Trumpet
	Cornet
	Horn
Trombone
Classical
	Jazz
	Blues
Band

 Brass repairs

Will Spencer
01252 706767
Godalming

Sharon McCallum
01580 713901
Cranbrook

This page is devoted to advice for beginner brass pupils and their parents. The advice and opinions are those of the author (Philip Bishop). Sections are as follows:

Getting Started
What the Beginner Needs

Buying a Brass Instrument
Introduction
When You've Bought the Instrument
Silver-plate or Lacquer?
Hiring or Buying?
Buying Second Hand
Buying on Ebay
Testing a New Instrument
Which Trumpet / Cornet to Buy?
Which Trombone to Buy?
Which French Horn to Buy?
Trumpets and Cornets for Sale

Equipment
Practise Mutes
Other Mutes
Music Stands
Trumpet and Trombone Stands
Metronomes
Cleaning Brushes

Maintenance
Regular Maintenance Activities
Anatomy of a Trumpet / Cornet / Trombone (what all the bits are called)
Valve Oil & Slide Grease
Oiling the Valves
Greasing the Slides
Washing the instrument

Don't Panic!
Stuck Mouthpiece
Dents, Stuck Slides and Repairs
Dealing with Dental Braces

How Parents Can Help
Practise routines
Making the Best Progress

Transposition Chart

About Me
My teaching
How to contact me

Why have private lessons?

Getting Started

What the Beginner Needs

The beginner will need the following items. The links take you to the section giving you further information on those items.

Instrument, with case and mouthpiece
Valve oil (everyone except trombones)
Slide lubrication (trombones only
Water spray bottle (trombones only)
Tuning slide grease
Music stand
Mouthpiece cleaning brush
Snake cleaning brush

You teacher will either provide you with music or recommend music for you to buy.

Buying a Brass Instrument

Introduction

The good news is that trumpets, cornets and trombones are some of the lowest cost musical instruments!

Brass instruments are generally sold in three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced/professional, with corresponding price tags.

Most pupils start with beginner instruments. These are built to a limited budget and valves and slides in particular are not as well made as the higher models and will not last as long.

When you've bought the instrument

Its vitally important to start off playing correctly. The first few times you play set the embouchure you will have, usually for life. Changing embouchures is REALLY, REALLY HARD.  

So, having bought or hired an instrument, don't let the beginner play it (or the mouthpiece) until they have their first lesson!

Silver-plate or Lacquered Brass?

Some instruments are available in lacquered brass or silver-plate. Usually the silver-plate costs a little more. For beginner instruments there is little benefit either way.

In the long term, silver-plate often lasts better than lacquer.

Hiring or Buying?

Many music shops will hire an instrument with an option to buy it, often with the hire payments deducted from the purchase price. Check the conditions with the music shop and compare with shops.

Advantages of hiring include the ability to return the instrument if the pupil changes their mind about leaning that instrument. Note this very rarely seems to happens in the hire period! You also get a new instrument.

Buying up front gives you the ability to negotiate a better purchase price (musical instrument prices are generally negotiable).

Buying Second Hand

The second hand value of a starter instrument in GOOD condition will be around 2/3rds of the new price. Bear in mind that starter instruments are not designed to last indefinitely. Follow the check points below and preferably have the instrument looked at by a teacher or other experienced player before parting with your money.

There are some older instruments, such as Olds Ambassador trumpets, which were well built. One of these in GOOD condition will make a very good instruments for both starter and intermediate level.  They can be bought relatively cheaply, but are best bought with the help of a teacher or experienced player!

Buying on Ebay

The only way to tell if an instrument is any good is to inspect it and play it. Most genuine sellers on ebay will let you visit and try the instrument. If you can't or don't, then even for the most experienced, buying on ebay it going to be a lottery. You may get  a bargain, or you may end up buying junk!

It is strongly recommended that you avoid the very cheap (often foreign) instruments on ebay!

Testing a New Instrument

The following two articles provides guidance for those looking to buy a trumpet or cornet.  The information is also applicable to most other brass instruments.

