       |
 |
|
|
|
|
Brandy Lee Mac Lean - Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada As an addendum to the thread started in Music Company a few weeks ago, it has been requested that I write an article on the proper way to clean musical instruments. There is a lot of confusion over proper methods, and I feel it's up to me to set the records straight, or as straight as possible. There are a few general rules to keep in mind when cleaning instruments. Products that are not meant specifically for cleaning instruments SHOULD NOT be used unless they are recommended by a trained professional. Soaps, greases, polishes and scrubbing devices can offer short term help, but will damage the instrument in the long run. The most important of playing a musical instrument, and simple constant maintenance will save an expensive overhaul a few months down the road. Metal Instruments Instruments like flutes, clarinets and brass instruments with silver and gold finishes need special care beyond what a normal brass instrument would. Silver tarnishes easily, so it is very important to keep the instrument dry and polish it often with a lint free cloth to remove fingerprints. I do not recommend using silver polishes on your instrument unless you are very careful not to get the polish into the mechanisms or onto the pads. Often, it's not worth the trouble and a cloth and a little warm breath will shine it right up. Gold scratches easily, so make sure your polishing cloth is clean when you polish it. The finish may rub off easier, so make sure to wipe it down often to remove your fingerprints. Brass Instruments To clean a brass instrument, remove the valves and set them aside. Take all the slides out and soak the main part of the instrument in warm water and instrument cleaning solution. Follow the directions on the side of the bottle for instructions. For French horns and other like instruments, you cannot soak the instrument because of the rotary valves. You can only soak the tubes and put a pipe snake through the valves that you cannot remove. For piston valves, soak the bottom part, but do not get the top felt wet. Run the snake through the valves as well until you're sure that they are clean. The green stuff that you see coming out IS NOT mould (mostly). It is copper oxide from the copper in the brass. It happens in all instruments made of brass. Wipe the instrument clean and leave it to air dry until you are sure it is completely dry. For piston valves, LIGHTLY oil the valve. If you put too much oil on, then it will just collect dust and make your valve stick more. So, if you have a sticky valve, chances are you need just to clean it, not add more oil. For rotary valves, use rotary valve oil, and only a drop or two on each valve. For the slides, use STP Oil Treatment (you can buy it at any auto parts store). This has been recommended to me by many brass players and teachers, but a small amount does a great deal of good, so don't overdo it. For a trombone, there are two products that people often mix up. Slide GREASE is for the tuning slide at the top. Slide CREAM is for the actual slide. A small amount rubbed over the entire slide and a spritz from a water bottle will keep it sliding well. Always keep a water bottle on hand to spray on the slide because the slide actually runs on a cushion of water droplets. Wooden Instruments A wooden instrument like a clarinet, bassoon, oboe and flute should not be soaked in water. A wipe down with a damp cloth will clean it well. Running a cloth through the inside of the instrument will clean any build-up that may accumulate. Lightly oiling the wood with bore oil will keep it conditioned and keep the instrument in a moisture controlled environment to avoid cracking. Woodwind Instruments These instruments are a little more difficult to clean because of the pads. The most important thing about pads is keeping them dry. Every time you play you should clean the pads. Clarinet and flute pads can be dried very effectively with cigarette papers. If you're under the legal age, you may have to get your parents to buy them for you because the sales clerk will not believe that you are using them to clean your musical instrument. Place the paper under the pad and press down with your finger. Hold it down lightly and pull it out until there is no residue on the paper. Be careful of the gum strip and don't use that on your pad. For saxophones, the pads are a little bigger and made of leather. Cigarette papers will not work as well, so use regular paper. If that doesn't work as well, try using curler papers that hairdressers use when putting someone's hair in curlers. They are stronger and slightly textured. Lastly, you can use a clean, new paper money bill. Make sure it's new, or you never know what sort of gunk you'll be rubbing onto your pads. Because you can't soak a woodwind instrument in water, make sure to clean it out regularly with a swab that you pull through the instrument. Wiping the body clean with a cloth will keep it looking shiny. For the mechanisms, use a small paintbrush and brush into the small areas to keep the dust from building up. Make sure to grease corks well so the instrument doesn't stick together or apart. Mouthpieces Most mouthpieces for brass instruments are made of brass, silver or gold. These can be cleaned the same way as the body of the instrument would. Soak it in water and cleaning solution and scrub it with a proper mouthpiece cleaner. Flutes have silver headjoints, but DO NOT soak them in water. There is a cork at the top of the instrument in the part that screws out that is used for tuning so avoid getting that wet. Rinsing it out and using a cloth to dry it will keep it clean. Other woodwind instruments mostly have plastic mouthpieces and they can be cleaned with water and a mouthpiece cleaner brush. Sometimes clarinets and saxophones may have mouthpieces that are made of ebonite, a type of hard rubber. You can buy a mouthpiece patch that sticks onto the mouthpiece to keep your teeth from scratching the piece. These can be cleaned in the same way, but do not use regular soap as it may damage the rubber. A mouthpiece cleaner brush can be used to clean the inside and if you are careful it won't scratch the inside, but you need to be careful. Percussion Most percussion instruments are less tricky to take care of. Polish for cymbals can be bought at a music store, but keeping the cymbal dry and wiping it down after practicing will keep it from tarnishing. Drums can be wiped down with a damp cloth and dirty heads can be cleaned with a light soap on a cloth. If you've had your drum out in the rain, make sure to dry all the parts of the head. Skin heads (like on bongos) can be cleaned with just water, and make sure to loosen the head when you do because it will soak in the water and when it dries it will shrink again. Skin heads are also really sensitive to cold and warm weather, so keep it in a temperature controlled room if possible. Other percussion instruments can be wiped down with damp cloths and maintained as such rather simply in that way. However, the best advice I could give is play often and love your instrument. __________________ |
©2005 CadetWorld. All rights reserved. |