Trumpet Maintenance

Keep it Lubricated

Oil the Valves

Valves must be oiled at least once every day or two to keep them running smoothly, and so you can play faster! I oil them every day before my first practice session, and whenever they start feeling slow. To do this, simply:

  1. Unscrew the top of the cylinder, 
  2. Tip the trumpet to the side at about a 45˚ angle
  3. Pull the valves straight out about half-way
  4. Drop two or three drops of oil onto the upper part of each piston, allowing it to run around the sides of the piston
  5. Gently, carefully, slide them back in, rotating a bit to spread the oil
  6. Turn slightly until they click into place. The number on each valve (1, 2, 3) should face you when playing.
  7. Screw the caps back on. Turn them backwards until they click, then forward to seat

AVOID DROPPING THEM OR DINGING THEM against each other or against any other hard or sharp object, or they may become scratched, dented, or bent, making them “sticky”, and requiring major (and expensive!) repair.

Grease the Slides

Main tuning slide, first, second and third valve slides should be well greased. Use slide grease at full strength on main tuning slide and second valve slide. Main tuning slide should slide easily when pushed or pulled, but should not slide when playing. You should be able to remove the 2nd valve slide without excessive force.

First and third valve slides must slide smoothly — and quickly enough to be useful on-demand while playing, to correct intonation on 1-2, 1-3, and 1-2-3 valve combinations. Grease, then apply a drop of valve oil to each slide to thin the grease.

You can usually get away with greasing the slides only after cleaning the entire instrument (see the page “Cleaning”), but the important thing is that all of the slides move smoothly, and in particular the valve slides should move quickly when you need them to (for tuning).

Keep it Clean

This means both inside and outside. Most important is to keep the INSIDE of your trumpet clean. Make sure to brush your teeth — or at least rinse out your mouth! — before playing your instrument. Even then, food particles, saliva, and moist air from your breath will create an environment where bacteria and mold can grow. Not only will this change the inside diameter of your instrument (and therefore the way it plays), but the bacteria and mold will create acids that eat the metal from the inside-out, especially the zinc content of the metal. This will create pits and holes in the metal, and destroy the instrument.

The outside is also important. I now use marching gloves when I play, to keep the sweat and oils of my hands from corroding the outside of the instrument (I cut the ends of the fingers off the right hand glove to facilitate fingering). But you can also just wipe the instrument down after playing to keep it clean. This will preserve the finish — lacquer or plating — and help prevent corrosion of the underlying brass.

See the page on Cleaning.