Whee! It's that time of year again- everyone is receiving from sunburns and soccer camp- now it's back in the saddle and BACK TO SCHOOL!

Each year there is an influx of new brass students that all need instruction in how to take care of their new instrument, but we ALL need to take better care of our instruments, not just the new crew.

I created a series of videos to make sure that students worldwide could have a head start on taking care of their instruments. As a lifelong student myself, and admitted GEAR NERD, I am always interested in how to take care of your instrument so it will last a lifetime.

By taking care of your instrument, it will be:

easier to play

last a lifetime

save money on repairs and maintenance

keep you from getting sick (really)

My favorite thing I've heard is, "It's a school horn, I don't need to clean it."

Ummm. . . sonny. . . . . if anything, you REALLY NEED TO CLEAN IT, because you have no idea where it's been, or what's growing inside of it. Plus, you deserve a horn that is in top shape, and your school deserves a horn that will last for years to come. You owe it to the next group coming down the road, and your school - take care of it.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!

www.bonehead.us/maintenance

Instrument maintenance is perhaps the most often overlooked area by students (and professionals). I have created the following twelve maintenance videos on my YouTube channel. They were recorded in hi-def 720p, and I will be working in the next few weeks to improve the sound quality for you. It sounds simple, but if you follow this tenet, it will prove true "take care of your instrument, and it will take care of you." Playing a brass instrument is hard enough without making things even more challenging by having an instrument that does not play well. I've spent the last twenty-eight years studying not only how to play better, but also how to take best care of my instrument so it will be "ready for battle." I've borrowed from colleagues, repair gurus, and experimented to come up with the following advice.

Please take a moment to watch the following videos (get a good cup of coffee first) or better yet, watch one, GO PRACTICE, watch another, GO PRACTICE, watch another, (you get the idea). Please comment below, let me know what you think, and if you have any other advice of things that have worked well for you. Maintenance is often a lot of religion and mythology- I urge you to openly consider what I say here, and try it out, see what happens if you apply it consistently for a minimum of 2-3 months.

See you at the top!

Dr. J

Maintenance Video 1 of 12 - Introduction & Overview

Maintenance Video 2 of 12- Snakes

Maintenance Video 3 of 12- Slides that Tune & Grease

Maintenance Video 4 of 12- Thirsty Bones

Maintenance Video 5 of 12- Your Trombone needs a Tine

Maintenance Video 6 of 12 - Yamaha Slide Oil

Maintenance Video 7 of 12 - Slide o Mix Cleaning Rod

Maintenance Video 8 of 12 - Bath Time 1

Maintenance Video 9 of 12 - Bath Time 2: Bathing with Trummy Young

Maintenance Video 10 of 12 - Bath Time 3 Scrub it Out