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Guide: How to clean your instrument
Hi everyone, after my last post about the cleanliness of brass players instruments, I promised you a guide on how to properly clean your instrument to avoid getting ill from the micro organisms/bacteria that can grow inside. The inside of your instrument is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and thrive, so follow the steps below to avoid feeling ill after playing. To start, I will be cleaning a Besson sovereign tenor horn and by using step by step photos, I will demonstrate how to clean your instrument at home. The cleaning solution used in this guide is from the B# Cleaning Kit which can be purchased here The first step we will take is removing all the slides and valves from the instrument, also removing the bottom caps of the valves and set them down on a soft surface so that they don't get damaged. The next step then is to disassemble the valves. So remove the finger button, then carefully pull out the top felt for each valve. After that, remove the top cap and the lower valve felt and set them aside if you plan on re-using them, or if you have new felts you can throw them away. Now you can fill a sink or bath with warm water and the directed amount of B# cleaning solution, the solution should be warm but not too hot that you can't place your hand in. It is at this point I should mention that using washing up liquid to wash your instrument is not advised as they can contain salts which will damage the finish of the instrument, which can lead to the instrument needing to be re-lacquered/plated. Anyway, once there is sufficient water in your bath/sink to fully submerge your instrument in, carefully place your instrument and all valves and slides into the water. DO NOT DROP THEM IN!!! As it could damage the instrument and/or parts. Once all the parts are submerged, you can now go and make yourself a drink. Leave the instrument in the water for 1-2 hours. After the time has passed, run a bore brush through each of the slide receivers. After that, grab your valve casing brush and brush through each valve casing, making sure the brush goes all the way through the casing. Next grab your snake brush and work it through the rest of tubing which hasn't already been cleaned. The next step then is to clean the piston valves. You will need your bore brush again for this, brush through every port on each piston multiple times to ensure the ports are clean. Next, run the bore brush through all of the slides, also run the snake brush through the larger slides to ensure the slides are clean. An optional step at this stage is to grab an old toothbrush and scrub the insides of the finger buttons and valve top and bottom caps. Once all the above steps have been completed, rinse the instrument out with clean cold water and allow to air dry. Then we start the reassembly process, firstly putting a small amount of slide grease on all the valve casing threads, and putting the bottom caps on. Next, grease the slides (as shown below) and work each leg of the slide into its receiver. Repeat this process for each slide, wiping off any excess grease. The next thing for us to do is to reassemble the valves. When reassembling the valves, don't forget to replace the top and bottom valve felts (either with new or the ones you took off) Now that all the valves are ready, start putting them back in the correct casings. When replacing the valves in the casings after washing they may require more valve oil. Therefore, apply valve oil generously and work the oil in by initially twisting the valve, ensuring the whole valve casing surface is covered. Pushing the valve up and down will also confirm smooth and quick action. Your instrument is now hygienically clean inside, but may not look it's best on the outside. The final stage of cleaning is to polish the finish of your instrument. It is important that you use the correct polish for the finish of your instrument!! In this instance, the Besson Horn is silver plated therefore I will be using Goddard's silver polish. However, if your instrument is lacquered, you will need a suitable instrument lacquer polish. You can also clean your instrument using a lacquer or silver polishing cloth, which can be purchased in the store here Congratulations, your instrument is now cleaned inside and out.
