Cleaning Inspection for Brass Instruments

Video Transcript

" Hello! My name is Dwayne Carter and on behalf of expertvillage.com, we are talking about cleaning brass instruments. The final thing that you would like to do or periodically anytime you want to inspect your horn to make sure it is in proper working condition. Your valves they should spring up properly like this, if they come up slowly or if they get stuck while they are down you know that they have been oiled, you might want to check, pull your valve out and check your spring to make sure that it is in good condition. They can wear out after a while, when you get a new one, you do not want it to be too stiff, but you do not want it to be too soft either. Another good thing to inspect is your water key. On the in of your water key, you have either a cork or a rubber piece and if this is worn, it will cause air leakage and that would be difficult for playing, so you want to make sure that is in good condition. Lastly, you want to check for any dings or pings on your instrument, particularly on the lead pipe because that can cause intonation problems. Always be careful of your valve casing area because if you should cause a ding or ping on there, it could constrict your valves and they will not compress properly. You should also check your mouthpiece and make sure that you do not have any dings along the surface of your mouthpiece because that could cut your lips. But most importantly, keep your horn clean. A clean horn will play wonderfully and keep your instrument in good shape for a long time."