Musical Instruments
their case, which is used to lubricate
the slide.
• Horn players may have mutes but this
is not common.
• All brass players will have various
tubes of oil, slide grease and heavy oil
for keeping their instruments in tip-top
shape. All of these are very small
containers and shouldn’t come
anywhere near the 100ml restriction.
The oil and grease is usually synthetic
but occasionally players may carry
lanolin in old film canisters.
• Each instrument will also have one or
more mouthpieces to go with it as well.
Clarinets & Flutes
• Aside from the clarinet itself, there is
likely to be some cork grease, a few
reeds and a cleaning swab. It’s
possible there may be a small
screwdriver for quick repairs of the
keys. If it’s there, it will be the size of
the kind used to repair eyeglasses. Some musicians are asked to demonstrate their skill at security checkpoints; others elect to do so whilst
Professional clarinetists will have two waiting for their flights!
clarinets in the same case. Once
removed from the case, the pieces hours making them by hand. Extreme spare strings in their cases. Classical
need to be put back exactly as they caution is required if this little case guitarists will have a footrest as well as a
were or the lid will throw all the keys has to be opened; the reeds are manicure kit. Usually they stow their nail
out of alignment. extraordinarily easy to damage. kit in the hold but, if they have forgotten,
• Flutes are equally low maintenance. • Film canisters filled with water; these it would be quite normal to find small nail
No grease is required, just a cleaning are for soaking the reeds during a scissors and liquid superglue as well as
swab attached to a dull steel rod performance. various files. A classical guitarist’s nails
approximately 12” long. • Various screwdrivers and other small are extremely important and without
tools such as pliers. them in good shape, he will not be able to
Oboes & Bassoons • Cork grease play properly. There will also be a tuner
Oboes and bassoons are extremely • Tuners – electronic devices designed and, if the guitar is electric, likely a few
delicate and require a lot of peripheral to indicate when notes are in tune. lead cords for the amplifier.
equipment to operate properly. In a • Cleaning swab
typical oboe or bassoon case, there will Tubas, Basses & Contrabassoons
be: Guitars These instruments will all be placed in
• Rolling papers Items in a guitar case will likely be much the hold, so there is no need to worry
• A small case with several reeds in it. more familiar than the kit found in about encountering them at the
These are gold to a double reed player orchestral instrument cases. Most security scanning point. Depending on
because they’ve spent countless players will have various picks, capos and the case, horns and trombones often
go in the hold too. Student cellists, who
can’t afford an extra seat, will usually
A bassoon player's reed case invest in an extra-robust flight case and
put their instrument in the hold as well.
Although it covers most of the basics,
this list is nowhere near comprehensive.
Each musician has their own individual
way of doing things and therefore carries
their own mix of gear. If anything looks
unusual in the case, just ask the
musician. There are lots of pieces of kit
that look a bit weird or menacing but
have perfectly rational uses…or at least
they do to someone who has spent the
good part of the last 30 years alone in a
room practicing scales!
20 Register now for FREE instant access to ASI online by visiting www.asi-mag.com October 2009 Aviationsecurityinternational
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