Polishing the brass, silver etc. is time consuming and you are soon having to do it again. Many allow their pipes obtain a “patina” (dirt and corrosion) as they would rather play than polish. Some actually like the funky look but others like a shine on the metal but are put off by the labor to keep them shiny, so seldom polish. I like the shiny look. One guy lacquered the metal, but lacquer yellows, cracks and flakes over time.
I was turned onto a product that I just tried and like the result. I polished my pipes then easily applied a polymer coating. Unlike lacquer, it will not flake, yellow or crack and a handy person can apply it easily with great results. It is purported to last for years. As it is self leveling, if it gets scuffed or needs a touch up, it is easy to do and the repair is invisible. No more monthly polishing for me. A friend used it on an old trumpet a few years ago and it still looks like new. He did not want to pay to have it re-lacquered.
The product is called ProtectaClear and can be gotten from everbritecoatings.com. I paid around $30 for a kit, including the coating, a non-acid polish, applicator pad, gloves and instructions. The applicator was not used. I used natural bristle paint brushes and got great results, as it is self-leveling. Highly recommended!