As I've said in a previous comment, I just recently switched to Horn (I'm now officially second chair hurrah) and I was curious as to how long it's been since my horn has been cleaned. I asked all the horn players before me and they asked all the horn players before them. Turns out my horn hasn't been washed for 7 YEARS. I instantly bought a snake, rotor oil and slide grease and ran to my bathroom.
Because of the COVID-19 school is canceled for 3 weeks. Some of our online homework is to take video of us cleaning our instruments. This was very helpful.
I don’t mind because I know the consequences.. My friend didn’t clean his trumpet at all.. He got a very severe staph infection in throughout his back. There was fluid in his back and he couldn’t breathe..
dont know how long its been since my horn has been clean, so im going to clean it this weekend, mostly because i have an all county band concert, and i want it to play at its best. Currently been playing for 2 years and in 1st chair for all county band,(im an 8th grader,) This video helped me alot, make more youtuebevideos on tips for french horn to help us players in need.
Who knows what you will find in there once you'll finally clean it... Maybe will there be an entire ecosystem which would have been developing itself inside the slides ?! Just imagine that a second XD
I see your valves are worked by linkages, but mine have strings. Do I have to worry about the strings getting wet? Would I have to replace them, if they did? It's generally safe to soak brass instruments with a bit of washing soda (sodium carbonate) in the water, so you might want to do that for your slides since the snake can't go all the way through. Some people add citric or acetic acid (spirit vinegar) too. It reacts with the washing soda, but any verdigris gets involved in the reaction, so that helps remove it. I've used kitchen roll soaked in vinegar wrapped around a slide for a few hours to get rid of stubborn verdigris (the green stuff). I also use twisted up kitchen roll / paper (only the better quality stuff that doesn't break up into fibres so easily), to clean inside slides. It removes gunk that the snake leaves behind. I use it inside my piston valves, on trumpets and cornets etc, instead of using a brush. I like the painted bell :)
TooSlowTube If you have strings on your horn you might want to replace them after washing. If you need to buy rotor string here is a link Yamaha YAC 080000 Rotor Valve String www.amazon.com/dp/B002J99IEY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eNUJCb5PMNRBQ if you need to know how here is an article on how to properly string it houghtonhorns.com/how-do-i-change-the-string-on-my-french-horn/
I know I'm a little late on this, but yes. They won't come dislodged or anything if they've been put on right because they're screwed in pretty tightly.
Have you ever sent your horns out to be cleaned/serviced? Do you know if an ultrasonic cleaning would be better than an acid/chemical bath? P.s. I love your videos and should tell you that they are incredibly inspirational. You are amazing!!
Can you please make a tutorial on your bell it is super cool and wanna try myself so of you could be descriptive in the video it would be extra helpful!! Thanks your an awesome horn player
I LOVE YOUR BELL!!!! I'm in middle school so my horn is owned my the school district but we toon it in to get fixed caused I bent it after dropping it. My dad doesn't want it to get cleaned but I feel like it should
so i haven’t cleaned my french horn ever because it’s a school horn but because of corona i have to clean ALL my instruments (horn, trumpet, mellophone) thank you!! (it also wasn’t as dirty as you’d expect)
Everytime I clean a French horn I feel like I haven't done it right cause it's not clean enough. This definitely helps so I'm sure I'll get it this time! I just hope I don't procrastinate much longer :/ *Thanks for video!!*
Thanks for the awesome video! I see you have all different kinds of oil. Could you explaining which types of oil to use and where to put the different types? I normally just put Al Cas Fast Oil in my valve slides, on the linkages, and under the valve caps. Does it matter that I use the same type of oil for everything? I hope to see more videos of this kind in the future!
+Nathan Halberstadt I will do a video to explain eventually. Everyone does the oil process differently so it's hard to cover the topic without getting feedback saying i'm completely wrong
You don’t have to. Just make sure to wipe them when you’re done. It’s best if they’re not left wet. I’ve heard some people blow dry them as well. I’ve never needed to do that though. I would never recommend removing the string if you’ve never done it.
