I've restored dry pads with a product called Renew intensive skin treatment by the Melaleuca company. It absorbs into skin without greasy residue so I thought why not. I've used it on leather before too. If you have an expensive fancy sax and money just go to the shop but it worked for me and hasn't gotten sticky. I used q tips to apply it and it softened the imprint ring. I also clean and oil all moving parts using the special sax oil with q tips and am amazed at the black crud that's in there. To keep the g and c sharps from sticking they make a product called Key Leaves but I just used a clean piece of paper and put it in before storing. After a while it didn't seem to need it anymore. If you don't dry it out and leave it wet it's gonna stick.
one issue you didn't mention is the loose pad: though far from ideal, one fix that can keep you playing (on a gig) is to use blue tack to hold the pad in place. by always swabbing out body and crook, you help to avoid the stick pad problem, and using key leaves to keep pads open also helps eliminate sticky pads
Yeah, the Key Leaves definitely help! Funny enough, in all of my years of playing the sax, I've only had 1 pad fall out, and that was on an old Mark VI. I was on a gig, and actually used a piece of gum that I chewed to put the pad back in and finish the gig. Not an ideal fix at all, but it did the job and got me through the gig.
I (inadvertently!) bent the octave mechanism when screwing on the mouthpiece. Your sax won't play at all. Luckily I was at my teacher's, and she immediately diagnosed the problem. The fix was very easy: gently bend it back until it properly seals again. Now I'm much more careful when putting on the mouthpiece, or when swabbing the neck. Don't grab the mechanism, and certainly don't squeeze!
One more thing is a missing cork. In most cases, it means metal to metal noise; but if it is the cork that sets how far you go when pushing the octave key, it stays open when the second mechnism should close it.
Ahh! Yes, I missed that one too. Funny enough, I just had a missing piece of cork replaced on my tenor last week that was causing the front F key to not open enough. The click-clack of missing cork is oftentimes pretty easy to diagnose.
I was playing along great on my alto, when the a and g high and low won't produce a sound at all. Just found the problem, a loose screw under the high f key. Once i tighten it, it was good too go!!!
I have a curved soprano with a high F# key right next to the regular F# key. The spring came off that holds it closed so I couldn't play any notes in the lower register. I found the offending spring and could not get it back on its post. I had to take it to a shop. I have no idea how that spring came off its post.
saxophone springs have a magical way of sometimes just popping off for no reason 🤣 Yeah, some of them are tough to get back on, especially in small spaces like on a soprano.
Great video. I have a BG pad cleaning cloth and Key leaves spit sponge but you need to be careful with the Key Leaves cloth as one side is a bit rough for cleaning the tone hole and I accidentally used it the wrong side down and scraped the top of one of my pads and had to get the pad replaced. I have one issue I haven't been able to fix on my alto sax. I adjusted the G#/Bb adjustment screws to try and adjust the tuning/key heights on the lower notes, and now all notes but the low Bb will play. The low Bb won't play, and I am not sure how to adjust those screws to get that note playing again. I can't afford to send it to my repairer right now so would need to do it myself. On my soprano, when I play a A, B or C (one of those notes) I found its more likely to warble/gurgle. All other notes play fine. I don't see any leaks in the saxophone that I am aware of and the neck doesn't leak either. Not sure what is causing it.
I didn't realize that about the Spit Sponge. I've never used one, as BG France has sent me a bunch of those microfibers over the years. Those adjustment screws can wreak havoc on your sax if they are in the wrong place. Ok, I don't suggest trying a do it yourself fix, BUT if you were to try and fix it yourself... Take a pic of the current position of the screws, so you can return them to that position with no problems. Then very, very, very carefully turn the bottom screws a 1/4 of a rotation. Play your sax, see if it makes it better, worse or the same, and then continue turning a 1/4 (or less) of a rotation until all of your notes play. If it doesn't work with the bottom screw, then try the top one, but return the bottom to the original position. Those adjustment screws require precise placement. Did you check your second octave key on your soprano? That could definitely cause some warbles.
