Air flow valve for musical instrument

A rotary valve for a musical wind instrument having a slide loop and a main air conduit terminating in a mouthpiece at one end thereof and an instrument bell at another end thereof, said valve comprising a casing having first apertures for accommodating said main air conduit, and second apertures for accommodating said slide loop, a rotor rotatably positioned in said casing, said rotor defining a first air passageway therethrough, a second air passageway therethrough, and a third air passageway therethrough, actuator means operatively coupled to said rotor for shifting said rotor between a first position with said first air passageway connecting said first apertures whereby air flows directly through said main air conduit, and a second position with said second air passageway connecting one of said first apertures with one of said second apertures to divert air flow into said slide loop and said third air passageway connecting another of said first apertures with another of said second apertures to divert air flow from said slide loop back into said main air conduit and thence to said instrument bell, said rotor being substantially cylindrical and defined by a continuous outer wall and upper and lower walls, first, second and third conduits in said rotor defining said first, second and third air passageways respectively, each said first, second and third conduits defined by a pair of first, second and third openings respectively in said rotor side wall, said first conduit positioned adjacent said rotor lower wall and its said first openings defining a first air inlet and a first air outlet, said second openings defining a second air inlet radially spaced from said first air inlet and a second air outlet axially and radially spaced from said first air outlet.