Five Accessories You Need for the Tuba
In this blog post, we'll explore five essential accessories that every tuba player should have to keep their instrument in prime condition. From valve oil to cleaning snakes, each accessory plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth functionality and longevity of your tuba. Join us as we navigate the world of tuba accessories!
1. Valve Oil
Valve oil will keep your valves moving smoothly. If they are feeling a bit hard to push down or aren’t coming back up when you push them down, this can usually be fixed by oiling your valves. Tubas either have piston or rotary valves, so make sure you buy oil that is appropriate for the type of valves you have.
2. Slide Cream
If you play a non-compensating tuba, there will be some slides you need to move while playing. Slide cream (or slide oil) will keep these slides moving quickly. If you happen to be without slide cream or oil, using valve oil can serve as a temporary solution. Keep in mind that valve oil tends to evaporate rapidly, so you will need to frequently reapply it. To ensure smoother and longer-lasting maintenance for your valve slides, it is better to have slide cream or oil readily available.
3. Slide Grease
Slide grease is thicker than slide cream and is good for the main tuning slide, as you don’t need this to move freely while playing. Remember to move this slide in and out occasionally to stop it from seizing up.
4. Cleaning Snakes
A cleaning snake is long with small brushes on both ends. You can pull it through your leadpipe and slides to remove any accumulated build up. This is the safest way to clean your tuba, as non-flexible brushes designed for other purposes may cause dents to your instrument.
5. Mouthpiece Brush
The mouthpiece brush is shorter than your cleaning snake and the perfect size for leaving your mouthpiece spotless. It's a good idea to clean your mouthpiece between full instrument cleans as this is where you will have the most build up.
Optional Item: Rubber Mat
Keeping a rubber mat between the tuba and your legs will prevent the instrument from slipping while you are playing. You can source this from a hardware store.