The Well Equipped Wind Player / Teacher Tool Kit

The Well Equipped Wind Player / Teacher Tool Kit 

A Suggested Shortlist

All experienced players know that things can go wrong with our instrument(s), sometimes at the most awkward moments - i.e. your favourite reed broken just before a performance, a valve suddenly begins to stick, a french horn valve cord breaks, a spring 'pings' out of place, a mouthpiece becomes stuck, a pad or screw falls out - the list runs on and on. Fortunately these 'crises' do not happen very often and regular maintenance reduces the frequency still further, however sometimes things just happen. Getting equipped with a basic knowledge of how the mechanism(s) of your instrument works and having the tools required to effect basic 'running repairs' is I believe essential to survive such moments for player, teachers and pupils.

Brass

For brass players the list of helpful tools is largely very familiar and includes an appropriate valve oil, an tuning slide grease, cleaning cloths, a length of cord and perhaps a valve brush. A further good investment, especially recommended for teachers, would be a mouthpiece puller as pupils frequently manage to get their mouthpieces jammed in the receiver. A cleaning/scouring pad with a gentle or moderate surface and a degreasing liquid can also be very handy to remove more stubbornly built up dirt and grit. A pull through cloth on a string such as a good quality clarinet swab can be very helpful in cleaning valves and a 'snake' with a brush to run through the leadpipe to clear blockages is also a useful item.

A tapered reamer for reshaping the shank of mouthpieces when they become dented or damaged is almost proper 'repairer' territory but might prove very useful especially when teaching youngsters. Keeping a small supply of self adhesive  'spit valve' corks handy may also save the day at some point.

Woodwind

For woodwind players the list of items and tools runs a bit longer but is just as vital. The obvious starting point is extra reeds for all but the flute players, then cork grease, safe reed storage holder of some kind (where reeds can be kept safe whether wet or dry), reed making and adjusting tools (for the double reed player), including a reed knife (for all reed players) and a reed cutter for the single reed player, cleaning cloths for both inside and out (of course), pad cleaning and pad powder paper, but some additional items will have a likely become very helpful in the case of more serious 'emergency repair' situations - i.e. appropriate size tip screw drivers of good quality, a spring hook or crochet hook for repositioning or tensioning springs, a 'pad slick' to assist in repositioning pads or bending keywork or rotating large screw heads (such as found on saxophone bell keys) when desired, Evostick or similar contact cement for sticking back fallen bits of cork or felt, heavy weight key oil to silence noisy mechanisms, 'cling film' or UPVC plumbers tape that can be used to wrap up and keep a problematic pad or cork in place long enough to complete a concert, blue tack, some rubber bands and string or thread to use for temporary repairs, and a cleaning brush such as an old fashioned shaving brush or paint brush to remove dust from delicate key mechanisms.

And then, perhaps entering the rightful territory of the instrument repairer, a pair of long nose pliers to grip rod screws when removing them, a small hammer,  a flame/heat source (such as a cigarette lighter) for use in heating up shellac to more properly replace a pad into a key cup.


Once equipped with such a selection of tools, care materials and the knowledge/experience to use them well, should the unexpected happen one has a very good chance of carrying on to complete a performance and follow through as required to a repairer to finish returning the offending instrument to top condition. Good Luck!

Should you be interested courses on instrument maintenance and just such 'quick' repairs are offered through Cambridge Woodwind Makers. I recommend visiting their site:

www.cambridgewoodwindmakers.org

to see the range of course offerings available. Highly recommended.

--------------

The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.

Thomas Dryer-Beers