In general, the F trigger on a trombone provides three uses. First, it drops the pitch of a tenor trombone by a perfect fourth. As a result, you can access an extended range which includes false tones and pedal tones. In addition, it adds new options for positions like middle C in 1st position rather than 4th. Finally, it opens up the possibility for trills.

In the remainder of this article, we’ll take a look at the anatomy of a trigger, how to hold a horn with a trigger, the benefits of having a trigger, and how to maintain a trigger.

Anatomy of an F Trigger

If you take a look at your horn right now, you’ll notice that the F trigger is made up of four main sections: the trigger, the linkage, the valve, and the wrap.

Typically, the trigger is a piece of metal that sits along the bell brace closest to the bell. As a result, when you wrap your hand around the the slide brace, your thumb will rest right on top of the trigger. Unlike a straight trombone, your thumb won’t go over the bell brace which may feel a little odd at first.

Then, the linkage is the mechanism which connects the trigger to the valve. In general, there are two types of linkages: string and mechanical. With a string linkage, you’ll notice a string that’s attached to the trigger and wraps around the valve. When the trigger is pressed, the valve will rotate into place. Meanwhile, the mechanical linkage functions largely the same way, but the string is replaced with a metallic arm.

On the other end of the linkage, you’ll find the valve which is the mechanism which changes where air flows in the trombone. In general, the rotary valve is the most common, but there are plenty of options including axial flow and dual bore.

Finally, the valve feeds into the wrap which is the additional tubing not found on a straight trombone. In particular, there are two different types of wraps, open and closed, which refers to the amount of additional tubing that sticks out from the bell. If you have an open wrap, you’ll notice that the tubing sticks out beyond the limits of a straight trombone. Otherwise, you have a closed wrap horn which is more compact.

Using an F Trigger for the First Time

Now that we know what we’re looking at, let’s talk about how to use an F trigger. First, grab your horn like you normally would with one hand on the slide brace and another hand on the slide. Of course, the only difference here is that your thumb will go on the trigger instead of over the bell brace. If you’re not totally comfortable with some of this terminology, check out my article on trombone anatomy.

With your hands in place, take a moment to squeeze the trigger a few times with your thumb. Notice the full range of motion of the trigger, and be careful not to push beyond that range. After all, I’d hate for you to break a string or bust a rotary valve.

If you’re doing everything correctly, your trigger should barely move. As you can imagine, the limited range of motion allows you to press and release the trigger quickly. After all, your music isn’t going to wait for you to mess with your trigger.

After you get a feel for your trigger, jump down into the next section to get an idea of what your F trigger can do for you.

Benefits of Using an F Trigger

Now that we know how to use the trigger, let’s talk about what an F trigger actually does. In particular, an F trigger drops the pitch by a perfect fourth. In other words, if you go to play a B♭ with the trigger down, you’ll actually play an F.

So, what does that mean for you? Well, you now have a whole host of new options for positions. For instance, if you need to hit C in 6th position, you can use the trigger in 1st position instead. Likewise, if you need to hit the B in 7th position, you can use the trigger in 2nd position.

In addition, the F trigger also gives you extended range. For example, the E below the staff is about as low as you can reasonably go on straight trombone without diving into false tone or pedal tone territory. With a trigger, you’ll have no problem going down another octave.

If you’re interested, check out this position chart for F trigger trombones. As a brief summary, here are a few noteworthy (pun intended) uses:

• Middle C – T1
• Low F – T1
• Low E♭ (false tone) – T3.5
• Low D (false tone) – T5
• Pedal E – T2.5

Here, T refers to the trigger. In other words, if you want to play middle C, play an “F” in 1st position with the trigger pressed.

Finally, the F trigger can open up the opportunity for trombone trills (like the website name!). Of course, I personally have never tried it, but I’ve heard it can be done.

Maintaining an F Trigger

Like all moving parts on a trombone, the F trigger needs to be maintained. And if you’ve read any of my other maintenance articles, you know I care a lot about keeping horns in good shape. As a result, I figured I’d share one last tip for the road: don’t forget to lubricate your valve.

To do that, there’s a cap on one side of the rotor which you should be able to unscrew. From there, you can apply a small amount of rotor oil directly to the mechanism. In addition, it’s a good idea to remove the main tuning slide and drip some oil down the tube. In both cases, you’ll want to jiggle the trigger, so you get proper coverage of the mechanism.

