the valves a few times a week. They should move easily when you play.
• Dry your instrument before storing to prevent corrosion.
• Use a case to store the trumpet to protect it from dust, moisture, and dents.
• If you cannot get mouthpiece disinfectant spray, dip the mouth end ONLY of the mouthpiece in a little Listerine and dry well. Listerine is a disinfectant that used to be used for surgical procedures.
• Do not use force when putting the mouthpiece into the trumpet. It gets stuck very easily. Just drop it into place.
• Do not try to remove stuck mouthpieces or slides from the instrument as you can seriously damage it. Take it to a musical repair shop.

Resources

• Trumpet Care Cleaning Maintenance

[trumpetnovice]

on 1/12/2009 Having recently purchased a new trumpet for our son to replace his less than poor condition loan one that he started to learn with, we are keen to keep it in tip top condition. Am getting confused however with whether we should wash it in the bath or not. Some sites suggest no - any advice would be gratefully received.

[amymcclair]

on 4/4/2008 I am glad you think so. Thank you for commenting.

[only1special1]

on 4/2/2008 My son plays a sax, but he said some of the steps are essentially the same. Good info!