Caring for your trombone slide during busy periods

Why a busy diary is so hard on your slide

Anyone who plays in a community concert band knows the pattern. September brings a new programme, October adds a contest, November slides into carol rehearsals, and suddenly you are playing four nights a week and twice on Saturdays. It is wonderful, and it is also the point at which trombone slides start to misbehave.

The hand slide is the most finely toleranced part of the instrument. Two tubes glide inside two slightly larger tubes with a film of moisture and lubricant between them, and everything depends on that film staying clean and consistent. Play every day and the slide collects breath condensation, skin oils from your hands, dust from draughty rehearsal rooms, and the residue of every lubricant you have ever applied. Left alone, that mixture thickens into a sticky paste that no amount of frantic spraying will shift.

The good news is that prevention takes about three minutes a day. Players who look after their slides never seem to have trouble, and it is not luck — it is routine.

The three-minute routine after every blow

Make this the habit, whether you have played a two-hour rehearsal or a single carol outside a supermarket.

• Remove the hand slide from the bell section and hold it by the brace, never by the tubes.
• Wipe the inner slide — the two tubes with the stocking at the top — with a soft, lint-free cloth. A microfibre cloth kept in the case is ideal. Work from the stocking downwards in one smooth pass, then turn the cloth and repeat.
• Drain the outer slide. Tip it gently over a sink or a bin and let the condensation run out. Do not shake it vigorously; a trombone slide is easily dented by a careless flick.
• Wipe the outer tubes with the same cloth to remove fingerprints, which are mildly acidic and will eventually mark the plating.
• Let everything air for a few minutes before it goes back in the case. Packing a damp slide away is how green verdigris starts to appear.

If you are dashing straight from a rehearsal to the car, at least separate the slide from the bell and leave the case open on the back seat. Storing the slide attached is also how dents happen when a case gets knocked.

Lubricant: less is genuinely more

Nearly every sluggish slide I have been asked to look at was over-lubricated rather than under-lubricated. Slide cream, oil and spray all work, but they work in tiny quantities. A blob of cream the size of a grain of rice, smeared thinly across the top of the stocking, is plenty for a whole rehearsal. Two or three drops of slide oil on the stocking, spread by moving the slide a few times, will do the same job.

The spray bottle is for moisture, not for lubrication. A fine mist of water over the inner slide keeps the film fluid; flooding it washes your cream away and leaves the slide drier than before. If your slide starts to feel slow mid-gig, mist it lightly rather than reaching for more cream.

Avoid anything not designed for the job. Petroleum jelly, cooking oil and assorted household remedies will gum up the works, and some will attack the plating. If you are unsure what suits your instrument, ask an experienced player in the band or a repairer — most are happy to advise.

The weekly deep clean

Once a week, ideally on a quiet evening rather than five minutes before a concert, give the slide a proper wash.

• Fill a basin or bath with lukewarm water and a little mild washing-up liquid. Hot water can distort lacquer and is never necessary.
• Push a flexible slide brush wrapped in a soft cloth through the outer tubes, working from both ends.
• Use a smaller brush for the inner tubes, and take care around the stocking, where the metal is thin.
• Rinse thoroughly with clean lukewarm water until no soap remains, then dry inside and out with a lint-free cloth.
• Leave the slide apart on a towel for twenty minutes before reassembling and re-lubricating.

Never use abrasive cream cleaners, wire wool or anything scouring on the tubes. If there is stubborn green or black deposit around the stocking, a brief wipe with a dilute white vinegar solution followed by a thorough rinse will shift it, but do not make a habit of it.

Warning signs to catch early

A slide rarely fails without warning. Learn what it is telling you.

• A gritty or sandy feel usually means dried lubricant or a little grit. Clean and re-lubricate rather than adding more product.
• A squeak or judder suggests the film has broken down or the slide is too dry. Mist with water first.
• Black marks on the inner slide are a sign of corrosion starting beneath old lubricant. Wash and dry thoroughly.
• A slide that sticks in one spot may be very slightly bent. Stop playing on it and get it looked at — forcing it will make things worse.

Cold churches and outdoor bandstands are the classic culprits. Let the instrument come up to room temperature where you can, and keep the slide moving gently during long rests.

Building a gig-bag maintenance kit

Keep a small pouch permanently in your case so a busy period never catches you out: a microfibre cloth, a spare cloth, a small bottle of slide spray, your preferred cream or oil, and a flexible brush. Add a small plastic bag for the wet cloth after a damp job — you do not want that against the instrument.

Three minutes a day, a proper wash once a week, and a light hand with the lubricant will keep your slide moving freely through the busiest season your band can throw at it.