How to Clean Spit Out of a French Horn
- 1
The round valve at the top of the row of four valves is the spit valve
Look at the back of the horn (the side you hold against your body as you play). If you see a fourth valve next to the three tonal key valves, it's a spit valve. Hold the horn over a sink or trash can and depress the lever on the spit valve to allow spit to drain out. Tilt and shake the horn as necessary to get as much spit as possible out of the spit valve. - 2). Remove the mouthpiece by pulling it off the horn firmly.
- 3). Remove all three slides; two on the back and one on the front. The slides are just like the slides on a trombone, only shorter. They're movable bends in the horn that are bisected by thin metal rods that serve as handles.
- 4). Hold the horn over a sink or trash can and slowly turn it around and around like a steering wheel. Since there's such a maze of pipes in a French horn, this is the most-thorough way to clean it. You may turn it completely around several times before the last of the spit drains out, but once it's done dripping, you can stop.
- 5). Wipe any wet spots dry with a clean, soft cloth. Replace the slides and the mouthpiece.
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