How should I test a new trumpet?
What am I testing for?

If you are a beginner or intermediate player, ask an experienced player or your teacher to help with the assessment.

The following provides a very brief summary of checks that are applicable to buying a NEW (and second hand) instrument.

Which Trumpet / Cornet to Buy?

New Trumpets and Cornets

If buying new, some of the better starter instruments are made by Yamaha. The following are recommended for consideration:

Trumpets: Yamaha YTR1335, or preferably YTR2335 (much better).

Cornets: Yamaha YCR2330.

Used / Second-hand Trumpets and Cornets

Just like used cars, trumpets and cornets are often much better value second hand. By hunting around you may be able to find good clean used instruments more much less than the price of a new one, or alternatively, you can buy a much better instrument for you money! 

Trumpets and Cornets for Sale

Below are some good used instruments for sale, for different levels of player. If you would like to try out or buy one of these instruments, please contact Philip Bishop on 01372 454962 / 07950 235329.

For Sale: Bach Bundy Cornet A nice silver-plated Bach Bundy cornet in good condition. These are good quality instruments and an excellent choice for beginners Price: £180

For Sale: Blessing Cornet Nice starter cornets in lacquer/nickel plate. Price: £170

For Sale: Benge 6 Trumpet Benge 6 with gorgeous dark tone. Very nice professional trumpet at a fraction of the price! Price: £500

For Sale: Wedgwood Trumpet Fantastic trumpet in as new condition.  Comes with two bells.  Built by hand by Denis Wedgwood. I believe this is the last trumpet Denis made. Price: Offers

For Sale: Double Bass Very pretty Jang Ming 4 string 3/4 double bass, round back, with flamed back and sides, made in China.  Fitted with Thomastik Belcanto strings. This bass was set-up by Malcolm Healey to suit a mixture of orchestral and jazz playing. It has a relatively low action making it easy to play.  It also has 4 ebony pieces inset into the edges of the G-string side of the upper and lower bouts to protect the bass when it is laid down. The bass produces a good strong sound, brighter than the 5 string. I've used it a lot over the last few years playing jazz, orchestral music and shows. Price: £2900

Which trombone to buy?

Buying a New Trombone

If buying new, one of the better starter trombones to buy is the Yamaha YSL-354. This trombone is a great instrument for the beginner through to about grade 4-5.

From about grade 5 onwards, serious students should consider a Conn 88 or Bach 42, both of which come with the F plug. These are larger instruments which will develop a bigger more rounded sound.

Used / Second-hand Trombones

The normal rules when buying second hand apply! Also see the comments above.

Sharon McCallum in Cranbrook, 01580 713901 is a trombone specialist. She usually carries quite a lot of stock and can often obtain used instruments to order. She is also one of the best trombone slide repairers in the business.

Also worth a try is Phil Parkers, 106a Crawford Street, London W1H 2HZ, 0207 486 8206.  Ring before visiting to check what is available.

Which French Horn to buy?

When buying, make sure all valves and slides operate freely (see comments above for trumpet and trombones).

All single horns are available in either F or B-flat.  B-flat horns are easier to play (particularly in the higher register) but can't produce the bottom notes without an extra low F valve. This doesn't matter initially, but will become important as the player becomes more advanced and starts to play the lower horn parts in orchestras.

It is best buy what you are used to playing!

Kindergarten French Horns: These are the smallest single horns, only suitable for the very young (primary school age). Look for a good second hand model, as new models will loose much of their value, and a larger horn will be needed as soon as the student can hold it.

Single French Horns: Often, with an additional valve or two to change key (e.g. from B-flat to A, low F extension). These are usually good starter/intermediate instruments before the student is more advanced and needs a double french horn. The instruments are lighter and more comfortable to play than double horns and some musicians are happy to play a single horn all their life!

Double French Horns: These play in both F and B-flat and have a valve to switch between the two.  They come is two forms: compensating horns and full double horns. Full double horns play better in tune but have more tubing and are heavier than the compensating horns.  For more details, see the HornPlanet website. Double horns are usually introduced to pupils around grade 5 and are considerably more expensive than single horns.

