Groove Therapy, the eight-piece horn band (of which I’m a member) has updated their website. It’s not much at this point, but it’s now a place where you can learn about the band, listen to audio clips, contact the band directly, and most importantly-check out their performance calendar (I’ve heard more performance dates are coming soon).

Please stop by and have a look around, and don’t forget to check their Facebook page!

Groove Therapy’s website

Also of note is the interesting fact that Allan, Kevin, and the saxophonist Al McLean play on various vintage and/or rare instruments for their performances. You can really hear the differences between old Martin, Conn, French Besson, Bach, and Olds trumpets (and Selmer, Martin, Conn, Leblanc, and other saxes).

Cleaning snake
Mouthpiece brush
Valve casing brush
Liquid dishwashing soap (Dawn, Ivory, etc.)
Valve oil
Slide grease
A couple of old towels
Old sponge, toothbrush, or washcloth (for cleaning tight spots and male slide tubes)
A large sink or bathtub

For those unsure of what to do with the above list of items, follow the simple steps below:

Fill your sink or tub with warm water (add soap while filling). Disassemble your trumpet, placing the valves off to the side. Place all parts (body, slides, top and bottom caps) in the sink to soak for 20 to 30 minutes. After soaking, run the snake (several times) through all tubes on the body and slides, taking care not to run the snake around sharp “elbows” or bends in the tubing (it will get stuck). Spend the most time on the leadpipe, tuning slide, and tubing that connects the tuning slide to the 3rd valve. Put a few drops of soap on the valve casing brush and run it through the valve casings, and do the same with the mouthpiece brush and all mouthpieces. After looking down the tubes and checking for any remaining gunk, thoroughly rinse each object and place on a towel to air dry. Clean each valve port (hole) using the same process as cleaning the casings and mouthpiece, taking care not to immerse the valve (and getting the felts wet). Make sure to use a very soft bristle brush on the valves (the casing brush is normally just fine) as the valves are delicate and any scratches or dents may affect performance. Rinse the valves and set aside to dry. After the trumpet is dry, re-assemble and oil/grease the trumpet. If you have a silver trumpet, now is the best time to polish it.

I also recommend an Ultrasonic or chemical cleaning once every 1-2 years. These must be done by a professional, but will completely clean every square inch of your trumpet, even in places unreachable by cleaning snake. Most reputable music stores and repair shops offer these services in the range of $65-100. The tech performing the cleaning will also give your instrument a thorough inspection. If you need a recommendation, contact me.

How about Arutunian?