I borrow my school's f horn and the valves come up very slow and putting rotor oil on it doesn't help either. Is there a way to make the valves come unstuck/ not sticky? I was wondering if cleaning it would help?
What is your recommendation for cleaning the lead pipe(s) of horns having "split" leadpipe(s)/"bell branch" change valves such as a Paxman 40 descant horn or Alexander 107X descant horn? Thank you.
How often do should you do this I've never done this we bought mine probably a year ago but when ever I spin it now I hear something inside so I figured I should clean it out but how often should you clean it out like this?
Patrick, how do I play Offbeats well? I currently sit behind the Tubas which have the Down Beats, and it makes it kinda difficult to NOT play with them.
When I played I would make a soft sort of "click" in my throat on the down beat and then play on the upbeat if there was a down beat I couldn't help but gravitate to. Almost like beat boxing although that might be a terrible analogy. Eventually as you get in the rhythm you don't even need to do it. Also it helps to time your play with when the heel of your foot is at its greatest height (if you are tapping your foot along). The feeling of your foot hitting the ground on the downbeat also helps you from playing along with it.
A couple of my slides on my horn I rent from the school were stuck when I got it, and they're impossible to get out. How could I get them out to grease them?
+Branden Kohnle the actual valves? Or the slides? If the rotation will not move, take it to an instrument repair!! Don't force it. If it's a slide try wiggling
+philipbest2009 First of all, you made the right choice! Second practice all the ranges, not just the high stuff. Work on smoothness and note accuracy, practice! that's really all I can suggest. It just takes some work!
+Lily Roth It's recommended that you do it every few weeks, depending on use and personal habits (like, if you eat food /drink anything but water before playing, you should probably do it weekly - never drink soda/sugary things before playing, it corrodes the metal). When I'm playing actively I do it at least once every 3 weeks (4 if I'm being lazy)...when I'm not, I do it every other month, keep everything oiled and greased and working, make sure my strings aren't rotting or whatnot. Basic maintenance goes a looong way with instruments.
I give my horn a simple rinse out once a week, if its done often, the workload is heavily reduced. Also, if 'gunk' passes past the lead pipe and gets into the valves, it will NEVER come out. You may be able to scrape some out, but for it to be cleaned completely out, it would need to be completely disassembled by a technician and ultra-sonically cleaned.
+David Collins it only takes a couple of fitting tools (and some experience maybe) and you can get valves out no problem. The issue is reassembling. The strings can be tricky to tie if your horn uses them.
One time I accidentally put in one of the pipes wrong ... it got stuck.. I have no idea what happened to that French horn Because my school basically took it away from me when I had to go into homeschool
+RiptorEsquire The back pressure can make your valves go slightly out of alignment. Also your slides are thin metal, the back pressure can cause the valves to collapse if they are weaker.
it was very helpful!!! TYVM!!! however I bought an OLD horn off of EBAY....it's a good horn...but it smells horrible.....I'm thinking about using a little bleach to get rid of the smell....I mean it's on your hands after you play it it stinks so bad!!
@@FhornPatrick it stinks SOOOO bad....it's been airing outside for a week and i can still smell it everytime i open the door....not sure what to do.....it has decreased in smell...but i can still smell it
Now I'm scared to play my schools ancient horns that have been played by like 50 differnt kids for like 50 years and have never been really cleaned........😫 Edit: the schools horns are literally the crappiest instruments I've ever seen in my life. My friends has like 3 dents and it makes it sound like a literal duck. Still never giving up horn though.
That "gunk" is built up condensation from not cleaning the horn after playing. Believe me I know what it's like I played sax and I didnt clean it for a whole month and when i dropped the cloth down there was a whole lot if it.
As I've said in a previous comment, I just recently switched to Horn (I'm now officially second chair hurrah) and I was curious as to how long it's been since my horn has been cleaned. I asked all the horn players before me and they asked all the horn players before them. Turns out my horn hasn't been washed for 7 YEARS. I instantly bought a snake, rotor oil and slide grease and ran to my bathroom.