Good tips! On my alto the most common sticky key: G#, then occasionally high E and low C#. Sometimes after playing (for over an hour) the bis key sticks. On my curved soprano the octave key pad on the neck sometimes doesn't open properly.
Yeah, I've had a sticky bis key before too! How do you like the curved soprano compared to the straight ones? I have a straight one with the slightly curved neck.
@@ScottPaddock The main reason I bought a curved soprano: easier to take as carry-on on flights, also it is easier to keep good posture. I don't think there is much difference in sound for the listener (compared to the straight soprano), but for the player it is closer & clearer.
My alto sax won't play an open C#. It seems like one of the pads is shut or something. Is there a way to tell which pads should be open/closed by default?
Hey! It's sounds like you have spring that has come undone. Look at your sax and see if there is a spring that is not attached to the little hook that it should be on. If it's not a spring then you have might have a pad that is sticking shut.
My low Bb key won't close down to the saxophone body. When I press Low B or low C# the lever key goes down to the saxophone body. The piece of Cork is in place. But wh3n I press the low Bb key the mechanism stays open by 1cm. It doesn't press closed to the saxophone body.
Hmmmm, that should be pretty easy because you are just putting one finger down, so I'm not sure what the problem could be. Did you check the 2nd octave key? That could be a little sticky and coming up late, causing a small disruption.
A vibration doesn't feel like a split note. You'll literally feel something vibrate. A split note sometimes, could be the second octave key. Clean it off and see if it goes away.
When you press your high G key it should close the first octave key (the one on the neck) and open the second octave key (the one above your palm key keys). I'm not sure why your E and F would are not sounding correct. That could be several different things.
😂🤣😂 Low B is the least forgiving note on the sax. If there are any leaks, you are definitely going to hear it on that B. Make sure you've got your tongue down really low for those low notes, that will help!
Hello, my d note isn't working and fades into a dead sound after I play it for longer than a half note no matter how I play and im just wondering whats going on with it
Chances are that you have a spring undone and when you are playing whatever key that spring is supposed to be keeping down is blowing open, and it takes about the length of a half note for that to happen. Look on the side of your horn and see if there are any springs off the post. If so, reattach. If that’s not it, it might be time to go to the repair shop. There is nothing that you would be doing to make the note suddenly stop.
Sounds like one of your springs is off. When you go from F# to G, to keys should open up. The F# key and the one ABOVE the G (with no key touch). Look on the back side of your sax and see if there is a spring that is off the post around that area.
The spring that opens your C key is off of the hook. Look on the side of you sax near where the C key is. It's most likely behind the rails. Pop the spring back on and your C will work again.
Great video Scott! Lens wipes for glasses work really well for pad cleaning and are gentler in the pads than microfiber.
Funny enough, I use my BG France micro fiber on my glasses sometimes 🤣
Scott paddock you are one of my favorite people, even I’m unable to come to your saxophone school.
I've restored dry pads with a product called Renew intensive skin treatment by the Melaleuca company. It absorbs into skin without greasy residue so I thought why not. I've used it on leather before too.
If you have an expensive fancy sax and money just go to the shop but it worked for me and hasn't gotten sticky. I used q tips to apply it and it softened the imprint ring.
I also clean and oil all moving parts using the special sax oil with q tips and am amazed at the black crud that's in there.
To keep the g and c sharps from sticking they make a product called Key Leaves but I just used a clean piece of paper and put it in before storing. After a while it didn't seem to need it anymore.
If you don't dry it out and leave it wet it's gonna stick.
Scott also if you hear a clicking sound the low notes will not sound right because of the padding on the inside of the key guard has come off.
one issue you didn't mention is the loose pad: though far from ideal, one fix that can keep you playing (on a gig) is to use blue tack to hold the pad in place. by always swabbing out body and crook, you help to avoid the stick pad problem, and using key leaves to keep pads open also helps eliminate sticky pads
Yeah, the Key Leaves definitely help! Funny enough, in all of my years of playing the sax, I've only had 1 pad fall out, and that was on an old Mark VI. I was on a gig, and actually used a piece of gum that I chewed to put the pad back in and finish the gig. Not an ideal fix at all, but it did the job and got me through the gig.