French horns are best bought from a french horn specialist. I recommend buying second hand as they are very expensive to buy new and will loose about half their value when sold. Expect to pay £400-£500 for a second-hand single horn, more for a double. Yamaha and Holton both make good intermediate instruments.

Contact the horn specialists to check what is available and what they recommend. Instruments are often bought by post (unseen), but check return conditions and guarantees before doing so.

Here are the names of a couple of french horn specialists:

hornsAplenty, run by Alan Wiltshire, 01452 536264

Paxmans, 020 7620 2077

Practice Mutes

Practice mutes are designed to reduce the volume of sound to a minimum, whilst still keeping the playing feeling as close as possible to the un-muted feel (as open as possible). If you need to practice regularly with a practice mute, make sure you buy a good one; if you don't, you may find that your playing (particularly attacks, etc) may be worse after using one. 

Practice mutes are reviewed on the Dallas Music website. One of the best reviewed (and the practice mute I use) is the Trumcor Lyric Stealth available from the Trumcor online shop. Note that these mutes are available for all brass instruments.

Note that the Dennis Wick black practice mute is NOT suitable for prolonged practice.  It is designed to be played for short periods each day to build up strength, and should be incorporated with other un-muted practice.

Other Mutes

All the other mutes are designed to change the 'tone colour'. Mutes are only generally needed when you start to play in bands and orchestras. I suggest that you only buy mutes as and when you need them, starting with the straight mute and the cup mute.

All mutes are relatively cheap, so its worth buying good ones, which will probably last a life time.  Good mutes play in tune and have a good sound.  Whilst there are many good (and bad) mutes around, here are the ones I use or recommend.  They can be bought at the specialist brass shops or on the web.

Dennis Wick straight mute

Humes & Berg Stone Lined Straight Mute (#101)

Jo-Ral Copper Bubble Mute

Humes & Berg Stone Lined Wah-Wah Mute

Humes & Berg Stone Lined Glenn Miller Plunger Mute

Humes & Berg Stone Lines Trixie Mute Designed to work with the Humes & Berg Pixie Straight Mute

Plunger mutes: also try a sink plunger (from your local hardware shop) or a half coconut shell.

Music Stands

Music stands fall into two broad categories:

Collapsible wire stands

These fold up and are easy to carry to rehearsals and concerts. They are less stable and can't usually support large books. Every musician has one of these! They can be obtained from virtually any music shop. Many colours are available, but black is preferred for performing with. Buy the most robust one you can find. Practise putting it up and down (there is a knack - don't force it otherwise the metal will bend).

These are much sturdier and able to take large heavy books. Some do collapse to some extent and they are generally preferred to the collapsible type for playing from. When buying look for quality: the threads on the securing bolts can get stripped on some of the cheaper stands.

If you need a stand that needs to go up and down a lot, consider a Black Cat music stand. Both my wife and I use the "Classic Stand 50" for home and teaching. Also look at the Black Cat Jazz Stand for portable use.
 

Trumpet and Trombone Stands

Most people use the Konig & Meyer (K&M) stands.

For trumpet, use the K&M 15213 trumpet stand. The 5-leg base provides maximum stability for the instrument. The detachable metal leg base screws into the peg so that the entire unit may be stored in the bell of the instrument for easy transport. The black plastic peg with felt pads to protect the instrument.

The equivalent trombone stands are the K&M 14990 and K&M 14985.

For trumpet, the main alternative is the Hamilton KB500 trumpet stand. The nickel plated compact KB500 folds to just 12 inches and is probably one of the highest quality stands around. The Hamilton is particularly good where you need to play standing up, or for home use, when you don't really want the trumpet bell at floor level.

Metronomes

My favourite metronome is the Korg KDM-2. It has a good sound, adjustable volume control, flashing light and easy to adjust speed control. It runs on AAA batteries (as I use it a lot, I use rechargeable batteries).

