11/30/2013

The Significance Of Musical Instrument Cleaning

By Angela Briggs


Inspecting your musical instruments to know whether they are in good working condition is quite important. You can either do the inspection yourself or hire a professional. This article discusses the importance of musical instrument cleaning and how it should be done.

First, you need to keep the instruments dry at all times. Nickel or brass musical instruments can corrode easily if they are exposed to moisture. This is because moisture contains oxygen which causes oxidation when it mixes with water. You should always keep your instruments dry in order to prevent corrosion. Also, wooden instruments absorb water. This can make them expand thus distorting their original shape. Ensure that excess moisture is wiped out so as to make your instruments serve you for long.

The woodwind instruments have pads that are used to cover the holes so as to produce different sounds. If the pads absorb water, they become wet and may not be able to cover the holes well. This makes the instrument unable to produce high quality sound. To improve the quality of sound produced by the woodwind instrument, ensure that the pads are dry at all times.

Acids from the body may also cause harm to your music instruments. These acids usually come out of the body through a process known as perspiration. They include hydrochloric acid, lactic, and many others. Such acids attack metals such as brass, aluminum and nickel. To prevent your instruments from being attacked by these acids, wipe out the perspiration every time you use your musical instruments.

There are also other acids contained in the saliva. An example of such acids is the carbonic acid. Others are formed in the mouth depending on the foods consumed and the cleanliness of the mouth. Such acids affect solder that is used on certain instruments. Make sure that you thoroughly clean the inner side of the gadgets so as to remove such acids.

Water is sometimes used to lubricate the rotary parts of musical instruments. You should note that water contains salts that can harm your instruments. If you use salty water to lubricate the instruments, you will see some white substances deposited on parts of your instrument after the water has dried. Such substances can make the instruments not to work properly. It is advisable that you use distilled water if you cannot get oil.

Unwanted materials can also affect your musical instruments. Foreign materials such as food particles can enter into your wind instruments and cause blockage. When blocked, these instruments cannot produce high quality sound. Also, such unwanted materials can enter into your lungs and cause health complications. So, it is important that you remove such materials from your instruments to keep them extremely clean.

Sometimes corrosion occurs on piston valves. Unwanted materials can also build up in the same valves making them not to perform their task. Dirt between the pistons can cause a lot of harm to the instruments. This calls for regular inspection of your musical instruments. If you want quality job done, consider hiring a professional to undertake the instrument cleaning task.




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