It occurred to me just now as I was pondering the durability of brass instruments: Is there a finish on the inside of the piping? Does a bit of patina on the inside matter towards a good sound?
No, brass instruments have no laquer on the inside. I am a trombone player, and on some instruments I have played, the bell is actually big enough that you can see down inside to the line where the lacquer (sp?) stops. In fact, there is some debate in the brass community, a large number of players believe that a non-lacquered bell gives you a better tone quality, if you are willing to sacrifice the appearance of the instrument. Many players will actually take the lacquer off their instruments in an attempt to make it sound better. I say, if you are good enough, the lacquer on the bell shouldn’t matter…
Most of the tubae I’ve played have been finished for a little ways inside the bell (the whole bell, if it’s removeable), but after that, flat. From what I know of the physics, oxidation on the inside of the tube should hardly make any difference at all to the sound, so long as it doesn’t rust a hole through. Contrary to popular belief, the material out of which a wind instrument is made has essentially no direct effect on the sound: The only reason that instruments made of precious metals tend to sound better is that they’re likely to have much better workmanship.
justplainDave had a conversation about this and I think something I said bears some consideration…and that’s the fact that you don’t see a whole lot of people walking around with un-lacquered bells…so it doesn’t seem like the music community as a whole puts a lot of stock in the “un-lacquered bells sound better” theory…
This would explain the tip I read for making a baroque trumpet out of an 8’ length of vinyl hose, a funnel and a mouthpiece.
Thanks!