TromboneChat

Just a friendly PSA check your horn for leaks and check your spit valve cork!

Rolled into rehearsal today feeling frustrated with how I was playing. Nothing was centering and I was working really hard. Been feeling like this for the past week... Look down and my whole dang spit valve cork is gone!!! How long has that been gone???

Fairly certain my horn has some leaks in the valve section too. Chucked some plumbers tape on a couple of suspicious joints and bam! Notes on the F side of the horn actually slot! It sucks... but It's something that can be fixed! Yay!

95% of the time problems can be fixed with practice but sometimes it's the equipment that's the issue! It's ok to sometimes be a hypochondriac with your horn!!!

Also, does anyone have a source for just stocking up on corks? It's a drag to have to go to my tech everytime it decides to fall off.

I found corks on Ebay. I think the 12 mm is the usual size, but my Community Band leader (also a repairman) gave me a few last time he worked on something for me.

Some people like to carve their own corks from wine bottle corks or other good quality cork, but it's a lot of work for something that costs only a few cents.

I always have a couple extra corks. They're on Hickeys too.

I just had this happen myself. Even worse, I had this happen at a concert last year, and only realized once I had gotten home.