When I was researching maintenance tips for this article, I found that a lot of folks were very specific in their oil recommendations. For example, some folks recommended using valve oil while others recommended using special oils like rotor oil and bearing oil. In fact, I saw once source that recommended using three different types of oil.

That said, I recommend following whatever the manufacturer of your horn recommends. After all, they designed the horn, so they probably have a manual which dictates how to best take care of it. At the very least, cars do!

As always, you may want to clean the mechanism first. Of course, cleaning a valve is a much more complicated process than cleaning a slide, so make sure you look up a proper guide for your horn. That said, if you’re just looking for some general trombone cleaning tips, I have a whole article on that.

Perhaps in the future, I’ll write a more detailed guide. For now, this will have to do!

Summary

Over the course of this article, we covered a few questions related to the use of an F trigger. For instance, we talked about what a trigger might look like, how to hold a horn that has one, what the trigger actually does, and how to maintain one.

If you don’t feel like this article fully answered your question, feel free to let me know. I’m always happy to expand an article for the good of my readers.

Otherwise, that’s all I have for today. If you’d like to see more of this kind of content, let me know, and I’ll start doing my research. In the meantime, thanks again for your time, and don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post How to Use a Trombone F Trigger appeared first on Trill Trombone.

In short, applying Superslick is a 4-step process. First, make sure your slide is clean. Then, apply the slide cream (small tub) to the stockings and spread using the outer slide. After that, apply the silicone solution (small bottle) in the same fashion as the slide cream. Finally, spray the slide with water and start playing!

For more details, feel free to leverage the guide below.

3 Steps to Apply Superslick

In the following subsections, we’ll take a look at a list of steps you can use to apply Superslick to your trombone slide. If you’re still deciding on a lubricant, check out my guide to the best trombone slide lubricants. Otherwise, feel free to jump through the steps:

1. Clean your slide
2. Apply slide cream to stockings
3. Apply silicone lubricant to stockings
4. Spray slide with water

When you’re finished, you’ll be ready to play. However, if you still have any issues, I have plenty of maintenance related articles to help you out.

Step 1: Clean Your Slide

If you’ve been following along, you know the very first thing I always tell people to do before they perform any maintenance on their horn is to clean it. As a result, I won’t waste too much time here.

That said, cleaning your slide is important because it removes old lubricant and other debris. If you neglect this step, you risk limiting the potential of your lubricant which will cause you to apply it more often. Over time, you’ll waste a lot of lubricant which can be expensive.

In addition, letting debris accumulate on your slide can reduce the lifetime of your horn. If you’re hoping to keep your horn for a long time, it’s a good idea to clean it regularly.

To do that, I recommend cleaning both the inner slide and the outer slide. After all, cleaning one without cleaning the other is mostly a waste of time since they share the same space. Instead, you should wipe down the inner slide and scrub out the outer slide. For more information, check out my article on how to clean a trombone.

Step 2: Apply Slide Cream to Stockings

With the horn in good shape, now is the time to bust out the slide cream. If you’re not sure which of the three products is the slide cream, look for the jar-shaped container labeled “Trombone Cream.”

Due to the nature of slide cream, you don’t need very much to lubricate your slide. In general, I’ve seen descriptions that vary in size from a “pinky nail” to the “tip of a wooden match.” I think the key here is not to use too much. If you can still see white after spreading it out, there’s too much.

Once you’ve decided how much to apply, use that amount directly on the stockings—the fat ends of the inner slide. Before you put the slide on, it may be a good idea to rub the cream around the stockings first. Then, use one end of the outer slide at a time to spread the cream.

If done correctly, you shouldn’t see any cream on the slide. However, you should feel a bit of cushion between the slides. At the very least, the slide should sound a little different as you move it (i.e. less friction).

Step 3: Apply Silicone Lubricant to Stockings

With most slide lubricants, the cream is usually enough. Just spray a little water, and you’ll get a week or two of smooth slide action. However, Superslick has opted to include a silicone additive which has a few benefits.

For one, silicone is hydrophobic. As a result, when you add water, you’ll get the beading phenomenon that allows for smooth slide action.

In addition, silicone is synthetic, so it’s less likely to break down over time. In other words, it should last longer than typical slide oils. In fact, one of the other products I often recommend—Slide-O-Mix—includes a synthetic element in its mixture as well, and people swear by it.

At any rate, if you’re not sure which product is the silicone, it’s the small dropper bottle labeled “Professional Plus Slide Treatment.” To apply it, follow the same instructions as the slide cream:

1. Apply to the stockings
2. Spread using one end of the slide at a time

If done properly, you should feel like the slide is ready to go.

