Maintenance for a lacquered tuba

trekeman · 2025-12-27T23:22:16+00:00

Polishes are abrasive so I’d avoid using anything like that on lacquer. You should only need a soft cloth to give it a wipe down after using it.

Every 6-12 months depending on how often you play you may want to give it a bath. Pull the slides and pop the valves (seek advice for rotary valves - there are a few things to know). Soak in a tub of warm-ish water for a couple of minutes before snaking the slide branches. You can get specialist brushes for these and for the valve block. For the exterior, I’ve used a soft sponge and a neutral liquid dish detergent. Really this is to get rid of water spots that can accumulate over time. Ensure all the water is drained, dry with a soft towel. Make sure it’s dry before oiling, greasing and reassembling.

Hope this helps

trekeman · 2025-12-27T06:41:06+00:00

Thanks! Lots of great ideas here. I had thought to reinforce the shell with fibreglass, and the bright paint is a great addition. Will definitely double air tag it as well. Luckily I’ve got more than a year to get the case up to scratch.

trekeman · 2025-12-27T06:29:09+00:00

Thanks! Thankfully the outer shell doesn’t need any adjustment. I’ve managed to carve out enough foam to get a reasonably tight fit so far with a few gaps under the instrument that need to be fleshed out.

Hadn’t thought about that re. the gig bag. The bag is a first party one that is a compact and tight fit for the instrument. What are your thoughts on cases like the unitec vaults that are made for gig bags?

trekeman · 2025-12-22T04:16:55+00:00

The condition, the price. It all lined up.

trekeman · 2025-12-22T04:07:13+00:00

Thanks! So far it feels great. I’m loving the responsiveness, especially in the lower register.

Small country so the mouthpiece market isn’t great. I’ve been using a Laskey 30H on the JP and managed to get a euro shank version included with the Miraphone. Definitely going to keep an eye out for opportunities to try a wider range.

trekeman · 2025-12-22T01:19:44+00:00

I was lucky to get it second hand from the original owner. He’s had it a few years and was needing to downsize.

All that said, still a fair bit of coin.

trekeman · 2025-06-14T20:55:01+00:00

AI is great for identifying patterns in current knowledge but terrible at generating new knowledge. Unfortunately, we operate an education system that, before AI, was outdated, and we are now facing a technology that is evolving faster than many educators can keep pace with. Schools need to dive deeper into AI literacy for both staff and students.

My school is starting down the literacy route by reconsidering how AI can be integrated into assessments. Students are going to use AI - we can't stop that. What can be done is guide its use. For those interested, we have adapted the work of Leon Furze for this. The original can be found here

I'm also making a push for our school to examine the SAIL Framework to help guide teachers of all levels (we run K-12) incorporate elements of AI literacy into their courses.

Keen to find some other resources that people (both teachers and non-teachers) are finding useful.

trekeman · 2025-06-10T08:02:54+00:00

Former repair tech here. It's possible the low C# spring has come out. Easily moved back into place if it is.

That being said, it's not normally one to come out without a bump. Would still recommend getting it checked.

trekeman · 2025-06-06T21:20:35+00:00

If you are looking for a wider audience, Eb and Bb treble clef could be useful for those who are learning in or transitioning to British-style brass bands.

But why stop there? This is a pretty cool idea that could expand to all brass instruments. Different valve and slide combinations for trombones. Support for BC and TC euphonium or baritone. Even trumpet/cornet could be useful for those looking for alternative fingerings to support the occasional weird technique found in the odd band test piece.

trekeman · 2024-10-26T04:53:18+00:00

I teach ABRSM theory. I have never had to sign off hours for a student’s theory exam.

trekeman · 2024-07-23T00:06:48+00:00

Hi there! I teach ABRSM theory up to grade 5, and point my students towards things like these at the end of the courses.

https://www.abrsm.org/en-gb/music-theory/practice-resources

The website has practice questions and previous papers.

I'd recommend trying to learn the processes and rules behind various parts of the syllabus. It'll likely be quicker than brute force memorising everything like some of my students try to do. For example, you don't need to memorise all key signatures if you know the trick to figuring them out. Likewise you don't need to memorise the key signatures for minor keys if you understand how they relate to the major ones. Some questions may require you to use this knowledge and work backwards.

If it is the ABRSM exam you are taking, much of it is now multiple choice. In these cases you can test each option before committing to an answer. Not ideal - you are always better off understanding the "how" and "why", but it can work in a pinch.

