NEED A QUICK FIX? Simple instrument diagnostics and repairs for band directors Paul Morgenroth Wind Instrument Connections [email protected] 785-840-4547

Most of my issues at school are solved with these tools: (I don’t keep everything in the same place like a tool box) I have a chest of drawers in my office.

TOOLS drawer: PERCUSSION drawer truing tool Drum keys, bongo wrench *Rawhide Mallet Large Screwdrivers FLUTE drawer Allen wrenches Cleaning rods Dental floss Lighter DOUBLE REED drawer Weldwood contact cement Reed knife Glue pellets Reamer Sheet cork Water key corks BY PODIUM: Sand paper 220 grit *Small screwdrivers *Steel Wool #0000 *Soft Jaw Pliers *Pliers *Mouthpiece Puller Needle Nose Old silk swab DESK drawer Teflon tape General purpose tools *Electrical tape Scissors String Claw hammer *Blue thread locker Vise Grips 5 minute epoxy Drill – for holes in double reed cases *Super glue Hot glue gun *Xacto knife *Paraffin canning wax (Gulfwax) TABLE BY OFFICE *Microfiber rag *Tags for repair, place to leave instrument

*Used once or more a week

WOODWINDS SPRINGS Do they open or close? Spring hook tool Small screwdriver

LOOSE KEYS Tighten until stiff Back off until pop up

JOINT FITTING Loose Dental Floss Scotch tape-Flutes

KEY ADJUSTING FLUTE key wiggle CLARINET crow’s foot SAX G# test COMBINATIONS Adjustment screws are great if they turn Turn too easily? Blue threadlock, not super glue Turn until keys meet tone holes together SAX OCTAVE A little play between the neck loop and the floating lever BASS CLARINET BELL KEY Warning!

PADS Torn? Wrap with Teflon tape to limp through Fell out? No seat or light seat, reglue – just use existing glue. CAUTION heat angle! Deep seat? Send it in.

CORKS REGLUING-Weldwood cement Apply to both surfaces, wait until it’s not shiny CLARINET TENONS Electrical tape around outside of body until you can send it in SAX NECK Post it notes or masking tape

SWABS Recommend Silk Stuck? REVERSE!!! Can you reach with needle nose pliers? If not, send it in. Do NOT insert anything into the

BRASS

STUCK MOUTHPIECE Ferrees puller Bobcat puller #0000 Steel wool Truing

STUCK TUNING SLIDE Rag

PISTON VALVES Often inserted 180° Guides sometimes hung up at an angle Stems come unscrewed and disassembled. Check to see which way the guide goes compared to other valves! Stuck Caps – Soft jaw pliers Stuck valves – oil from top and bottom. Also from side if you can remove slide. Try again. Bump with hand. Lastly, rawhide mallet and stick very gently! You can smash underside of valve. BARITONE and guides dislocated. Air vent vs. guide hole

ROTARY VALVES Stuck valves – oil from all 3 locations: Spindle under stop arm Under the bearing plate cap Down the slide tube Then work the stop arm gently back and forth with pliers. Notes/scale doesn’t sound right – slides may be reversed. Short ones on the inside. Broken string – Mimic other valves. Good guides found in Choplin’s book. Heat and pinch the ends of your string! Make a huge knot!

TROMBONE SLIDES Rough? Sometimes it’s just dirty. Wipe inner slide. If grit remains, use #0000 steel wool. Then lube. Not better? Send it in. Slide sticks in 1st position – Flip it around! Be sure the slide lug is on the slide lock side! Dents in the bell? Be sure slide is stored correctly in case.

PERCUSSION:

Caution: Prongs of stand can poke the bottom head or damage snares!!! Replace missing tension rods (keep the tuning keys away from the kids) Bent snare wires? You can snip a few before it’s noticeable! More than 3 or 4, send it in or replace yourself. Broken snare cord? 10 yards of Ludwig P4078A is $7 on Amazon right now. Dented shell under throwoff? Send it in. Drum will not sound right. Broken throwoff? Send it in. Out of tune? Balancing the overtones. Same note for top & bottom head. Find the drum’s comfort zone: Strained too high, Muddy too low

GENERAL TIPS

WOODEN INSTRUMENTS Humidity-Humidipak 3 months between services, also de-humidifies Temperature Oil Hot breath Break in Swabbing

REEDS Legere Reeds run hard! Good value.

FOREIGN INSTRUMENTS Changes in the market, ask your music stores

YOUTUBE RESOURCES

Better Sax -- Jay Metcalf Stohrer Music – Matt Stohrer MusicMedic.com Acoustic Shoppe “Humidifying Your Instrument” Humistat Corporation “Humistat Humidifier for Musical Instruments: How to Use Model #1”

PREVENTING PROBLEMS TELL YOUR KIDS

How to set instruments down

Flute: Leave the crown alone. If the head cork is loose it needs replaced. If the crown just spins, it’s leaking. If the head cork is in the right place, the line on your cleaning rod will be in the center of the hole in the lip plate. Swab every time you play.

Oboe: Watch the bridge keys and assemble carefully. Humidify and keep wooden instruments at room temperature. Swab during class as well as after. Some say just don’t use cork grease on the reeds. It can too easily plug the hole.

Bassoon: Don’t store your reeds in tubes or boxes without holes. Bocals are expensive. Handle at the base. They cannot be repaired! Install the bocal with the whisper key open all the way so it doesn’t tear. Please latch and unlatch the body lock when the instrument is fully assembled. Swab every time you play.

Clarinet and Saxophone: Do not leave your reed on the mouthpiece. Bass clarinets and saxes do not leave the mouthpiece on the neck. Swab every time you play.

Piston instruments: Stuck mouthpiece and valve caps? Bring it to school. Always turn your valves to the right so they don’t fall apart. Use valve oil. And when you do, oil them one at a time (avoid getting mixed up)

Horns: Empty slides one at a time (avoid getting mixed up) Oil your rotors at all 3 locations.

Trombones: Lube your slide. Be sure to put your slide in the case correctly so the bell taper doesn’t crash into the bell when you close the case. When you take the outer slide off the inner slide, make sure the slide lock and lug are on the same side when you put it back together!

Percussion: Timpani pedals down, everything put away in its appropriate place. The more that’s put away and covered, the less tempting it is for people to mess with it.

SOURCES for TOOLS

Screwdrivers Small set at Westlake $5 Milwaukee 6-piece Precision set $25

Mouthpiece Truing tools Ferrees N15 Mouthpiece Shank Arbor $34 (I like this size) JL Smith Shank Dent Tool $45 (more compact)

Rotor String Polaris 35 lb nylon braided fishing line 200 yds $9 on Amazon

Mouthpiece pullers Ferrees G88 $88 ferreestoolsinc.com (replacement parts available) Votaw Bobcat $47 votawtool.com (replacement parts available)

Emergency pads and corks kits JL Smith Director’s Kit $780 jlsmithco.com

Soft Jaw Pliers Proto soft cannon pliers $23.75 on Amazon or just rubber kitchen grabber with pliers

Leak light $12 USB LED “Timiy Saxophone Flute LED Leak Light” on Amazon $20 120v rope “Premium LED Saxophone Leak Light” on Amazon

Resource Guide Stuff Band Directors Need to Know by Melody Choplin $35 Amazon, $9.95 on Kindle!