Instrument Care & Maintenance Guide

Woodwinds (Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Saxophones)

Swab moisture and wipe fingerprints after every rehearsal. Handle keys gently; never rest weight on the rods. Reed players (clarinet and saxophone) should rotate 2–3 playable reeds and replace them if chipped, frayed, warped, or older than 2–3 months. Check that long rod screws and posts are not working loose—if you suspect a loose screw or rattling mechanism, bring it to your music teacher (don’t adjust it yourself). Avoid extreme temperatures and store the instrument correctly in its case, never on a chair or music stand. (For detailed information on maintenance for each instrument see the document embeded  below).

Brass (Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Baritone/Euphonium, Tuba)

Oil valves 2–3 times per week (more often if needed) and work each valve straight up and down—do not twist. Grease tuning slides about once a week (at minimum monthly) so they move freely; you can use a dish soap and a washcloth to wipe old grease before reapplying. Give the mouthpiece a soap-and-water clean weekly (use the mouthpiece cleaning brush) and rinse and dry fully. After playing, empty water, wipe moisture, and store in the case. 

Give the instrument a bath: Once a month, do a gentle warm-water (not hot) wash: disassemble, clean, rinse, let parts air-dry, then reassemble with fresh oil/grease. Avoid food or gum right before playing—debris slows valves and slides.  (For detailed information on maintenance for each instrument see the document embeded  below).

The full instrument-by-instrument maintenance handouts are linked below, scroll dowon to find information about your instrument:

Instrument-Specific Maintenance

A special thanks to Florida International University for their great resource on instrument maintenance.

Florida International University Bands. (n.d.). Instrument maintenance guide. https://bands.fiu.edu/members/instrument-maintenance.pdf