@@ScottPaddock I used superglue one time. I later found out that repair techs don't exactly like it when people do that.
I (inadvertently!) bent the octave mechanism when screwing on the mouthpiece. Your sax won't play at all. Luckily I was at my teacher's, and she immediately diagnosed the problem. The fix was very easy: gently bend it back until it properly seals again.
Now I'm much more careful when putting on the mouthpiece, or when swabbing the neck. Don't grab the mechanism, and certainly don't squeeze!
Ahhh!! That's another very common one. I'll have to add that in next time. Yes, that top octave key is very easy to bend out of shape.
One more thing is a missing cork. In most cases, it means metal to metal noise; but if it is the cork that sets how far you go when pushing the octave key, it stays open when the second mechnism should close it.
Ahh! Yes, I missed that one too. Funny enough, I just had a missing piece of cork replaced on my tenor last week that was causing the front F key to not open enough. The click-clack of missing cork is oftentimes pretty easy to diagnose.
I was playing along great on my alto, when the a and g high and low won't produce a sound at all. Just found the problem, a loose screw under the high f key. Once i tighten it, it was good too go!!!
Great video! And some new information for me. Thank you! 😊😊😊
Glad you enjoyed it 😁
Glad I found you.
I have a curved soprano with a high F# key right next to the regular F# key. The spring came off that holds it closed so I couldn't play any notes in the lower register. I found the offending spring and could not get it back on its post. I had to take it to a shop. I have no idea how that spring came off its post.
saxophone springs have a magical way of sometimes just popping off for no reason 🤣 Yeah, some of them are tough to get back on, especially in small spaces like on a soprano.
Great advice. Thanks
Good rule of thumb,👍 ALWAYS before playing check your G# and both octave keys. Between songs raise upper palm keys and blow off moisture.....😉
Great information
Great video. I have a BG pad cleaning cloth and Key leaves spit sponge but you need to be careful with the Key Leaves cloth as one side is a bit rough for cleaning the tone hole and I accidentally used it the wrong side down and scraped the top of one of my pads and had to get the pad replaced.
I have one issue I haven't been able to fix on my alto sax. I adjusted the G#/Bb adjustment screws to try and adjust the tuning/key heights on the lower notes, and now all notes but the low Bb will play. The low Bb won't play, and I am not sure how to adjust those screws to get that note playing again. I can't afford to send it to my repairer right now so would need to do it myself.
On my soprano, when I play a A, B or C (one of those notes) I found its more likely to warble/gurgle. All other notes play fine. I don't see any leaks in the saxophone that I am aware of and the neck doesn't leak either. Not sure what is causing it.
I didn't realize that about the Spit Sponge. I've never used one, as BG France has sent me a bunch of those microfibers over the years.
Those adjustment screws can wreak havoc on your sax if they are in the wrong place. Ok, I don't suggest trying a do it yourself fix, BUT if you were to try and fix it yourself... Take a pic of the current position of the screws, so you can return them to that position with no problems. Then very, very, very carefully turn the bottom screws a 1/4 of a rotation. Play your sax, see if it makes it better, worse or the same, and then continue turning a 1/4 (or less) of a rotation until all of your notes play. If it doesn't work with the bottom screw, then try the top one, but return the bottom to the original position. Those adjustment screws require precise placement.
Did you check your second octave key on your soprano? That could definitely cause some warbles.
Good tips! On my alto the most common sticky key: G#, then occasionally high E and low C#. Sometimes after playing (for over an hour) the bis key sticks. On my curved soprano the octave key pad on the neck sometimes doesn't open properly.
Yeah, I've had a sticky bis key before too! How do you like the curved soprano compared to the straight ones? I have a straight one with the slightly curved neck.