There are a lot of other good metronomes on the market, and some which are not so suitable. When buying one, check you like the sound, check it is loud enough (take your instrument and play along with it), and make sure it doesn't use very expensive batteries.

Cleaning Brushes

You will need to buy two types of cleaning brushes:

Mouthpiece brush

Use this bush to clean the mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece should be cleaned every week using the brush and some warm water. The mouthpiece brush should live in the instrument's case, so that the mouthpiece can be cleaned at rehearsals and concerts if necessary.

Flexible 'snake' brush

The snake brush is used to clean the inside of the instrument. It can be used on the lead pipe and tuning slide, etc, but NOT on the valves. More details are given in the section on washing the instrument.

Regular Maintenance Activities

Brass instruments require very little maintenance, but failure to do the few things that are needed will result in stuck slides, valves, etc, all of which make it hard to play the instrument and cost money to fix!

Here's what's needed for valved instruments (e.g. trumpets and cornets):

Here's what's needed for trombones:
 

Activity

How often

Lubricate main slide

Once a week, or as needed

Spray inner-tube of main slide with water

Every day before playing and as needed

Wash the mouthpiece

Once a week

Wash the instrument

Once a month

Grease the tuning slide

Once a month

Anatomy of a trumpet / cornet / trombone

Click on the pictures or links below for a larger picture of the anatomy and part names.

Trumpet

Cornet

Trombone

Valve Oil & Slide Grease

Valve Oil

There are numerous valve oils available. Some are very good, some are so thick they make the valves go slower! Usually, oil which comes with beginner trumpets is too thick, so buy some better oil!

Here are the oils which I've found to work well on just about all trumpets and cornets.

Valve oil is normally kept in the instrument case, as it will be often needed.

IMPORTANT:

Most valve oils are poisonous. Read the instructions on the bottle.

If swallowed DO NOT induce vomiting. The fumes that are given off when vomiting occurs get into the lungs and it is these fumes which cause most damage.

Keep the top on oils, when not in use (to prevent the oil from oxidizing and leaking in the case).

Slow Slide Grease

Slide Grease is used on the 'Slow Slides'.

There are a range of greases suitable for trumpet and cornet slides on the market. My preferences are for Hetman #8 Premium Slide Grease or BiNaK Tuning Slide Lubricant . They both come in small tubs, and a normally keep a small stock which my pupils can buy.

Fast Slide Oil 

Slide oil is used on the 'Fast Slides'.

This requires an oil that is thicker than valve oil, but not as thick as slide grease. My preference is for Hetman #5 slide oil.

So far, the best alternative to Hetman #5 oil I have found is 3-In-1 oil, available at hardware shops. If you use 3-in-1 oil, buy a can just for your instrument and don't let it be used for anything else (otherwise the spout will get covered with debris which will find its way into the trumpet and jam the slide and possibly the valves).

Keep the top on, when not in use (to prevent the oil from oxidizing).

Trombone Slide Treatment

The preferred lubricant for main trombone slide is from Slide-O-Mix. Either the two part standard lubricant, or the all-in-one Rapid Comfort. Directions for use are given on the bottles.

In addition a trombone water spray bottle will be needed. This should be kept topped up with water and the slide misted with water before playing each day, and as necessary during playing if the slide becomes stiff.

Both the slide lubricant and water sprayer should be kept in the instrument case.

Oiling the Valves

The valves need regular oiling. Typically once a week, but sometimes more often if the valves become sluggish or stick down. Also immediately after the instrument is washed.

Since the valves may stick or become sluggish at any time, a bottle of valve oil (with top firmly on) and a lint free cloth (to wipe the valves clean) should be kept in the instrument case at all times.

