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MoleValleyMusic.co.uk
Brass repairs
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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 About Me
Getting StartedWhat the Beginner NeedsThe 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 You teacher will either provide you with music or recommend music for you to buy. Buying a Brass InstrumentIntroductionThe 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 instrumentIts 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!
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Valves |
Test each of the valves by moving it up and down rapidly. The valve should move very freely and "ping" back up. If a valve is sluggish or sticks down, ask the seller to oil the valve and check it again. If the valve still sticks, do not buy the instrument. |
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Third valve slide |
The third valve (then you hold the instrument, that's the valve furthest from your nose) has a slide (piece of tubing) with a ring. This slide needs to be moved in and out very rapidly as the trumpet is played. Placing the ring or middle finger of your left hand in this ring, check the slide moves VERY freely. It should not take any effort to move it. If it doesn't, ask the seller to lubricate the slide. If it doesn't move easily, don't buy the instrument. |
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Trombone slide |
The trombone's slide should move over the full range without ANY resistance. Make sure the slide is first lubricated (the seller should do this for you). Then check the slide moves freely by moving the slide backwards and forwards over a small range (10cm or 4 inches), gradually moving the slide further and further out, until you reach the point where the inner slide becomes slightly thicker (this is called the stocks). If you move the slide past the stocks and are not careful, there is a risk the slide might be damaged. If the slide has any areas of resistance and does not move freely, do not buy the instrument. |
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Other slides |
Check all the other slides move. Valved instruments such as trumpets and cornets will have a movable slide for each valve, and a tuning slide. Trombones will have a turning slide. These slides will be stiffer than the third valve slide, but should still move without being forced. Again, if they don't move, don't buy the instrument. |
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Mouthpiece and case |
Check if the instrument comes with a mouthpiece and (preferable) hard case. Check the condition of these. The mouthpiece plating should be in good condition (playing on raw brass can lead to infections) and the mouthpiece should be free from dents. Also check the size of the mouthpiece and make sure it is suitable (consult an expert if in doubt). New cases and mouthpieces can be bought at relatively modest costs, but bear in mind any possible purchases when considering the price of the instrument. |
Starter instruments
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.
Alberts Music
shop, in Guildford, have a range of Arnold and Sons instruments which
are very well made; better quality than the correspsonding Yamahas and
well suited to the beginner/intermediate player. I have a number
of players with these instruments, all of which are happy with them.
Intermediate instruments
For those that have been playing for a year or two, some of the best quality and playing instruments come from Schagerl. They have a cornet and range of trumpets in the Academica range which are outstanding instruments for the price. They are very popular on the continent, but less well know in the UK, although the Schagerl professional instrument trumpets are used by players in many of the world's top orchestras and bands.
If you would like to try a Schagerl Academica instrument, contact me on the number at the bottom of this page.
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!
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.
| Trumpets and Cornets for Sale |
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For Sale: Galileo
German Rotary Cornet (Deutches Kornett) in B-flat |
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For Sale: Burbank
Pocket Trumpet |
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For Sale: Bach
Bundy Cornet |
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For Sale: Blessing
Cornet |
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For Sale: Benge 6
Trumpet |
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
| Straight Mutes |
 Dennis Wick straight mute |
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| Cup Mutes |
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| Harmon Mutes |
 Jo-Ral Copper Bubble Mute |
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| Plunger Mutes |
 Humes & Berg Stone Lined Glenn Miller Plunger Mute |
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| Bucket Mutes |
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| Practice Mutes |
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Plunger mutes: also try a sink plunger (from your local hardware shop) or a half coconut shell.
Music stands fall into two broad categories:
Collapsible
wire standsThese 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).
This is my favourite portable music stand. In use it is very
stable and handles the large orchestral music much better than the
foling wire stands. It had a shelf for bows and pencils, etc. It will
support heavy books. The feet stay out of the way of my double bass
spike and it adjusts from high to low. Its also quick to put up and
down, and light to cary in its shoulder bag.
One of these lives in the boot of my car!
Sturdy
metal music standsThese 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.
Non-collapsable music stands
If you need a stand that needs to go up and down a
lot,
consider a Wenger
Classic
50 music stand. Both my wife and I use the "Classic Stand
50" for
home and teaching.