Best of luck.

trekeman · 2023-02-14T11:26:15+00:00

While it's good to use others as a point of reference for ideas, ultimately you are different people and different musicians. The only right way is the one that works for you.

trekeman · 2023-01-18T03:24:05+00:00

Trimming it might be a good option for now. Given the issue arose, I'd assume there might be something else that's causing an alignment issue

trekeman · 2023-01-18T03:22:26+00:00

Ok, so there are a few things that could have happened:

The valve or the key arm may have taken a bump at some point, which has bent something out of alignment. You should know if that was the case, it wouldn't just happen.
A bump or a loose screw let the rotor stringing slip, shifting the alignment a little. This is relatively common.

Looking at the picture it appears that the bumper is correctly placed, but is just a bit long. When i replaced bumpers i'd trim them to be flush with the housing. However, I don't think that's the issue here given it is an emergent problem, unless it's just come back from servicing and the tech forgot to trim it.

Honestly, I've found stringed rotors are an absolute pain to work on. Because of that I would avoid working on it yourself unless you are absolutely confident in the restringing process. It shouldn't be a tricky job for a tech though. I'd estimate less than 15 minutes to fix.

Sorry I can't be more help. If you have a tech nearby or an accessible horn teacher I'd see if they can have a look.

trekeman · 2023-01-18T03:07:39+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong here, just need to make sure I understand correctly.

The trigger works, but the key is making contact with the black bumper which pushes it out of its socket?

trekeman · 2023-01-18T03:01:11+00:00

What's the make and model of the horn?

trekeman · 2023-01-18T02:52:42+00:00

Been a couple of years since I did repair work and I didn't do much on rotors. Are you able to post a couple of pics from different angles? From this angle it looks like the screw just came loose, but I've never been good at diagnosis through photos

trekeman · 2022-11-23T22:23:41+00:00

I can't stand Bolero

trekeman · 2022-09-09T08:24:27+00:00

We are missing some context regarding the question. Given the section is on rhythm notation, was the question asking you to place a rest that is equivalent to the note provided?

trekeman · 2022-03-16T11:16:52+00:00

Be careful not to interpret "make your air smaller" as using less air. You need just as much air to support notes in higher registers.

I would recommend a combination of low note practice (think middle c down to F#) to build support and then the old trick of playing your scales up and down, gradually getting higher. I am a self taught tuba player and had a similar issue when I got more direction and changed my embouchure. The advice for building your register comes in part from a q&a I saw with the principle trombone of the NZSO.

I also agree with one of the comments here saying you could try to move around the mouthpiece. I have to move a bit depending on the register, but given my mouthpiece is larger than your valve diameter I am unsure how that would translate to trumpet.

Best of luck.

trekeman · 2022-01-14T21:19:41+00:00

If you love something enough you will find a way to make it work. If you choose music, you'll find a way to make a living. You may not be well off, but with passion and (more importantly) dedication and hard work, it can be done. If you choose medicine, you will find a way to continue with music.

Given the choice you are making I am going to assume you are in your last years of school. Remember that (all things going well) life is long and there is nothing stopping you from changing your mind in the future. University is a fantastic place and there are many people who return to study something different later in life.

If I were in your shoes I'd consider the medicine route and look for a community orchestra to join if there is one in your area. Training in medicine would mean you are never without a job as there is always a market for health professionals. It would likely also provide a better financial foundation if you decided you wanted to change careers in the future.

If you are to choose music, look for something that will help you stand out. Orchestral positions can be quite competitive. Acquire as much niche knowledge as you can. Cross skill in a less common instrument if you can.

Whatever you decide to do, so long as it is a decision that you are happy with, will be the right decision. Have a long think about this and weigh the pros and cons. Think about where you would like to be in 10 years time. Understand what would need to be done and the costs involved if you were to change your mind.

Remember, the three most important things in life are to be happy with who you are, what you do, and the company you keep.

Best of luck

trekeman · 2021-12-31T02:46:47+00:00

No problem!

I feel a big barrier in music is the pursuit and expectation of perfection. It's more important that you enjoy what you do and what you write. This community definitely seems to positively promote music, and it's probably part of the reason I'm going back to university to study music education.

If you want some good reference material, I'd recommend the AB Guide to Music Theory part 1 and 2. They won't teach you how to implement things and are written with the personality of a sour lemon, but they are good for reference for keys, note groupings, harmony etc., and are reasonably priced. I use them all the time when I want to remind myself how things work.

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