Salma Torres how bad was it xD
Legend has it, they awakened a dark force in the horn and were never heard of again since then...
Oh my
Its also helpful to put a towel in the bottom of the tub to help protect the horn and cushion the metal.
+Khiarhu I've never thought of that! Great idea
+FhornPatrick Glad I could give some good input! It's a neat trick and has done me and mine well for 15 years. :)
It would help protect the paint around my bell!
+FhornPatrick That paintjob is awesome, no lie.
@@FhornPatrick Lots of companies would have painted Bells which really rocks
Because of the COVID-19 school is canceled for 3 weeks. Some of our online homework is to take video of us cleaning our instruments. This was very helpful.
Thank you for this video. I am a non-musical parent of a younger musician. This was more than extremely helpful!! Thank you loads!!!!!
This really helped me I'm staring on French horn I play a lot of trumpet but in my school I'm switching to French horn
Great Choice!
Ikr
Same. I switched yesterday.
Brass instruments are like sewer pipes. No one cleans them and no one wants to
Am I an outsider to the rest of the brass players then? I actually have fun cleaning mine-
@@hazeymcdaisy6701 same
@@hazeymcdaisy6701 I do a deep cleaning once a year, and just the oiling every few weeks
I don’t mind because I know the consequences.. My friend didn’t clean his trumpet at all.. He got a very severe staph infection in throughout his back. There was fluid in his back and he couldn’t breathe..
im borrowing a french horn from my school and it literally smells like shit... literally
This was a pretty good help because it was my first time washing my French horn. Thank you!
I haven't cleaned my horn since I got it 8 years ago
OMG XD MAKE A VIDEO OF CLEANING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME
oh
well there might be interesting things in there😂
Dude me too
thats dangerous
Legend says he still hasn't cleaned his horn.
The Bb tuning slide on the 2nd valve is still in place, while you're cleaning it. I kept saying "You missed one!" but you couldn't hear me.
I noticed this after :P Brain fart
dont know how long its been since my horn has been clean, so im going to clean it this weekend, mostly because i have an all county band concert, and i want it to play at its best. Currently been playing for 2 years and in 1st chair for all county band,(im an 8th grader,) This video helped me alot, make more youtuebevideos on tips for french horn to help us players in need.
How did all-county band go!?
This only reminds me that it's time to clean it :(
+Annie Longoria Same, but I clean it every month. Though, I lost my snake years ago.
+Bri Lewis me too
make more of these videos these are so helpful
+hunter k Horn tutorials will be weekly!
What if I don’t have a horn snake? What can I use that I may have at home?
Finally got tired of excess spit, very helpful video.
I haven't cleaned my f horn in 3 years. 👍
Oh lord
+Tasteful Couch yuk
Tasteful Couch not even dump the condensation out
i just let it come out the bell
Who knows what you will find in there once you'll finally clean it... Maybe will there be an entire ecosystem which would have been developing itself inside the slides ?! Just imagine that a second XD
This Video is very good for me, especially because I'm a beginner.
+Biner Karin Great! :)
Thanks so much for this video!!!!! It's difficult to find any good horn cleaning videos.
+AlliEm Great! This is why I posted it, hoping to offer the simple explanation to the process
Great video! So thorough! Thanks for making this!
I see your valves are worked by linkages, but mine have strings. Do I have to worry about the strings getting wet? Would I have to replace them, if they did?
It's generally safe to soak brass instruments with a bit of washing soda (sodium carbonate) in the water, so you might want to do that for your slides since the snake can't go all the way through. Some people add citric or acetic acid (spirit vinegar) too. It reacts with the washing soda, but any verdigris gets involved in the reaction, so that helps remove it. I've used kitchen roll soaked in vinegar wrapped around a slide for a few hours to get rid of stubborn verdigris (the green stuff).
I also use twisted up kitchen roll / paper (only the better quality stuff that doesn't break up into fibres so easily), to clean inside slides. It removes gunk that the snake leaves behind. I use it inside my piston valves, on trumpets and cornets etc, instead of using a brush.