Step 4: Spray with Water

Now, all that’s left is to apply a little bit of water to the inner slide using a spray bottle. If you’ve cleaned your slide properly, water should be all you need to keep it in good condition for a couple weeks. If not, water may only buy you a couple days.

Regardless, applying water is really a slick trick that takes advantage of the hydrophobic properties of the lubricant. In other words, the water forms tiny ball bearings which cushion the slide and improve speed. If you’ve used other quality lubricants like Trombotine or Slide-O-Mix, you’ll find that water is an excellent addition to your slide care routine.

Of course, you’ll have to experiment with the right amount of water for you. If you use too much, you may find that you’re spending a lot of time emptying it out of your spit valve. In addition, you’ll probably just be flushing most of the lubricant out with it. Likewise, if you use too little, you may not notice the effects.

If you’re a little skeptical of spraying your slide with water, just know that a spray bottle is provided with the Superslick package. Likewise, I’ve written a bit about why I think water is an excellent choice if you’re interested.

Summary

And with that, you should have a properly lubricated slide. Feel free to take it for a test spin. If you don’t like how it feels, there are plenty of other products on the market. For instance, I put together a list of the top 3, but you’re welcome to use whatever the manufacturer of your horn recommends.

At any rate, here’s a recap of the steps:

1. Clean your slide
2. Apply slide cream to stockings
3. Apply silicone lubricant to stockings
4. Spray slide with water

While you’re doing some maintenance, maybe it’s a good time take a look at your tuning slide. If you haven’t touched it in awhile, I recommend greasing it, so it doesn’t get stuck.

Otherwise, thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post How to Apply Superslick to Your Trombone Slide appeared first on Trill Trombone.

To summarize, Trombotine can be applied in 3 steps. First, prepare your slide be removing any old lubricant. Then, apply Trombotine to the stockings and spread thoroughly until no more white can be seen. Finally, spray the slide with some water, and you’ll be ready to go.

If that description wasn’t enough, keep reading to get even more details.

3 Steps to Apply Trombotine

If you’ve never used a cream-based lubricant before, this article will serve as a nice introduction. In general, you’ll want to follow a 3-step process:

1. Clean your slide
2. Apply Trombotine to the stockings
3. Spray the slide with water

If your slide is already in good shape, feel free to jump to the second step. Of course, don’t forget to read to the end. There’s a nice bonus tip to follow.

Step 1: Prepare Your Slide

As always, I recommend cleaning your slide first—especially if you’re changing lubricants. That way, you won’t run into any issues of cross-contamination.

To start, I recommend cleaning the inner slide first with a soft cloth. If you want to go the extra mile, you can use a mild dish soap to remove any grease. In addition, it’s a good idea to inspect the slide at this point for dents and mineral deposits.

If all is well on the inner slide end, run a snake through the outer slide. After all, if you only clean the inner slide, you’ll immediately undo all your work when you put the outer slide back on, so make sure it’s clean too.

To clean the outer slide, some folks recommend using a cleaning rod and some cheesecloth. In this case, the goal is to repeatedly vibrate the inside of the slide until you generate enough heat to remove debris and old lubricant.

If you need more tips on cleaning a trombone, I’ve written a guide that runs through the entire cleaning process.

Step 2: Apply Trombotine to Stockings

With your slide in good condition, it’s time to apply the Trombotine. To do that, lay your slide on a flat surface, and extend it until the stockings (the fat ends of the inner slide) are exposed. Then, apply a small amount of the slide cream to each stocking.

From here, spreading the Trombotine is just a matter of preference. For instance, some folks recommend rubbing the Trombotine around the stockings before letting the slide do the rest. Meanwhile, others recommend manually rubbing the cream up the slide.

Regardless, all that matters is that you get even coverage of the cream at least around the stockings which are going to come in the most contact with the outer slide. Be careful not to use too much because you don’t want to be able to actually see the cream. Otherwise, your slide will feel slow and sticky.

Step 3: Spray Slide with Water

With your Trombotine properly applied, it’s time to hit your slide with a finishing touch: some water. In particular, you want to use a spray bottle that will break up the water into tiny droplets that will act like ball bearings on your slide.

To be honest, I’m not sure exactly how much water you should use, but obviously you don’t want the slide soaked. Feel free to experiment and report back with your number of sprays.

