Date
Name
How to Carefor YourTrumpet(l)
valves1 2 3
left hand finger ring
lead pipe
mouthpiece
main tuning slide
water key
Trumpel
Before You PIay
There is very little to assembleon a trumpet.All you haveto do is place the mouthpiece
into the lead pipe. Do this with a gentlytwisti n g m o t i o n .D o n o t h i t o r p o p t h e m o u t h p i e c e
into place.This can leadto a stuck mouthpiece.Oil the valveseveryday you playyour
trumpet or everysecondday. Removethe
valvesone at a time and apply three or four
d r o p so f h i g h q u a l i t yt h i n o i l . R e p l a c et h e
valve,slottingit into placeor turning it until it
clicks.lf the valve is not in the proper position,
you can blow hard, but no air will go through
t h e h o r n . l f t h i s h a p p e n sc, h e c k t h e p o s i t i o no f
eachof the valvesto correct the problem.
The moisturethat accumulatesinsidethe
trumpet is not "spit."lt is condensationfrom
the player'sbreath-just like the moisturefrom
a steamingkettlethat condenseson windows.
When this moistureaccumulatesinsidethe
trumpet,it makesit gurgleand hasto be
releasedthrough the water key or spit valve.
Open the water key and blow air (don't buzz)
into the instrument.Emptyyour spit valveonto
the floor, not on your chairor your neighbor's
shoe!
lf your mouthpiecegetsstuck while you
are playing,do not attemptto removeit yourselfor haveanyoneyankit out for you. Forcibly removinga stuckmouthpiececan break
the braceson a trumpet.Carrythe trumpetto
your teacher(it won't fit into your case)and he
or shewill removeit with a tool madespecially
To preventstuck
for pulling mouthpieces.
mouthpieces,alwaysinsertthe mouthpiece
gently,don't pop it during rehearsal,and don't
while you play.Keep
usetoo much pressure
the shankof the mouthpieceand the receiver
clean.
Tuningand Playing
To lower the pitch of the trumpet, lengt h e nt h e i n s t r u m e nbt y p u l l i n g t h e m a i nt u n i n g
s l i d eo u t . T o r a i s et h e p i t c h , p u s h t h e m a i n
t u n i n gs l i d ei n . T r u m p e t sh a v e a n a d j u s t a b l e
third valveslideto adjustthe pitch of notes
that are usuallysharp.For example,when playi n g l o w C - s h a r pw i t h f i n g e r s1 - 2 - 3 ,u s et h e
fourth or fifth finger of the left hand to push
o u t t h e t h i r d v a l v es l i d e .T h i s w i l l f l a t t e nt h e
pitch of the C-sharp.This "trigger" will not
alwaysbe used by beginners,but is essential
for advancedtrumpet players.
@ 1 9 9 2 j .W e s t o nW a l c h ,P u b l i s h e r
After playing,wipe the instrumentclean
with a soft cloth.Thiswill remove perspiration
which can damagethe lacquerand metal.Do
not use polishon lacqueredinstruments
becauseit can scratchthe finish.
16
How to Care for Your Musical Instrument
Date
Name
How to Carefor YourTrumpet(ll)
Supp/iesNeededto Carefor
the Trumpet
RegularMaintenance
A cleantrumpetworks and soundsbetter
than a dirty one. Once a week cleanthe
mouthpiecewith warm water and a mouthp i e c eb r u s h .H e l p k e e pt h e m o u t h p i e c ea n d
i n s t r u m e nct l e a nb y a v o i d i n gg u m ,c a n d y ,a n d
pop beforeyou play.Rinseyour mouth if you
havebeen eatinganythingsweet.
5 . S n a k eb r u s h e s
2. Slidegrease
6. Valvecasingbrush
or cleaningrod and
cloth
3. Mouthpiecebrush
4. soft cloth
Handling the Trumpet
Once a month give your trumpeta bath.
Takeall the slidesout and the bottomcapsoff.