I like the painted bell :)
TooSlowTube If you have strings on your horn you might want to replace them after washing. If you need to buy rotor string here is a link Yamaha YAC 080000 Rotor Valve String www.amazon.com/dp/B002J99IEY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eNUJCb5PMNRBQ if you need to know how here is an article on how to properly string it houghtonhorns.com/how-do-i-change-the-string-on-my-french-horn/
i have the exact same horn, and the same vintage, love it love it, i also have a beautiful 301, but prefer the old 103. great vids
Are the strings on the horn able to get wet?
I know I'm a little late on this, but yes. They won't come dislodged or anything if they've been put on right because they're screwed in pretty tightly.
I'm scared because I've never cleaned it and I don't know if the shop it gets annual maintenance at does.
Have you ever sent your horns out to be cleaned/serviced? Do you know if an ultrasonic cleaning would be better than an acid/chemical bath?
P.s. I love your videos and should tell you that they are incredibly inspirational. You are amazing!!
Can you please make a tutorial on your bell it is super cool and wanna try myself so of you could be descriptive in the video it would be extra helpful!! Thanks your an awesome horn player
I LOVE YOUR BELL!!!! I'm in middle school so my horn is owned my the school district but we toon it in to get fixed caused I bent it after dropping it. My dad doesn't want it to get cleaned but I feel like it should
Double French Horns (like this Alex 103) have 4 Valves, some french horns have more valves than that.
Thank you for making this!!!
Thanks for the tutorial! I'm going to play French horn so this is very helpful
I love the design inside the bell
so i haven’t cleaned my french horn ever because it’s a school horn but because of corona i have to clean ALL my instruments (horn, trumpet, mellophone) thank you!! (it also wasn’t as dirty as you’d expect)
What paint did u use
Everytime I clean a French horn I feel like I haven't done it right cause it's not clean enough. This definitely helps so I'm sure I'll get it this time! I just hope I don't procrastinate much longer :/
*Thanks for video!!*
Breh
Thanks for the awesome video! I see you have all different kinds of oil. Could you explaining which types of oil to use and where to put the different types? I normally just put Al Cas Fast Oil in my valve slides, on the linkages, and under the valve caps. Does it matter that I use the same type of oil for everything? I hope to see more videos of this kind in the future!
+Nathan Halberstadt I will do a video to explain eventually. Everyone does the oil process differently so it's hard to cover the topic without getting feedback saying i'm completely wrong
@@FhornPatrick Nope, you're wrong.
Hetman makes good tuning slide lubricant
Thanks for the tips, have to clean a professional $8,000 horn... yay
Do you think this would applicable to a rotary flugelhorn? Also, any tips to speed up a slow valve?
YES God's above!thank you for this
0:54 Looks like you forgot to take out that last slide
That's cool, man. Congratulations!
+Mc Clopedia Thank you!
Please do a video on tuning a Conn 8D/Kruspe Wrap horn
By taking all of the slides & valve caps off (also valves if possible) it'll allow all the water to be fully drained.
I’m about to do this for my school horn that hasn’t been cleaned in years🙏🙏 pray for me
Do you have to remove the valves to do this?
are the vale caps optional +Fhorn patrick
I think some Red Soap would help alot & it'll keep the metal shiny. If you remove all the Slides it'll help get all the spit out form the Horn
Stupid question but does the same cleaning apply to silver horns as well?
francOh yes
I’m washing my nickel silver horn tomorrow!
How long did it take u to get good at the French horn
Its nice to know that Im not the only one who hasn't cleaned. Im too scared to clean my horn but I NEED TO.. Im scared about the strings...
What is the purpose for the the two different ends of the snake?
On my french horn it has these strings connecting the valves to the things u press down, do I have to take those off or can I leave those on?
I don't have grease for the slides so can I use rotor oil on them?
You can use petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
What about taking the actual valves out? And should I take the strings off?
can you get the strings wet?
What about rotor oil? Whenever I put rotor oil through my horn, it gets on the slides and so the the slides get all stuck...
+mynameisntDaniell e Just put enough it where it sticks to the rotors. If you put too much it will gargle for a week!