If you want to take your slide to the next level, add a small amount of a silicone solution to your slide. If you’re familiar with Superslick, this is actually a part of their formula. Of course, it works just the same with Trombotine. Feel free to follow the small bottle directions for Slide-O-Mix as well.

The benefit of using a silicone additive is that it will last longer than a cream. In other words, it’ll extend the life of your lubricant, and it will improve the slide’s smoothness.

Summary

When it comes to applying Trombotine, the process is pretty straight forward:

1. Clean your slide
2. Apply Trombotine to the stockings
3. Spray the slide with water

Pro tip: you’ll get even better results if you top off this process with a bit of silicone lubricant (i.e. small bottle of Slide-O-Mix).

If you followed this guide and decided that Trombotine isn’t for you, check out my article on the three best slide lubricants.

At any rate, I hope that helped! If so, let me know. Otherwise, don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post How to Apply Trombotine to Your Trombone Slide appeared first on Trill Trombone.

In short, to tune a trombone, you’ll want to make sure your tuning slide works. If so, make sure you get a hold of a tuner. Then, start warming up. With your horn ready to go, blow a few tuning notes (B♭ above the staff) into the tuner and adjust the tuning slide as needed. If you’re sharp, pull out. Otherwise, push in.

In the remainder of the article, we’ll go into each of these steps in much greater detail.

Tuning Steps

In general, there are four main steps to perform if you want to tune your trombone—especially if you haven’t done it before or don’t do it often:

1. Make sure your tuning slide works
2. Acquire a tuner
3. Warm up
4. Sustain, interpret, and adjust as needed

Of course, you may skip to steps 3 and 4 if you already have what you need.

Step 1: Make Sure Your Tuning Slide Works

It may seem obvious, but you should make sure you’re able to move your tuning slide first. After all, if you haven’t been using your tuning slide, it may be stuck. if that’s the case, you’ll probably want to get it in the shop.

That said, even if you can move your tuning slide, it’s probably a good idea to clean it up. For instance, you might want to give it a good bath. To do that, you’ll not to remove the tuning slide and scrub it down. If you have the tools, now would be a good time to snake out the tuning slide as well. For all sorts of tips related to cleaning your trombone, check out my 8-step guide.

With the tuning slide all clean, you’ll want to get a decent helping of grease on both tubes. To do that, apply some slide grease to the circumference of each tube. Then, work each tube on individually to spread out the grease. Finally, work the tuning slide into playing position and wipe away the extra grease. For more tips on how to grease a trombone tuning slide, check out my 3-step guide.

Step 2: Acquire a Tuner

Again, it may seem obvious, but it’s pretty hard to tune a horn without a proper tuner. Sure, you could pull up a YouTube video and try to play to some tuning notes, but it’ll be a lot quicker to use a tuner.

If you’re frugal, most smartphones have free tuner apps. For instance, I use InsTuner on iPhone, but there are literally hundreds of options including TonalEnergy, Free Chromatic Tuner, and more.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can always purchase a professional tuner. When you buy a tuner, you’ll usually get more options like the ability to change the reference frequency (i.e. A = 432 vs. 440 Hz). In addition, some tuners also combo as metronomes, so you can use the device throughout a practice session. Finally, they also occasionally have fun features like the ability to be clipped onto surfaces like guitar necks or music stands.

If you’re looking for a few recommendations, I can put together a nice review, but you really can’t go wrong with Snark SN5X, Korg CA-2, or Korg TM60BK.

Step 3: Warm Up

While you might be tempted to start blowing directly into your tuner, it’s important to warm up first. After all, it can take some time to settle in for both you and your horn.

If you haven’t been playing much, you might want to do some long tones and lip slurs. Each of these exercises can help you get in a state where you’ll spend the remainder of your rehearsal. If you tune too early, you may find that your pitch changes as you begin to settle in.

In addition, you’ll want your horn to reach some equilibrium temperature with the environment. If your horn was out in the trunk on a hot summer day, it might be a bit hot. As a result, the horn is going to tend sharp, so give it some time to cool off. On the flip side, if your horn is cold, it’s going to lean flat. Take some time to warm it up—literally.

Once you’re warmed up, it’s time to tune!

Step 4: Sustain, Interpret, and Adjust As Needed

At this point, it’s safe to blow a few tuning notes into the tuner. Typically, trombone players tune to a B♭ above the staff. As you stare at the tuner, pay attention to what it’s telling you.

If the tuner says you’re sharp, then you need to make your trombone longer. To do that, pull out your tuning slide a bit. Then, try again. If the tuner says you’re flat, then you need to shrink the tubing a bit by pushing the tuning slide in.

