Taking Care of Your Instrument

Taking care of your instrument is extremely important. Failing to treat it properly can result in many consequences. The instrument could be damaged severely or it could fail to play with the same quality it once did. These problems waste both time and money spent to repair the instrument. Instead, it is easier to simply treat the instrument well and make sure it is always in the best condition possible.

One of the worst possible things you can do is drop your instrument. Sometimes, nothing happens and you can get away with it. However, sometimes dropping the instrument causes permanent damage unless fixed. Dents are very common in younger musicians' instruments because they are more likely to drop them or bang them against a chair or stand. The dents are not only ugly, but they can also affect the quality of the sound the instrument produces. They decrease the value of the instrument as well, which is not good if you are looking to sell it later on. Simply keeping a good, strong hold on your instrument and not dropping it saves you much stress and hassle.

Being sensitive to the weather is also vital in taking care of your instrument. This applies more to woodwind instruments than brass. Many woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes, and bassoons are made out of wood, hence the name woodwind. Wood does not do well in extreme temperatures. Leaving a woodwind instrument outside or in a car when it is too hot or too cold can result in major damage. This is because the temperatures cause the wood to expand and contract, leading to the risk of the wood cracking. Rain is also very harmful to wood instruments. It is necessary to keep the instrument dry at all costs. It is important to always take your instrument inside with you and never leave outside unattended.

Another thing you can do to keep your instrument in tip-top condition is to swab it or clean it out after every playing session. Again, this is more important to woodwind players. Brass players can simply open a little button where all the spit collects and empty it out that way. For the same reason rain is bad for wood instruments, it is not good to let water or spit sit in the instrument. The water drains the moisture from the wood and dries it out, which can also lead to cracking. Many people only swab their instrument about once every three to four times they play, but I prefer to be safe so I swab my oboe every single time I play.

When I was in seventh grade, my private lesson teacher and I decided it was time for me to purchase a professional wood oboe. I took care of it the best I knew how, but it still cracked within the first few months of its purchase. I never left my oboe in the car or walked outside with it not in its case. I swabbed it every single time I played and never dropped it. This crack was not my fault though. My new oboe arrived during winter, which is a horrible time to break in a new instrument. Breaking in a new oboe is already very risky, so the weather did not help any. Both of these elements helped factor the crack in my oboe. Despite taking such good care of my instrument, it still cracked. It is important to know that accidents can still happen even if you treat your instrument properly. However, you should still always make your best effort to care for your instrument.