Yeah, thanks... It's been gargling so much... And coming out the bell... *blugh*
Very helpful! Thanks!
thank god I have someone to turn to #fhorn
What watch are you wearing
Do I remove the valve string before putting it in the water?
You don’t have to. Just make sure to wipe them when you’re done. It’s best if they’re not left wet. I’ve heard some people blow dry them as well. I’ve never needed to do that though. I would never recommend removing the string if you’ve never done it.
@@FhornPatrick Thank u
I borrow my school's f horn and the valves come up very slow and putting rotor oil on it doesn't help either. Is there a way to make the valves come unstuck/ not sticky? I was wondering if cleaning it would help?
thanks! this really helped
I have a French horn from a couple of years ago that I will admit that I have neglected over time, can this help at all with my horn?
What is your recommendation for cleaning the lead pipe(s) of horns having "split" leadpipe(s)/"bell branch" change valves such as a Paxman 40 descant horn or Alexander 107X descant horn? Thank you.
+Avrum Golub There are horn rinse systems that would work!
+FhornPatrick Thank you. Do you have a link to this? Can I snake such lead pipes?
How do you like that 107x? I just bought a 301 and it's magic.
How often do should you do this I've never done this we bought mine probably a year ago but when ever I spin it now I hear something inside so I figured I should clean it out but how often should you clean it out like this?
+audrey mattock I do it every 6 months or so. At the end of each school semester
Thanks for the tip
Really helpful!!😄😄😄 I'm serious
Are you supposed to de-string the valve keys? Are they supposed to get wet???
I never do, but I change the strings once every few years so mold isn't a huge issue
FhornPatrick thank you
Patrick, how do I play Offbeats well? I currently sit behind the Tubas which have the Down Beats, and it makes it kinda difficult to NOT play with them.
When I played I would make a soft sort of "click" in my throat on the down beat and then play on the upbeat if there was a down beat I couldn't help but gravitate to. Almost like beat boxing although that might be a terrible analogy. Eventually as you get in the rhythm you don't even need to do it. Also it helps to time your play with when the heel of your foot is at its greatest height (if you are tapping your foot along). The feeling of your foot hitting the ground on the downbeat also helps you from playing along with it.
What kind of horn do you have?
Very helpful
+Dylan Seets great!
Why didnt you take out the second valve second slide
What if my horn has strings to move the rotors rather than metal rods? I'm in high school and have a Holton h179 help would be awesome :D
+Joshua Piguet Mine also has strings! it's good to get them wet, it gets all the dirt and gross stuff out of it.
+FhornPatrick ok thanks! :D
if i had my horn polished,will a bath harm that polish?
A couple of my slides on my horn I rent from the school were stuck when I got it, and they're impossible to get out. How could I get them out to grease them?
Bring it to a shop! Don't force anything!!
I am in my schools band. I rented the my french horn from my band teacher. Should I ask him if its okay or should i just go ahead and do it?
Yea
Nice Alex.
Infidel might be a copy bc theres no Gebr. Alexander stamp bc the brace of the bell
Do you remove the keys?
Tempura Garbage wouldnt recommend it unless you know how to put them back in lol. Complicated process.
What happens if the rotary valves get wet?
+Branden Kohnle the actual valves? Or the slides? If the rotation will not move, take it to an instrument repair!! Don't force it. If it's a slide try wiggling
BLESS YOU
How Can I remove those circle-shaped things if they are stuck?
tap (kinda hit) the area around it a few times, like as if it were a bottle cap
I usually GENTLY tap around the edges of the valve caps with my mouthpiece a couple of times, that looses them up:)
@@havynengle1387 I wouldn't recommend using your mouthpiece because that can cause dents and chips, even if they aren't visible.
Did you paint the inside of the bell yourself, or did it come like that, or did you get someone else to paint it? It looks really cool
+Saturn Painted myself!
what kind of watch is that?
+Justin Masker It's a fossil :)
A good tip video would be how to oil the rotors.
+Michelle Benna I will add it to the list!
