BEFORE YOU PLAY

1. Drop several drops of oil into the trumpet at the mouthpiece receiver and blow HARD while moving the valves to cycle the oil through them and the rest of the instrument. This coats the inside walls of the trumpet with oil to keep it clean and protect it from many forms of rust and corrosion. DO THIS ONCE MONTHLY.

2. Oil the valves. Make sure your valves stay clean and have a smooth action to them when you play. It is very important to oil the valves regularly to prevent sediments from building up in the valves and causing them to stick and rust.

3. Grease the tuning slides. If you try to adjust a tuning slide and it feels stuck or is very difficult to remove you need to grease it with tuning slide grease. If a slide does become stuck refrain from using tools to remove them. Using tools that are not made for this task WILL scratch, bend, and ruin you trumpet’s finish and more severely break solder joints. Most band teachers and music shops have the tools to remove and repair stuck slides/mouthpieces.

WHILE YOU PLAY

1. The only care needed for your instrument during playing should be oiling valves if they become sticky or “gritty” feeling.

WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

1. Remove excess oil and condensation from playing by opening the water keys and blowing gently.

2. GENTLY polish the instrument with a cleaning cloth designed for polishing lacquer/silver finishes.

DETAIL CLEANING

1. Once a month you should repeat the cleaning processes above as well as cleaning the inside of the trumpet with use of cleaning rods or snakes made to clean trumpets. Be sure to pay special attention to the valves when they are out of your trumpet. Dropping them, or any small dents, dust, or lint will damage them making them stick. Proper care will ensure proper sound.

DO NOT

1. Never try to remove your mouthpiece if it gets stuck. Take it to a repair shop that has a special tool for this purpose. They should do this for you free of charge.

2. Never let anyone repair your trumpet that is not a professional wind instrument repair technician, including yourself, your music teach, you Dad, Uncle Fred, or the very helpful neighbor down the street (who can repair anything).

3. Never stand your trumpet up on its bell. It will fall over and get damaged. When you are not playing the trumpet, put it in the case.

4. Do not shine the outside of the trumpet using any polish. There is a clear coat of lacquer on your instrument. You will only scratch off this lacquer and destroy the appearance of the instrument. With the lacquer scratched off, the instrument will tarnish like crazy and it will look awful.

5. Do not use any silver polish on silver plated instruments either. Silver polish is an abrasive that is somewhat like sandpaper. You will wear through the silver plating. You will also get some polish residue left behind in hard to reach areas and your instrument will look bad. You may also get this polish into your valve casing and then you will be in trouble.

6. Do not remove the valves if you don’t know how to put them back in. Installing them wrongly will damage your trumpet very quickly and it will not play.