Woodwind Mouthpiece Care

Daily or Each Time You Play

Remove your reed and ligature and dry the inside of the mouthpiece with a Mouthpiece and Bocal Cleaning Swab (AA31) or Yamaha Microfiber Mouthpiece Swab (CA0229).

Important: Extra Care for Ebonite Mouthpieces

Ebonite (hard rubber) accelerates how quickly silver tarnishes. If you have silver plated parts/keys on your instrument we recommend keeping your mouthpiece either in an outer pocket of your case, or in an airtight bag/container inside the case.

Weekly

Clean your mouthpiece with warm soapy water (NOT HOT), a Mouthpiece Brush (ACM272) is also advisable to clean inside the bore fully. Dry with a soft microfibre cloth like the Windcraft Microfibre Cleaning Cloth (ACM106). Another way to keep your mouthpiece clean is a sterilisation spray like Sterisol (ALU050) or Windcraft Steri-Spray (OA0026 small or ALU055 large). We recommend this measure if you fall ill and are still playing.

Monthly

Check the condition of your mouthpiece, if your mouthpiece is Ebonite/ Hard Rubber look for any changes in the colour of your mouthpiece or a bitter taste when playing; we recommend not using the mouthpiece if this occurs.

Check that the patch on the mouthpiece is still even and clean. We recommend the BG Mouthpiece Patches (AA11L)(AA11S)(AA10L)(AA10S). These Mouthpiece Patches protect your teeth from the mouthpiece, and the mouthpiece from your teeth! They are available in clear thin and black thicker models, it’s worth trying both to see which you feel most comfortable with.