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.
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.
You will need to buy two types of cleaning brushes:
Mouthpiece brushUse 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' brushThe 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.
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):
| Activity | How often |
| Wash the mouthpiece |
Once a week |
| Oil the valves |
Once a week, or as needed |
| Wash the instrument |
Once a month |
| Grease / oil the slides |
Once a month |
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 |
Click on the pictures or links below for a larger picture of the anatomy and part names.
Trumpet |
Cornet |
Trombone |
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.
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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).
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
#7
Slide
Gel Plus or BiNaK Tuning Slide
Lubricant . They both come in small tubs, and a normally keep a
small stock which my pupils can buy.
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. Order over the web.
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).
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.
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.
Oil each valve individually, and replace it in the trumpet before oiling the next (to avoid mixing up the valves), as follows:
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Unscrew the cap of the valve oil and remove it. |
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Hold the instrument as shown. |
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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). |
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Push the valve back down. |
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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. |
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Screw up the valve. |
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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.
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If sticking persists, remove valve and wipe with lint-free cloth, taking care to put it back in the right way round. |
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If sticking still persists, then consult your teacher. If necessary a professional repairer can free up the valves, usually for a small fee. |
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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 |
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.
Slow slides are greased with a thick slide grease, as follows:
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Remove the slide (if removing a valve slide, press the corresponding valve down before removing the slide to avoid the vacuum 'popping'). |
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Wipe off any old grease with a lint-free cloth. |
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Using your finger, spread a thin smear of grease evenly over the slide. |
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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! |
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Repeat for all other slow 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.
There are many varied opinions washing the inside of a brass instrument. Here's what I do and recommend.
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Step 1 |
Run luke-warm water through the instrument for a couple of minutes. You can do this either by: (a) filling a basin with water (with a splash of washing up liquid) and using a jug, repeatedly pouring it into the bell, or (b) removing the shower-head from your shower and pointing the flexible nose down the trumpet (being careful not to turn the tap on to hard if you have a pressurised water system) Whilst running the water through, hold the fast valve slides and hold the valves in the up and down positions. Stop the water. |
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Step 2 |
Remove the tuning slide. Push one end of the flexible snake brush into the mouthpiece receiver until to pops out the other end of the lead-pipe. Remove the brush. Push one end of the snake brush through the tuning slide. Remove the brush. If cleaning a trombone, remove the main slide and repeat the procedure for the inside of both the inner and outer tubes of the main slide. When finished, re-assemble the main slide. |
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Step 3 |
Put the tuning slide back in and run luke-warm water through the instrument for a couple of minutes, as for the first stage. |
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Step 4 |
Insert a cleaned mouthpiece in the instrument and blow out any water, using the water keys where possible. Remove the slides which do not have water keys to help remove the water. |
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Step 5
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Carefully dry the outside of the instrument with a soft cloth. If any valve felts have got wet, dry those with the cloth. Put the trumpet aside to try for half a day or so. |
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Step 6 |
Try not to get the felts wet (the felts are usually located above and below the top valve caps).
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!
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
Have a look at the braces article and discuss with your teacher.
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English |
French |
Italian |
German |
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Bb Piccolo Trumpet |
Petite Trompette en Sib |
Ottavino Tromba in Sib |
Kleine Trompete in B |
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F Trumpet |
Trompette en Fa |
Tromba in Fa |
Trompete in F |
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Eb Trumpet |
Trompette en Mib |
Tromba in Mib |
Trompete in Es |
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D Trumpet |
Trompette in Re |
Tromba in Re |
Trompete in D |
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C Trumpet |
Trompette in Ut |
Tromba in Do |
Trompete in C |
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Bb Trumpet |
Trompette in Sib |
Tromba in Sib |
Trompete in B |
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A Trumpet |
Trompette en La |
Tromba in La |
Trompete in A |
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.
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Copyright © 2006 Philip Bishop. All rights reserved.
Will Spencer
Sharon McCallum
Unscrew the top valve cap (where the blue arrow
is shown). 
Spread a few drops of oil on either side of
the
lower valve as shown (not the bit where the spring is).