After a few iterations, your trombone should be fully calibrated. If you want to go the extra mile, you can try tuning other notes. Of course, if the note is outside of first position, you won’t want to play with the tuning slide. Instead, adjust your main slide. Over time, you’ll start to develop a bit of muscle memory for those key positions.

If you have a trigger or two on your horn, you’ll want to tune those as well. Unfortunately, I’m not as familiar with attachments, so I’m not sure how you would go about tuning them. That said, I suspect the process is similar.

Summary

While tuning might seem like a straightforward process, there’s actually a lot of effort that can go into it. After all, if you haven’t been taking care of your tuning slide, you can’t exactly tune your horn.

At any rate, here’s the main summary:

1. Make sure your tuning slide works
2. Acquire a tuner
3. Warm up
4. Sustain, interpret, and adjust as needed

If you follow these steps, you’ll be all tuned up in no time! As always, thanks for checking out this article, and don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post How to Tune a Trombone appeared first on Trill Trombone.

As it turns out, greasing a tuning slide is pretty straightforward. First, remove the tuning slide if possible. Then, clean both the inner and outer slide thoroughly. Once the tuning slide is clean, apply a small amount of grease to the inner slide and begin to work it in place. If done correctly, you should have successfully greased your tuning slide. Below, we’ll take a look at each step in more detail.

Steps to Grease a Trombone Tuning Slide

If you’ve been using your trombone for awhile, you probably already know how to take care of the main slide. After all, you use it all the time. If something is out of order, you’ll notice and take some sort of action. For instance, you might just spray it with some water, or maybe you’ll reapply some lubricant like Slide-O-Mix.

When it comes to the tuning slide, you’re probably less likely to notice any issues. After all, when you use it, it’s typically at the beginning of a rehearsal, concert, or practice session. Of course, at the time, you usually only move it slightly. In other words, it doesn’t typically move through its full range of motion like the main slide.

Over time, the tuning slide can accumulate dirt and damage, and it’s even possible for it to get stuck. In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at the absolute worst-case scenario, a stuck tuning slide, and how to return it to its former glory.

Step 1: Remove the Tuning Slide

If you’re in a scenario where your tuning slide is completely stuck, you might need to invest in a penetrating oil. I can’t recommend any off-hand, but I can point to an interesting discussion around using WD-40. Regardless, you’ll want some lubricant that can squeeze in the gap between the slides and break up any sort of mineral deposits or rust.

If you’re still having trouble, I’ve heard that applying heat can be beneficial. In addition, there are a whole host of methods which can be used to aid in the removal of the slide. For example, try wrapping a loop strap around your tuning slide and through itself. Then, if you manage to tug the tuning slide free, it’ll be attached to the loop strap.

Beyond that, you can always try getting a hold of a trombone tuning slide crook plate. In general, these are metal plates that fit nicely along the inside curve of the tuning slide. Then, you can try tapping on the handle of the crook plate with a hammer to avoid denting up the tuning slide.

In the worst-case, run the horn to a repair shop where an expert can take care of your horn. In many cases, they’ll have tools like the ones listed above which can be used to remove slides. Then, they’ll go through a process which ensures that you get your tuning slide back in mint condition.

Step 2: Clean the Tuning Slide Thoroughly

Once the tuning slide is free, clean it thoroughly. Cleaning is a topic I’ve covered a bit on this site in reference to the main slide, and many of those tips still apply here. In particular, make sure that you clean both the inner and outer slide.

To clean the outer slide, you’ll want to get a hold of a snake or some cheesecloth which you can run inside the tubing. If necessary, you may want to run a mild soap on the inside of the slide to remove any old grease—especially if you used any oils in the previous step.

To clean the inner slide, run some cheesecloth over the tubing. Make sure that you’re removing as much of the old grease and other buildup as possible. If necessary, use a mild soap. If the situation calls for it, it might be worth it to run a stiff brush on the slide as well.

In the worst-case, run the horn to a repair shop where an expert can take care of your horn. In terms of cleaning, a repair may have special chemicals which can be used to remove old deposits and grease from the slide. If you’re lucky, they may even have tools to ensure your tuning slide comes back looking new.

Step 3: Apply Tuning Slide Grease and Assemble

At this point, your tuning slide should be in good shape. If not, repeat the previous steps as needed until you’re ready to put your horn back together. Otherwise, we can move on to applying slide grease.