Takethe valvesout one at a time and lay them
i n o r d e ro n a t o w e l .T h i sw i l l h e l py o u t o p u t
them back in the correct order when you have
finished.Put the slidesand the bodyof the
trumpet into warm soapywater.Runsnake
b r u s h e st h r o u g ha l l t h e t u b e s .U s ea v a l v e
c a s i n gb r u s ho r a c l e a n i n gr o d a n dc l o t h t o
cleanthe valvecasings.Rinsethem off in clean
lukewarmwater.Washthe valvesthoroughly,
c h e c k i n gs o t h a t n o l i n t , d i r t ,o r o t h e rs u b stanceremainsin the ports (holes).
Wipe the
water off the outsideof the horn.Don't leave
the instrumentin the water too long or the
lacquerfinishcan peel off.
When you are playingthe trumpet,
hold it by the valvecasings,not by the
s l i d e so r t h e b e l l .D o n ' t l a y t h e t r u m p e t
down on a musicstand or a chair or stand
i t o n t h e f l o o r o n i t s b e l l . T h e t r u m p e tw i l l
dent easily.Dents look ugly, affectthe tone
of the instrument,and are expensiveto
remove.Alwaysput the trumpet in its case
correctly.Neverset the trumpet in its case
with the bell hangingover the edge.Anyo n e a c c i d e n t a l lcyl o s i n gt h e c a s eo n a
t r u m p e t l e f t l i k e t h i s w i l l c r i n k l et h e b e l l .
Don't cram booksand music into your
trumpet casebecausethe pressureon the
t u b i n g c a n c a u s ed a m a g e .B e s u r et h e
mouthpieceand other accessories
are put
awayproperlyso they don't jar looseand
causedamage.Rememberthat the trumpet
is an expensiveinstrument-not a
tov-and should be handled with care.
Putthe trumpet back together.Oil the
valvesand greasethe slides.Forslidelubrication you can usepetroleumjelly,anhydrous
l a n o l i no
, r c o m m e r c i asl l i d eg r e a s eW
. ipe off
excessgrease.lf you havea trumpetwith a
push-typewater key,apply a few dropsof oil to
keep it lubricated.This type of waterkey can
breakoff if it is forced open.A drop of oil once
a m o n t h i s a p o u n do f c u r e f o r t h i sp r o b l e m .
@ 1 9 9 2J .W e s t o nW a l c h ,P u b l i s h e r
1 . V a l v eo i l
17
How to Care for Your Musical lnstrument
Date
Name
How to Care for Your Trumpet(lll)
Directions:Match each clue in the left column with the correctanswerin the
right column. Write the letterof the answerin the blank.
1. -
A trumpet works bestwhen it is
A. metal polish
2. -
You should never do this to your mouthpiece.
B. tune
3. -
Your valvesneed this each time you play.
C. clean
4. -
Nevereat this beforeyou play.
D. snake
5. -
Cleanyour mouthpiecethis often.
E. candy
6. -
Theseshould be removedwith a soft cloth afteryou play.
F. once a month
7. -
This can scratchthe finish of your trumpet.
C. oil
B. -
You should bathe your trumpet this often.
H . f i n g e rm a r k s
9. -
A flexiblebrush usedto clean the tubesof a trumpet.
10. -
B a t h et h e t r u m p e t i n t h i s .
11. -
Valvecasingscan be cleanedwith a brush or with this.
12. -
lf your mouthpiecegets stuck, do not attemptto
it!
13. -
You can greaseslideswith this.
14. -
The third valveslide is used to
notes.
15. -
l. anhydrous
lanolin
l . c l e a n i n gr o d
K. soapywater
L. remove
M. once a week
individual
N. pop
O. expensive
Alwaysrememberthat your trumpet is an
m u s i c a il n s t r u m e n a
t n d h a n d l ei t w i t h c a r e .
O 1 9 9 2l . W e s t o nW a l c h .P u b l i s h e r
18
How to Care for Your Musical Instrument