Saxophone Maintanance

I often get the question, "Is there something we can do to keep the instrument in good playing condition?" My answer is always, "unfortunately, the need for any woodwind repairs are sometimes frequent." Especially for young kids who despite their greatest efforts, attract the edge of a stand or chair and knock keys out of alignment. In fact, I dropped my own saxophone once! Slipped right off my neck strap and went crashing...I quickly learned to never trust the neck strap alone and that I should always hold onto my horn!

Accidents do happen and yearly adjustments are common no matter the age of the player but, we can take care of our pads by swabbing.

Proper swabbing and cleaning of your saxophone after a practice/performance session can really help with keeping the instrument working properly in between "tune ups". By swabbing out the moisture, it will help keep pads from sticking and growing that gross "stuff" that always seems to cake up on your pads. If you don't swab or it's been awhile since your last check up, this is what your palm keys or low Eb keys may look like.

You should also make cleaning your mouthpiece a weekly routine especially during the cold and flu season. Warm water, mild dish soap, and a mouth piece brush will work well for this.

So, where to begin?

Step 1:

Purchase a quality saxophone maintenance kit or buy the pieces separately. Your kit should include a swab, a mouthpiece cleaning brush, a neck cleaning swab, cork grease and a reed guard that holds 4 reeds. Here is an example what I think every saxophonist should have.

There are a number of different options and don't want to throw brands out there but as far as body swabs go, I personally like the handkerchief style swab without the foam insert because I've found they are less likely to get stuck in the horn. Also, the handkerchief style swabs are longer and are better at removing moisture. The final reason I prefer the handkerchief style is because when it gets dirty, you can throw it in the washing machine! It'll last a lifetime! While I have my favorite style of swab I would recommend steering clear of the type of swab that you leave in the instrument. In theory, it's a great but the whole idea behind swabbing is to remove moisture. Leaving a wet, giant "q-tip" in the instrument, and then placing the instrument in a case, can spell disaster for pads and the players health. It can also cause cause premature wear on your pads.

Step 2:

Take the instrument apart.

Always remove the ligature and reed from the mouthpiece.

If you don't, you'll end up with an interesting science experiment. (I actually had a student culture the "stuff" inside her mouthpiece in biology class once...The teacher loved the idea but it was gross...remember, you put your mouth on that!) Dry the reed off carefully and place it into a reed guard.

Note: The clear plastic cases

that the reeds come in were not intended to keep wet reeds flat. I know you probably feel bad about throwing them but the good news is, you can actually throw them in the recycling bin!

Step 3:

Remove the neck from the instrument

and use the neck swab to remove any moisture from the neck and then repeat on the mouthpiece.

Step 4:

Using the body swab, place the weighted string into the bell of the instrument.

Step 5:

Once the weight is in the bell, hold onto the swab material and place it into the bell making sure that the rest of the swab is behind the weight.

It is important that the swab enter the bell in this order: Weighted String, Swab. Keeping the swab in this order will make it less likely to get stuck in the instrument.

Step 6:

Let gravity work for you and carefully flip saxophone in the direction you want the weight to travel through the rest of the saxophone.

Grab the weighted end of string at the top of the saxophone

and pull the swab through the instrument.

Step 7:

Repeat steps 5 and 6 if you need to.

Step 8:

Place saxophone in case.

The final saxophone maintenance tip that I can provide is to use grease on the neck cork. It is something we often do when putting the instrument together. While it isn't necessarily something you'll need to do every time, it's a good idea to check on the cork to make sure it stays soft. The best method is to put the grease on first and then work it in with your fingers but applying directly from the container will work fine too. Note: Parents, every teacher I know tells students, "it's not chapstick". But, it may be a good idea to reinforce this to the little ones...or even the big ones. :) It looks like it and sometimes smells kind of nice but it should be used as it was intended.

Thanks for stopping by! Now go practice! ;)