Unlike slide oil or slide cream, slide grease is more like a thick gel. When applied to a slide, it forms a nice barrier between the inner and outer slide. The purpose of this barrier is three-fold:

• Corrosion protection (i.e. limits corrosion on exposed metal)
• Contact reduction (i.e. reduces damaging contact between inner and outer slide)
• Mobility restriction (i.e. keeps slide from locking but also from moving on its own)

To apply it, place a small amount of grease on the inner slide. Then, like a normal slide, begin to work the slide into place using a twisting motion with one tube at a time. If done correctly, you should get an even coating of grease along the inner an outer slide.

When ready, put the slide in playing position and remove any excess grease with a cloth. With everything in place, you’re finished. Remember to periodically check in on your tuning slide to ensure everything is in working order.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any grease to recommend at this time. However, feel free to check back as I’ll be looking grease options soon.

Summary

In short, taking care of your trombone tuning slide is a three step process:

1. Remove the tuning slide
2. Clean the tuning slide
3. Apply some grease and reassemble the tuning slide

If you follow these steps, your trombone tuning slide should be back in working order. If not, don’t hesitate to reach out to a trombone repair facility. After all, they are the experts.

At any rate, thanks for taking some time to check out this tutorial. Before you go, don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post How to Grease a Trombone Tuning Slide appeared first on Trill Trombone.

3 Steps to Apply Slide-O-Mix to Your Trombone Slide

In this article, we’ll be looking specifically at the Slide-O-Mix (affiliate link) that comes in two bottles—not Rapid Comfort.

For reference, I’ll be referring to the two lubricant components by the size of their bottles (large vs. small). If you’re in a hurry, I’ve also taken the time to bold the main directions in each section. Feel free to jump around the article as needed.

1. Clean Your Slide Thoroughly

As with many of these types of tutorials, the first step is to always clean your slide—especially if you are switching lubricants. That way, you’ll remove any sort of dirt from the slide, so it doesn’t interfere with the lubricant.

Cleaning can be done in a lot of ways, but it’s probably sufficient to use water and a rag alone on the inner slide. That said, be very careful not to damage the slide as the metal is fairly thin.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can use some mild dish soap or rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to use anything too abrasive near the lacquered surfaces.

Of course, why stop there? After all, old lubricant and other gunk has likely built up on the inside of the outer slide, so it’s a good idea to give the horn a full bath. If you have the equipment (i.e. snakes, cheesecloth, etc.), go for it! I’ve linked a great tutorial by Trent Hamilton if you need any help.

2. Apply a Small Drop of the Small Bottle to the Stockings

When you apply any sort of lubricant to your slide, you should target the stockings, the fat ends of the inner slide. After all, these are the portions of the inner slide that are going to come in direct contact with the outer slide.

To lubricate the stockings, you’ll want to lay the slide on a flat surface. That way, when you extend the outer slide, you don’t apply any torque to the inner slide which could bend it.

Once you have the slide in position, you’ll want to apply a small amount of the Slide-O-Mix to each stocking. In the official Slide-O-Mix directions, they recommend using a “good” drop—whatever that means.

With the lubrication in place, it’s safe to start spreading it out using your outer slide. I’ve seen some folks only lube one tube at a time while rotating the slide to get full coverage, but it’s probably fine just run the full slide up and down a few times. When you think it’s ready, move on to the next step.

3. Let a Generous Amount of the Large Bottle Drip Down the Slide

At this point, you can stand your trombone up so the slide is pointing toward the ground. With the horn in place, extend the slide, so most of the inner slide is showing. Then, apply a generous amount of the large bottle to the top of each inner tube.

If done correctly, the liquid should roll done the slide a bit. Once it’s near the stockings, begin spreading it out with the outer slide—a few cycles should give your proper coverage. If done properly, you’re slide should be running quite smooth.

As a bonus, you can always apply a little bit of water to the slide using a spray bottle. According to Slide-O-Mix, “water is always necessary because our preparation takes advantage of water’s gliding properties.” After a bit of research, I’d say I agree with their assessment: water is an excellent final touch.

Tips and Tricks

If you followed the three steps to apply Slide-O-Mix above, you should be in good shape. In the future, you will be able to apply water whenever your slide gets sticky to bring it back up to speed. If after awhile the water is no longer helping, it’s probably a good idea to start this process all over again.

As always, thanks for stopping by! If you found this article helpful, why not give it a share. In the meantime, remember to respect the brass!

The post How to Apply Slide-O-Mix to Your Trombone Slide appeared first on Trill Trombone.