Protecting Your Investment: Best Practices for Woodwind Instrument Maintenance
When it comes to woodwind instruments—be it the gentle lilt of a flute or the deep resonances of a bassoon—their delicate craftsmanship and complex assembly make them both a substantial investment and a treasure to maintain. Maintaining a woodwind instrument is crucial not only for ensuring it performs well but also for protecting the investment you’ve made in it. In this article, we cover the essential care techniques every woodwind player should know. Proper maintenance can dramatically improve the sound and longevity of these instruments, whether you’re a beginner or a professional. From flutes to clarinets, effective care strategies are key to keeping your instrument in top condition. Join us as we delve into straightforward and effective methods to help you maintain your woodwind, ensuring it plays beautifully for years to come.
Daily Maintenance:
Swabbing the Interior
After playing, moisture condenses inside the instrument due to the warm, moist air from your breath. If not removed, this moisture can cause the pads to swell and deteriorate and may lead to warping and cracking of the wood in wooden instruments. Using a swab pulls this moisture out, protecting the instrument’s material and extending the life of the pads.
Cleaning the Mouthpiece
Regularly cleaning the mouthpiece is vital to prevent the buildup of bacteria, yeast, and mold, which can pose health risks and affect the clarity of sound. Thorough cleaning of the inside removes any residue from saliva that can alter the response and intonation of the instrument. We also recommend taking your swab and wiping down the outside of your mouthpiece. Although this is generally recommended monthly, we recommend doing it daily. The calcium buildup on your mouthpiece is harmless, but the bacterial biofilm that your saliva leaves can be dangerous to inhale repeatedly.
Weekly Maintenance:
Wipe the Exterior
Fingerprints and oils from the skin can corrode the instrument’s finish over time. Your instrument may look robust now, but in the future, you’d be surprised how corrosive these metals are. By wiping the exterior with a soft cloth, you prevent the buildup of these oils and substances that can etch into the finish and metal, maintaining the instrument’s aesthetic and functional quality.
Check and Replace Reeds
Reeds can accumulate mold and bacteria, which not only pose health risks but also affect the reed’s vibration, impacting sound quality. Regular inspection and replacement ensure the best sound and reduce the risk of irritation or infection from a dirty or moldy reed.
Monthly Maintenance:
Clean Pads and Tone Holes
Residue and debris in the pads and tone holes can lead to sticky keys and muffled tones. While this isn’t required for most keys that springs keep open, it is highly recommended for keys that stay closed unless you physically open them. Cleaning them ensures the pads fully seal and release as intended, producing a clear and accurate sound. A simple way to do this is grabbing a dollar bill, soaking it in kerosene or water, and sliding the bill in and out with the pad closed to pull out the dirt. This maintenance step prevents costly repairs of pad replacements and tone hole resurfacing.
Tarnish Prevention:
While this mostly applies to flutes and clarinets, instruments with any silver, rose gold, gold, or platinum can benefit from tarnish reduction. While tarnish isn’t harmful to your instrument or affect the sound of your playing, it can lead to a slight metallic smell and adverse allergy reactions. Simply placing a strip of anti-tarnish paper in your case drastically slows down tarnish. It is recommended to replace strips every month due to their extremely low cost.
Yearly Maintenance:
Check for Air Leaks
Proper seal integrity is essential for good tone and intonation. Air leaks can significantly hinder an instrument’s ability to play certain notes or diminish sound quality. A professional can detect and fix these leaks, which often go unnoticed by the player, ensuring the instrument performs optimally.
Lubricate Key Mechanisms
Over time, the key mechanisms can become stiff due to the wear of components and accumulation of grime. Lubrication ensures smooth key action, reduces wear on the mechanism, and prevents potential breakage, making playing easier and preserving the mechanical integrity of the instrument. A common mistake I see is people adding key oil to mechanisms; although that may sound helpful, if you don’t remove the key/rod and clean out the old grime, new oil will just make it worse. It is recommended you get your instrument cleaned, oiled, and adjusted by a licensed tech every year.
Oil Your Bore
Oiling the bore can significantly reduce acoustic dissipation caused by surface roughness, and will also prevent cracking. This process helps to maintain a smooth interior surface, which is essential for optimal sound production and resonance. Different wood species used in instrument making, such as maple, pear wood, boxwood, and African Blackwood, show varying results post-polishing, affecting the sound and longevity of the instrument (Boutin et al., 2017), however oiling the bore keeps the wood stable and more resistant to moisture, which overall prevents cracking. A simple way to do this is to put a bit of almond oil on your swab, and run it through your bore enough to apply a thin and even coat everywhere.
Professional Servicing
An annual checkup by a professional is recommended as they can identify and fix issues such as misalignment or wear that are not obvious to most players. This preventative maintenance can avoid more severe problems later and ensure that the instrument plays to its full potential.
These detailed care steps are designed to address both the playability and hygiene aspects of maintaining a woodwind instrument, ensuring that it remains in excellent condition for practice and performance. For a comprehensive overview of these procedures, the video guide by Baird (1990) is a highly recommended resource that provides step-by-step instructions and demonstrates the importance of regular maintenance.
