| Caring for Your Low Brass Instrument |
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The following care is recommended to extend the life and maintain the quality of your low brass instrument. |
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Take extra care to prevent exposure to sudden changes in temperature and humidity. Avoid direct, extended exposure to: |
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• Sunlight • Rain • Heaters • Air Conditioners |
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Remove all moisture after you have finished playing. |
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Refer to Caring for the Interior of your Low Brass Instrument for detailed instructions. |
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Assembling Your Low Brass Instrument |
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Assemble, tune, clean and lubricate your instrument for the first time under the guidance of your teacher. |
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Inserting the Mouthpiece |
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The mouthpiece and mouthpiece receiver are easily damaged by improper assembly. Insert the mouthpiece into the receiver, giving it a slight twist to secure it. Never force a mouthpiece into place, as it may become stuck. If this should happen, take the horn to your local dealer or band director to have it removed. They will have a special tool to remove stuck mouthpieces.Never use pliers or other gripping tools to remove a stuck mouthpiece. |
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Tuning Your Low Brass Instrument |
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• Pitch is affected by temperature, so be sure to warm up your instrument before playing by blowing air through it. |
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• To tune low brass instruments, adjust the tuning slide until you achieve the desired pitch.• To fine tune your horn, adjust the individual tuning slides connected to each valve casing. Consult your instructor when doing this for the first time.
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Caring for the Interior of Your Low Brass Instrument |
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Care of Valves and Valve Casings |
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The valves and valve casings are very important parts of your instrument. Take extra care not to bend or scratch them. The following steps should be taken before and after each use of the horn. |
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Applying Oil to the Valves |
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• Unscrew the top valve cap from the valve casing. |
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• Pull out the valve in a straight line — do not twist. |
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• Apply valve oil,coating the entire valve. |
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• Place the valve carefully back into the proper casing, aligning the valve guide with the guide slot. Tighten the top valve cap. Move up and down to ensure even oil coating over the entire surface. |
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If there is any damage to the valves or valve casings, take your instrument to your dealer for repair. |
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Oiling the Rotary Valves |
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• Remove valve slides one at a time. |
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• Place several drops of rotor oil evenly into the valve slide, insert slide all the way back into slide tube, then turn horn over to let the oil run on to the rotor. |
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• Depress lever to activate appropriate rotary valve, spreading the oil evenly on the rotor and casing. Do steps 1-3 until all rotors are oiled. |
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1. Apply a few drops of rotor spindle oil to the rotor stem between the stop arm and the casing. 2. Carefully remove valve cap and apply a few drops of rotor spindle oil to the bearings. Activate rotor and replace the cap. 3. Apply a drop of lever oil to each linkage of the lever assembly. |
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NOTE: Do not remove the rotary valves. Only a qualified repair technician should do this during annual maintenance. |
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Lubricating the Tuning Slides |
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Slide grease keeps slides airtight and maintains smooth movement. It is an essential factor in the care of your horn. To apply slide grease: |
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• Remove slide while pressing the corresponding valve. Wipe clean of dirt and foreign substances. |
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• Apply a thin layer of tuning slide grease to the inner slide surfaces.• Replace the slide, working it in to ensure that the grease is evenly and thoroughly spread. |
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Cleaning the Water Keys |
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A tone hole cleaner may be used to clean and dry water keys. |
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Cleaning the Mouthpiece |
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• Soak the mouthpiece in a solution of warm soapy water. Using a brass mouthpiece brush scrub the inside and outside of the mouthpiece. |
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• Rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water. |
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Restringing the Rotary Valve |
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Note: Only use string designed specifically for rotary valves. |
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You will need a small screwdriver, scissors and rotary string to restring your valves. Please follow these directions carefully: |
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• Rotary valve components should appear as in illustration 1 when the rotor stem is to the left of the rod, or as in illustration 2 when the rotor stem is to the right of the rod. |
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• Loosen screws (C) and (E) with a small screwdriver. Cut a piece of string approximately nine inches long and tie a knot in one end. Begin by threading the string through the hole at the bottom of the rod (A). Start from the outside of the rod and thread toward the valve. The knot must provide a stop at the hole. |
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• With the stop arm (B) to the right of the rod (A), bring the string around the top of the rotor stem in a clockwise direction, then loop the string entirely around the small screw (C) in a counter clock-wise direction. |
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• Continue around the bottom of the stop arm (B) to the hole (D) near the top of the rod. Thread the string through this hole and loop it under the head of the small screw (E) on the rod in a clockwise direction. |
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• Now pull the string fairly taut so that no lost motion occurs when depressing the trigger lever. Tighten screw (E) enough to hold the lever in place. |
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• Position the lever so the string rod is parallel to the rotor-casing top. |
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• Tighten the string screw. (C). |
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Caring for the Exterior of Your Low Brass Instrument |
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For daily care, use a polishing cloth to remove dust and fingerprints. |
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Storing the Instrument |
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The case should always be used for storing the instrument after playing and for transporting. Be sure the mouthpiece and other accessories are secured tightly, as they can scratch and dent your horn if they fall loose during transportation. Do not put anything in the case that could place pressure on the instrument. |
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To keep your instrument in optimum playing condition, have it professionally cleaned and inspected by a qualified repair technician annually.Yamaha Knowledgebase |