Originally Posted by
livingtx
My son mentioned that with his non-compensating euphonium (Yamaha YEP-321S) he was told to keep the valves slightly loose to let the spit dry.
Who in the world told him that?
So the idea is to ensure a collection of "dried spit" in your valves? And you accomplish this by loosening the valves? If you don't want "spit" in your horn (and it's not spit, of course), then make sure you pull all the tuning slides and empty them after each use, take your pistons out and dry them, etc. I don't think there are a lot of us who do that.
Also, in terms of putting the instrument on its bell, there is almost NEVER a need to do this, and it presents certain dangers. My euph is NEVER on its bell, and the tuba may be put on its bell only for a few seconds while I need both hands (but often, I'll just case it for a moment event then). Your mileage may vary.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)