How to oil the valves

Oil each valve individually, and replace it in the trumpet before oiling the next (to avoid mixing up the valves), as follows:

	Unscrew the cap of the valve oil and remove it.
	Hold the instrument as shown.
	Unscrew the top valve cap (where the blue arrow is shown).
	Remove the valve two-thirds of the way out, pulling it straight out without rotating it. Note which way round it comes out (look at the holes in the valve).
	Spread a few drops of oil on either side of the lower valve as shown (not the bit where the spring is).
	Push the valve back down.
	Gently rotate the valve slightly both ways until you here a click. The click is the valve guide (a small piece of plastic or metal located under the valve spring) snapping into the notch on the inside of the valve casing. At the point, the valve won't rotate any more and its holes will be aligned with slides.
	Screw up the valve.
	Repeat for the other valves.

Always remove the valves one at a time. Always put the valve back before removing another valve.

Wash your hands after oiling the valves.

Problems

	If sticking persists, remove valve and wipe with lint-free cloth, taking care to put it back in the right way round.
	If sticking still persists, then consult your teacher. If necessary a professional repairer can free up the valves, usually for a small fee.
	If the instrument won't play properly after you have oiled the valves, then either: (a) one of the valves is not aligned properly: you will need to rotate that valve until it clicks in the slot; or (b) the valves are in the wrong order (this can only happen if you take more than one valve out at once)

Greasing and Oiling the Slides

Slides should be greased or oiled every time the instrument is washed and every month. If the slides are not lubricated the slides will become stuck and the instrument will need to be taken to a professional repairer.

Valved instruments have two types of slides:

Slow Slides: These are designed to be left in one position and moved infrequently. Slow slides include the tuning slide, 2nd valve slide and sometime the 1st and 3rd valve slide.

Fast Slides: These are used to fine tune individual notes and are designed to be moved rapidly in time for your playing. These slides are fitted with a finger ring or lever and may include the 3rd and 1st valve slides.

Greasing Slow Slides

Slow slides are greased with a thick slide grease, as follows:

	Remove the slide (if removing a valve slide, press the corresponding valve down before removing the slide to avoid the vacuum 'popping').
	Wipe off any old grease with a lint-free cloth.
	Using your finger, spread a thin smear of grease evenly over the slide.
	Replace the slide (pressing the valve down first) and wipe off any excess grease that gets squeezed out. Note that more than a tiny amount of excess grease appears, you have put too much grease on the slide!
	Repeat for all other slow slides.

Oiling Fast Slides

Slow slides are greased with a slide oil. The procedure is the same as for greasing the slides, but instead apply a few drops of slide oil and spread with a clean finger.

Wash your hands after greasing and oiling the slides.

Washing the instrument

There are many varied opinions washing the inside of a brass instrument. Here's what I do and recommend.

Try not to get the felts wet (the felts are usually located above and below the top valve caps).

Stuck Mouthpieces

The mouthpiece may get stuck in the instrument if, for example, it is tapped in, or the instrument is dropped.  If the mouthpiece is stuck, it can be removed with a mouthpiece puller. Ask your teacher if he/she has one (I carry one of these in my car - you can contact me here). Some music shops and most brass repairers will also have one.

Do not try and remove the stuck mouthpiece yourself! This will damage the metal and probably cause one or more of the joints to come apart!

Dents, Stuck Slides and Repairs

The good news is that most dents can be removed and slides freed. Take your instrument to a professional repairer, such as one of those listed below. This doesn't usually cost much, and the result is usually almost as good as new (perfect repair requires refinishing the instrument, which is not usually cost effective).

Do not try and remove a dent or stuck slide yourself! This will almost certainly result in more damage to the instrument, making the repair that much harder and more expensive.

Recommended repairers:

Sharon McCallum
Cranbrook
01580 713901

Will Spencer
Godalming
01252 706767

Phil Parkers
106a Crawford Street, London W1H 2HZ
0207 486 8206

Dealing with Braces

Have a look at the braces article and discuss with your teacher.

Transposition

About the author (Philip Bishop)

My Teaching

Philip Bishop teaches trumpet, cornet, flugel horn, tenor horn, french horn, baritone, euphonium, trombone and double bass. Lessons are given privately and through Surrey Arts. For more information see the Philip Bishop Brass Lessons page.

How to reach me

Telephone 01372 454962 / 07950 235329