How can I make my trombone slide easier to move?

Question

My slide is so much harder to move than all the other trombone players' in my band. It's interfering with my playing ability because there are parts of certain songs where you have to move your slide really fast. I have tried three different oils and 1 cream but they just seem to make my slide stickier. Do know of any really good oils/creams for trombone slides? Will washing the slide with water help? Any other tips?

Answer 1

washing it might help. remove the slide from the bell. first make sure there's no food or other particles in the slide by rinsing through it or running a brush through both the inner and outer slides. next apply a bit slide oil on the end of the inner slide. the brand doesn't matter much but i recommend rica or trombotine.



Remove the outer slide. Starting from the end of the inner slide, gradually rub the ointment to the front of the slide. make sure you don't apply too much. next, take one of the inner tubes of the slide and stick it in one of the outer tubes and rub it up and down. now do the same with the other inner tube. this will help run the ointment onto both slides.



If that doesn't work, there may be a dent or misalignment and you'll have to take it to a shop.

Answer 2

Lemon:



Just read your question. Please pemit me to post my opinion for your and / or others based on my 50 years playing.



1) How old is the horn?

2) How long have you been playing and in what venues? Marching bands I have found put excessive wear on an instrument. No repairs can make an excessively damaged slide new. So what are your options?



3) Short of purchasing a new horn which can cost in excess of $1600 for a professional instrument purchased new ... to replace one excessively worn, abused and / or damaged instrument.



A) Have a professional repair person repair any slide misalignment and

B) Remove any dents. The cost now is probably around $30-$50.



4) Give the horn a good / slide cleaning inside and out with a very mild soap. There are some really good videos in You Tube on how to do this if you are new or never gave your horn a bath before. Most young(er) musicians neglect doing this.



5) Slide lubricants:

In the day we used women's facial cold cream. I used Conn Superslick for many years. In the past two years, I have discovered Yamaha Slide Oil. I never liked any slide oil before, but this product surpasses every lubricant I have seen in 50 years.



One or more of these suggestions should alleviate the problem with your slide. And remember ... practice, practice, practice

Answer 3

You may have a dent in the slide somewhere, that would cause friction and could slow it down. or something could be bent a little, and that would make it harder to move also. Have someone check it out.

Answer 4

Go to a good instrument store and get some slide oil. Don't ruin your instrument when the good stuff only costs $3.00.



Option B:



Try the Internet.



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Shopping results for trombone slide oil

SuperSlick Trombone Slide Lubricants (SSSO ...$2.99 - Woodwind and Brasswind

Holton Trombone Slide Oil$2.99 - Musicians Friend

Yamaha Trombone Slide Oil$5.99 - 1Stop Clarinet and ...

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Just For Beginners - Keep It Clean: A Basic Guide to Trombone Care

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Amazon.com: "Best trombone slide oil"

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Amazon.com: Superslick Trombone Slide Oil: Musical Instruments

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Trombone Care Products

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SuperSlick Musical Instruments - TSO Trombone Slide Oil

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Conn SO4102SG Trombone Slide Oil - LOW PRICES at WWBW

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Trumpet Valve Oil and Trombone Slide Oil? - Yahoo! Answers

Is it okay to use trombone slide oil in place of t…

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[Trombone-l] Yamaha Trombone Slide Oil

Dec 26, 2007 ... Previous message: [Trombone-l] Yamaha Trombone Slide Oil; Next message: [ Trombone-l] Listening to Frank... Messages sorted by: [ date ...

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Yamaha Introduces Top-of-the-Line Trombone Slide Oil

Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, introduced the new YAC 1021P Trombone Slide Oil, replacing the YAC 1005P Trombone Liquid Cream. ...

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Answer 5

I don't believe this to be correct

Answer 6

thank you everyone for the answers!

Answer 7

try wd 40. it works on pretty much everything i need lubed