Different instruments require varying levels of maintenance. Some require less than the saxophone, while others require more. String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, etc. Brass instruments are made entirely of metal, so they can be cleaned in a sink or in a bathtub. Woodwind instruments are made of either mostly metal flute, saxophone or mostly wood clarinet, oboe, bassoon.
Daily saxophone maintenance is the most effective way to prevent mechanical problems from occurring quickly and frequently. There are some small problems you can fix yourself, but there are some issues that require a professional woodwind repairman. This can be expensive. The best thing to do to save both time and money is to get into the habit of performing daily saxophone maintenance in order to avoid needing to get your instrument professionally worked on more than is necessary.
The saxophone is made of mostly brass, but the pads underneath each key are made of leather. Leather and water do not mix so well. When we play the saxophone, we are constantly blowing moisture into it. After each performance or practice session, you want to get the moisture out as soon as you can. You should use a swab every time you are finished playing. The ideal situation would be to let your saxophone air out for a little bit after you swab it, before putting it in its case.
A common mistake I see is people using a pad-saver as a swab and then leaving it in the instrument when they pack it away. Do not leave your pad-saver or swab in the instrument. The purpose of using a swab is to get rid of moisture.
If you leave the swab in the saxophone, you might as well not even use a swab. There are a few other things you can do to prevent unnecessary damage from occurring. Never drink sugary drinks or eat sugary food or candy and then play. If you do, make sure you brush your teeth before playing.
This will cause pads to stick more often. Always pick up your saxophone by the bell. Remember to clean out your mouthpiece regularly. Bacteria builds up easily and quickly inside the mouthpiece and can cause you to become sick. In addition to daily saxophone maintenance, periodic maintenance is needed as well. You should, of course, take your saxophone to a professional repairman whenever there is a major issue that you or your teacher cannot fix, but you should also take your saxophone to a woodwind repairman about once a year just to get it checked out and adjusted as needed, in order to optimize its playability.
The repairman can reseat or replace pads as needed, replace corks and felts, change key height, oil keys, etc. Even with meticulous daily saxophone maintenance and prevention strategies, problems still do occur. If the sax is a working student model then contact the principal, band director or PTSA at your local school. Gifts like this can make a big difference in the life of a musician. I hope this helps you and your family in a season of mourning.
The loss of a loved one can be painful but preserving their saxophone is possible and often worth it. Close search. The best place is the back of a closet, NOT in an attic or garage.
Room temperature storage helps prevent metal corrosion, pad rot and stinky mildew. Saxophones are made of metal, felt, leather, and lacquer. None of these react well to dank conditions or humidity fluctuation.
Wash the mouthpiece Use luke warm water with mild hand soap to clean the inside and outside of the mouthpiece. You can also use cleaning sprays if you wish. After the mouthpiece is cleaned, it can be stored well in the case. It will warp or crack. Likewise, do not use water that is too cold. Dispose of cleaning swabs and used reeds. These are filthy and can grow mold that harm the sax, the case or a person's health.
Unused vintage sax reeds are fine to keep and may be highly sought after by players or collectors. Put d esiccant In the Case. Every sax manufacturers places desiccant packs in the case before shipping to absorb moisture before it can damage the sax.
I personally use DriBox on the saxes I don't play frequently because it is small and can be recharged by microwave or oven. If the sax is silver lay a 3M Anti-Tarnish Strip on the silver before closing the case. Having no cap at all is bad. Think of having a car accident with a very loose seatbelt. I want to thank Bob Reynolds for being a good sport and letting me make an example of his horn. Interested in more BetterSax Interviews? Also be sure to follow BetterSax on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and YouTube to stay up to date with us for news, giveaways, and other saxophone tips and tricks.
Pingback: Time to Clean Your Saxophone? It is annoying. Is this a common fault on my Selmer Mark 6? This is very common on Mark VI horns and other saxophones.
Are you playing outside perhaps? When playing outdoors we get a lot more condensation inside the sax which results in this dripping on the left hand. Every time I take it in to the local music store, they want to replace all the pads, which feels like major surgery! I almost never replace pads on my saxophones. They should last 20 years easy if you do consistent maintenance and swabbing. If you need to fix your neck cork just drop off the neck without the horn.
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