Cleaning and Lubrication

Trombone Slide

A quick word on slide lubricants: There are three basic types of products to grease your main slide; slide oil (very similar to petroleum based piston valve oil), traditional slide cream, and a newer-style liquid cream.

I do not recommend using “slide oil.” Though it is often recommended to beginners, it tends to dry up quickly and is not really thick enough for smooth slide action. Other than middle school students, I don’t know any trombone players who use this. So why would a band director recommend it? Slide cream or liquid slide cream both require a daily (at minimum) application of water from a small spray bottle to keep them moist. The spray bottle often leads to classroom management issues in younger students. Using slide oil eliminates that possibility.

I recommend using either traditional slide cream or liquid cream. As mentioned above, these products require an additional spray bottle filled with regular, old water. Any type of bottle will do, even the 99¢ variety in the travel section at Target!

I prefer liquid cream over regular cream because it eliminates greasy fingers; you go straight from bottle to slide. I prefer using Yamaha slide oil, which is in fact not an oil, but a liquid cream. It is cheaper than Slide-O-Mix or Reka Superslide and works just as well (I think better!). Below is a full listing of options:

Liquid Cream:
Yamaha Slide Oil
Slide-O-Mix Rapid Comfort (all in one bottle)
Reka Superslide

Traditional Cream:
Superslick Slide Cream
Yamaha Slide Cream
Bach Slide Cream

Piston Valves

I recommend using synthetic valve oil on euphonium and tuba piston valves. My favorite brand is Hetman. Though it is a bit more expensive than your average oil, it is a very high quality lubricant used by many professionals. Hetman Piston oil comes in a variety of thicknesses depending on how “tight” your valves are. Some older instruments have “looser” valves and need thicker oil. If you aren’t sure, I would go with the thinnest (lowest number) valve oil.

Hetman Light Piston (No. 1)
Hetman Piston (No. 2)
Hetman Classic Piston (No. 3)

Rotary Valves

For tubas with rotary valves and trombones with f-attachments (no matter what type of valve you have), I recommend using two different types of lubricants. For exterior parts, such as ball bearings or spindles, I recommend using Hetman Light Bearing and Linkage Oil (No.13). This is slightly thicker and will last longer on these exposed parts. For oiling the interior portion of the valve, I recommend using either Hetman Light Piston (No. 2) or Classic Piston (No. 3) Oil.


Tuning Slides

Tuning slide maintenance is often neglected on all brass instruments, but especially on tubas and euphoniums. You can make your own mixture of lanolin and petroleum jelly, but it may be just as easy to buy a small container of a premixed variety at a music store. Please keep ALL slides lubricated, and please move them periodically to prevent “stuck slides.”

Schilke Tuning Slide Grease
Fat Cat Tuning Slide Grease

Cleaning

One of the easiest things you can do to keep your instrument clean is to clean the portion that gets exposed to the most germs…your mouthpiece. You can purchase mouthpiece sanitizer at any music store, or you can simply purchase a bottle of mint scented rubbing alcohol at your favorite drug store and dilute it with some water. Simply purchase a travel sized spray bottle and fill it with your mixture. Additionally, you will need a mouthpiece brush to clean the backbore; this is where most of the filth congregates. I try to clean my mouthpiece at least every other day.

For cleaning the bulk of your instrument, I recommend using Brass Saver brand cleaning “snakes”. They are a bit bushier than your average “snake” and tend to remove grime more easily. For tuba and euphonium, the kit also includes a short cleaning rod to clean the interior of your valve casings (piston valves only). You won’t believe how much this will improve the valve action.

For trombone slides, I recommend using a cleaning rod with cheese-cloth. For a little more money, Slide-O-Mix makes a nice cleaning rod kit that contains a reusable cleaning sleeve that is washable and will not get lodged in your slide (which can happen if you are not careful when using the cheese cloth). A cleaning rod is the only way to get your slide really clean. Check out this video of a technician demonstrating this technique.

With any of these cleaning options, you can also use a solution of luke-warm water and soap or rubbing alcohol to sanitize the inside of your horn, but please stay away from hydrogen peroxide which will “eat” the brass away over time. If you use the alcohol, please remember to rinse with water and/or soapy water to avoid breathing in fumes.

Additionally, it is a good idea to get your horn in for a chemical or ultra-sonic cleaning once a year.

Tuners and Metronomes

These are invaluable tools for practicing. Here are a few words of advice: Do not tune with your eyes or let the metronome keep the beat for you. You are in charge of keeping the beat and playing in tune, these tools simply show you when you are wrong or confirm when you are correct.

You have two major choices for both of these devices: a traditional physical device, or a smart phone app. I tend to use the latter almost exclusively now. Below are my personal preferences.

Tuner/Metronome Combo:
Korg TM-40- This is the standard tuner/metronome combo.

iPhone/iPad Apps:
Tonal Energy- This multi-function app has a unique tuner interface that displays a happy face when you are perfectly in tune. This app also includes a simple metronome and a tone generator that is capable of tuning chords using just temperament (i.e beatless intervals that “ring”) as opposed to equal temperament (used on pianos, but not perfectly “in tune”)

Cleartune- This is a tuner only, with a more traditional interface. Very accurate and very popular. A great bet if you are used to a standard tuner.

Steinway Metronome- There are many free metronome apps and I have found this to be one of the most user friendly versions on a touch screen. Feel free to explore as many as you like (since there is no cost for many of them).


After-Market Cases

Cases are a great upgrade if you want a more convenient way to carry your instrument. Most instrument manufacturers have bulky cases that are difficult to carry and offer little additional storage. There are two (maybe three) types of after-market cases: gig bags, semi-hard cases, and travel cases. Travel cases are really designed for someone who flies frequently and checks their instrument. These are not all that common for students. If you are a euphonium or tuba player, a gig bag may be your best option (probably only option for tuba). These are nylon or leather cases with padding that offer medium protection and are light in weight. They usually have a few external pockets for music and accessories. Trombone players are probably best served with a semi-hard case, as this will provide the most protection with only a little extra weight. Both of these options include shoulder or backpack straps that make toting these large horns a little easier.

Trombone:
Protec Case
Eastman Case
Cronkhite Gig Bags

Euphonium:
Cronkhite Gig Bags

Tuba:
Cronkhite Gig Bags

Instrument Stands

Trombone:
Hamilton Trombone Stand
K&M Trombone Stand 14990

Tuba & Euphonium:
K&M Stand (for use when playing)