Although the trumpet is made from metal, it is very delicate and can easily be damaged.
· Don’t ever lift up the trumpet by the mouthpiece – you’re likely to be left holding a mouthpiece while the trumpet is in a crumpled heap on the floor.
· Likewise, do not hold trumpet by the tuning slide.
· Don’t tap the mouthpiece – although it makes a nice popping noise, it can easily get jammed. If it does, please don’t try to remove it with pliers – that is likely to cause damage. Contact me – I have a special mouthpiece-removing tool.
· Check that your case is strong, paying particular attention to the handle, the catches, and the hinges.
· Be sure to keep your instrument securely in its case when it is not in use.
· Your trumpet case may not be particularly robust. Don’t sit or stand on it – the trumpet can get squashed or damaged.
· Keep your trumpet away from small children (eg. siblings), who might play with it and drop it.
· It is essential to have valve oil, tuning slide grease (or Vaseline), a mouthpiece brush and a long flexible brush (sometimes called a cleaning snake) for cleaning the inside of the trumpet.
Cleaning the mouthpiece:
· Look through the inside of your mouthpiece. It should be smooth and shiny. If not, clean it with your mouthpiece brush and a bit of soapy water.
Cleaning the valves:
· Remove the valves (preferably one at a time so they don’t get mixed up).
· Wipe the valve with a cloth (a handkerchief is ideal – avoid anything fluffy, like a duster).
· Squeeze a small amount of valve oil around the valve and replace it in the valve casing, making sure the guides click into the slots.
· For a more thorough clean, unscrew the caps at the bottom of the valve casing, and pull a rag through the valve casing from top to bottom, to clean the inside. I use a handkerchief which I push through the casing with a pencil.
· If the trumpet feels blocked after cleaning the valves, they may have been put back in the wrong order. Most valves have numbers 1, 2 and 3 stamped on them. No.1 is nearest the mouthpiece. Also check the alignment of each valve, making sure they have ‘clicked’ in.
Cleaning the trumpet:
· Every time you blow down a trumpet, you will be blowing small amounts of saliva and possibly bits of your last meal, down the tubing.
· Approximately once a month, remove all slides (3 valve slides and the main tuning slide) and the valves. Fill a bath or large basin with soapy water. Brush through all the holes in the valves. Put the body of the trumpet and all the slides into the water and brush through every bit of tubing with the cleaning snake. You will probably see bits of slime coming out, especially from the leadpipe. Reassemble the trumpet and squirt the shower down the bell, to flush out any bits of dirt. Press down each valve in turn to flush water through each valve slide, but hold onto the valve slide – the water pressure can force it to pop out of the trumpet and it may get dented.
· Empty out the water from the trumpet, let it dry and then grease all slides so they can move freely.