Relax, that's not my horn. However, I was in shear terror today when I got home from dinner with friends after band rehearsal.
As I was entering my apartment complex, the door to the lobby accidentally shut sooner than I thought and my tuba (in the soft case) took the hit from the door closing. I immediately thought "OH MY GOD" and rushed inside to take a look at my bell. Surely enough, there were a few creases in the bell.
I was upset but I realized it was no ones fault but my own and managed to control my anger. I thought for a moment "how can I fix this?"
The material that my horn is made up of is surprisingly pretty soft. I found my grandmother's old cane, wrapped a microfiber cloth around it, and began rubbing it backwards and forwards as the crease began to fade away. After much labor, the creases ware considerably less visible and I had managed to return the bell back to its original shape. Unfortunately, there is visible damage but the creases are gone. After a good polish the horn looked much better but as I said before, the damage is still noticeable.
When you play an instrument that big, the inevitable is bound to happen someday. I did not think it would come so soon but I'm glad it was not worse and that I managed to repair the damage as best as I could.
It is times like these I wish I played a much smaller instrument that is less suseptible to damage. This will simply serve as a reminder that I must take even more time when I enter and exit buildings with my tuba and be more cautious with her wherever I may be.