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Importance of cleaning your instrument
Everyday thousands of brass players around the country head off to their local brass band, big band or orchestra. When doing this lots of thoughts are probably going through their heads, from difficult passages they have to play to what event they may be practising for. But I can guarantee that very little if none at all will be thinking of the cleanliness of their instrument. I am sure that not so long ago many of you heard about the Scottish piper that died from a condition known as “bagpiper's lung” but not so many of you may know that the same condition also goes by the name of “brass player's lung”. As a brass player myself I know how much we all joke around about the condition of some players instruments, but joking around is not what we should be doing. Generally speaking most players don't own their own musical instruments, as they are most likely owned by their local bands or in the case of children by their local school or music service. This then presents it's own set of problems, because they don't own the instruments that they play there is no incentive to keep it in a good condition. What we have then is people playing on instruments that have been played by so many different people that they possibly haven't been cleaned in years or sometimes even decades!!! While you may just think its just “gross” to think about, it isn't just a bad thought. Having your instrument cleaned regularly isn't just a cosmetic improvement. When you blow into your brass instrument you are not just blowing air through, your are creating a warm, moist environment on the inside of it. This type of environment is perfect for germs, mould, bacteria and microscopic organisms to grow and thrive. This can lead to the player experiencing severe health problems, anything from a deep cough and Asthma to Severe inflammation of the lungs known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Doctors have actually found bacteria growing in some high school instruments in the U.S called Mycobacterium, which is very similar to Tuberculosis!! The only comparison I can make to that would be leaving food in the fridge for 6-8 months and then pulling it out and serving it to you. Would you eat it? Of course you wouldn't. The issue of not cleaning your instrument has affected many wind and brass players all over the world. In rare cases the inflammation and scarring of the player's lungs is so bad that they have been unable to recover from the disease. I have not written this post to scare anyone, but I have written it as a warning to players old and new, more of a wake up call that playing an instrument that hasn't been cleaned is not good for your health. Either have your instrument serviced by a repair service such as Parker's Music Services or take some time out of your evening or weekend to clean the instrument yourself, the B# cleaning kit is one of the best as it contains a bottle of instrument soak which is a powerful liquid soap that kills germs and removes the bio-film inside your instrument. If you are unsure of how to clean you instrument yourself I am hoping to show you how on next weeks post, fingers crossed with a video how to guide, if my technical prowess can handle it. So, to finish up this weeks post I ask of you, please for your own health keep your instrument well maintained. Thank you for reading. Alex Parker If you have any questions about this weeks post or you have a topic you want us to write about then please don't hesitate to contact us on info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk or to book your instrument for a service or repair contact us on repair@parkersmusicservices.co.uk.
Commitment in banding
This week I am going to touch upon a sore subject in many bands up and down the country. The subject of players attendance is at the forefront of nearly every argument between players, musical directors and band committees. It seems that there are 2 types of “banders”. Those that are there for every rehearsal 100% of the time and only miss for 1 of 2 reasons (illness or work) and then there are those that go only when there isn't a better offer. For years bands have tried and tried to get their players to attend more rehearsals and still to this day there is no proven answer to the lack of players attendance. If you think you have a tried and tested answer to your attendance woes then please get in touch on info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk. Moving on I have experienced this problem over the last few weeks, I am the first type of bander, I am the kind of person that commits myself 100% to whatever it is I'm doing. As you may know I play with the BTM band and with the Welsh regional brass band championships around the corner extra rehearsals are being scheduled in. At the same time I was recently asked to conduct the Ammanford Town Silver Band in the contest next weekend. With 2 bands rehearsals to attend and a competition looming I am in rehearsals 6 nights a week!! So when I hear concerns off players from many different bands I can relate to what they are saying. While we are on the subject of commitment, I don't just mean attendance in rehearsals I also refer to the fact that players often don't pull their instruments out of the cases outside of their respective band rooms. Which is a serious problem when competitions come along, as this can cause the bands team ethic to be lost and negatively affect the bands performance on stage. It has been said many times that rehearsals are not for learning your part, they are for putting all the parts together. On a positive note I can safely say that bands around Wales will be experiencing better attendance in rehearsals this week while they put the finishing touches to their test pieces in preparation for their performances on the weekend. As this whole post has been about commitment to the brass band movement I would like to ask a favour of all of you. As you may or may not know Stephen Sykes, a fantastic and well accomplished trombone player has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. As an ex-player of some of the country's top bands, the banding community is pulling together to try and find a donor for him. I am personally asking all of you reading this to have a swab test to help save Stephen. There is going to be a swab station in the Brangwyn hall next weekend so every brass bander in Wales is going to be there. The test only takes a few minutes and is only a cotton bud rubbed on the inside of your cheek. The DKMS swab station will be in the trade stand hall from 9am till late on both days the 18th and 19th. The registration process includes filling in a simple questionnaire and taking a saliva swab as I said earlier, please note that you have to be between 18 and 55 to be eligible. If you are unable to take the test due to not meeting the criteria then you can always leave a donation too. Thank you in advance to everyone who does take the test for your support. If the brass band movement can save this man then there is nothing we can't do. Lets work together and improve the quality of our hobby, lets push up the standard of amateur music, and above all lets enjoy playing as part of a band and to continue our 160 year old tradition. Thank you all for reading. Alex Parker Got a subject you want us to write about?? contact us at info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk and we will write about it.