So I'm switching to French horn from trumpet, and I'm wondering if there are any tips and advice that I should know about French horn?
+philipbest2009 First of all, you made the right choice! Second practice all the ranges, not just the high stuff. Work on smoothness and note accuracy, practice! that's really all I can suggest. It just takes some work!
+FhornPatrick thanks, I really appreciate your advice.
How often should I clean my horn?
+Lily Roth It's recommended that you do it every few weeks, depending on use and personal habits (like, if you eat food /drink anything but water before playing, you should probably do it weekly - never drink soda/sugary things before playing, it corrodes the metal). When I'm playing actively I do it at least once every 3 weeks (4 if I'm being lazy)...when I'm not, I do it every other month, keep everything oiled and greased and working, make sure my strings aren't rotting or whatnot.
Basic maintenance goes a looong way with instruments.
+Lily Roth I do it every 6 months just because I like cleaning it. minimum once a year I'd say! More than once every couple of moths seems too much
+FhornPatrick thanks!
I give my horn a simple rinse out once a week, if its done often, the workload is heavily reduced. Also, if 'gunk' passes past the lead pipe and gets into the valves, it will NEVER come out. You may be able to scrape some out, but for it to be cleaned completely out, it would need to be completely disassembled by a technician and ultra-sonically cleaned.
+David Collins it only takes a couple of fitting tools (and some experience maybe) and you can get valves out no problem. The issue is reassembling. The strings can be tricky to tie if your horn uses them.
I honestly like putting a little bit of dish soap in the water
0:51 "Make sure when you're removing your slides, you hold the finger down then pull the slide out. You don't want it to pop." Why?
One time I accidentally put in one of the pipes wrong
... it got stuck.. I have no idea what happened to that French horn
Because my school basically took it away from me when I had to go into homeschool
Good one. :)
where i can buy snakes
I've been hearing this for years, but why do you not want the pop sound when taking out slides?
+RiptorEsquire The back pressure can make your valves go slightly out of alignment. Also your slides are thin metal, the back pressure can cause the valves to collapse if they are weaker.
it was very helpful!!! TYVM!!! however I bought an OLD horn off of EBAY....it's a good horn...but it smells horrible.....I'm thinking about using a little bleach to get rid of the smell....I mean it's on your hands after you play it it stinks so bad!!
Michael Shelley DO NOT USE BLEACH!! YOU BREATH THROUGH THIS AND YOU WILL GET VERY SICK. DO NOT. I REPEAT, DO NOT USE BLEACH.
@@FhornPatrick it stinks SOOOO bad....it's been airing outside for a week and i can still smell it everytime i open the door....not sure what to do.....it has decreased in smell...but i can still smell it
So I stuck the brush cleaning thing how do I get it out oops I thing it's a snake horn
Laura Valencia oh shit
um so like what if you have dried period blood and a freakin giant bucket in your bath tub???
Now I'm scared to play my schools ancient horns that have been played by like 50 differnt kids for like 50 years and have never been really cleaned........😫
Edit: the schools horns are literally the crappiest instruments I've ever seen in my life. My friends has like 3 dents and it makes it sound like a literal duck. Still never giving up horn though.
And you always have the kids who like to eat oreo cookies or cheetos while they practice. Yuck!
I'm in beginner band, and the horn they give you is filthy. Thanks for this video.
Adam P no no no don’t clean a horn that’s not yours just in case
@@therealchaydizzle fuck it, I want to have a clean horn. Besides, im kinda curious on how much junk my horn has collected over the years
But what about cleaning the valves?
That "gunk" is built up condensation from not cleaning the horn after playing. Believe me I know what it's like I played sax and I didnt clean it for a whole month and when i dropped the cloth down there was a whole lot if it.
That is an Alexander 103 Horn?
+Hornist15J yes!
I want that Horn :`v
+Hornist15J same i have a holton h179 and im tired of it...
i have a yamaha...iugh xD
yamaha is great! I loved my 667
ホルンのロータリーがダメにならないんですか？
2:32 "3 or 4 months", me who has never done it over 7 years 😳