@@ScottPaddock The main reason I bought a curved soprano: easier to take as carry-on on flights, also it is easier to keep good posture. I don't think there is much difference in sound for the listener (compared to the straight soprano), but for the player it is closer & clearer.
thank you.
You're welcome!
Buy a low voltage LED leak light to find the leaks
Hello I have a problem where my high g sound very flat when I play it which reads as a d in my tuner what should I do?
Upper C note (tenor) won’t play. Key pad not closing completely. Any idea? Thanks
Does anyone know why the low B key comes down when I press down the g-sharp key? If so are there any fixes or do I need to take it to the repair shop?
My down notes are not coming ( D E flat and the down C )... please how should I go about it
When I play...it sounds like a whistle and it's very bad
My alto sax won't play an open C#. It seems like one of the pads is shut or something. Is there a way to tell which pads should be open/closed by default?
Hey! It's sounds like you have spring that has come undone. Look at your sax and see if there is a spring that is not attached to the little hook that it should be on. If it's not a spring then you have might have a pad that is sticking shut.
@@ScottPaddock Thanks! I'll take a closer look.
My low Bb key won't close down to the saxophone body. When I press Low B or low C# the lever key goes down to the saxophone body. The piece of Cork is in place. But wh3n I press the low Bb key the mechanism stays open by 1cm. It doesn't press closed to the saxophone body.
hi there I have been playing and I found my notes below low D difficult to play and I'm not sure if it's my embouchure or my pad leaking?
I have the same problem. Did you fix it?
Hi Scott, I'm having a problem sluring from high A to high G. When I do it it makes a weird sound how do I fix it?
Hmmmm, that should be pretty easy because you are just putting one finger down, so I'm not sure what the problem could be. Did you check the 2nd octave key? That could be a little sticky and coming up late, causing a small disruption.
@@ScottPaddock I did figure out the problem. Your video was great btw
High A (tenor) with octave seems to "split" sometimes. Is that the same as vibration.
A vibration doesn't feel like a split note. You'll literally feel something vibrate. A split note sometimes, could be the second octave key. Clean it off and see if it goes away.
@@ScottPaddock I'll try that. Thanks for the reply.
In my Tenor sax
After g note not working (f,E, D, lowc) notes
When I pres G key it automatically move the octave key, my E key and Fkey not sounding correctly. Any advice? Thanks in advance
When you press your high G key it should close the first octave key (the one on the neck) and open the second octave key (the one above your palm key keys). I'm not sure why your E and F would are not sounding correct. That could be several different things.
The bane on my existence… LOW B KEY AHAHHAHAHAHSHHSGSWHKWEIEH
😂🤣😂 Low B is the least forgiving note on the sax. If there are any leaks, you are definitely going to hear it on that B. Make sure you've got your tongue down really low for those low notes, that will help!
@@ScottPaddock lol now I’m thinking my tongue is the bane of my existence holy moly thank you
Hello, my d note isn't working and fades into a dead sound after I play it for longer than a half note no matter how I play and im just wondering whats going on with it
Chances are that you have a spring undone and when you are playing whatever key that spring is supposed to be keeping down is blowing open, and it takes about the length of a half note for that to happen. Look on the side of your horn and see if there are any springs off the post. If so, reattach. If that’s not it, it might be time to go to the repair shop. There is nothing that you would be doing to make the note suddenly stop.
What do you mean by "gargley" low notes? Does it sound a bit like growling?
They sound distorted and not full and easy
I know it's not recommended but sometimes the spring on g sharp key needs to be adjusted
I don't usually adjust springs.
When I go from low f# to g on my bari, it stays on f#, but when I go from g to f# it works great. What do I do?
Sounds like one of your springs is off. When you go from F# to G, to keys should open up. The F# key and the one ABOVE the G (with no key touch). Look on the back side of your sax and see if there is a spring that is off the post around that area.
@@ScottPaddock Thanks! It ended up working and that problem also fixed my low A key. :)
@@deara3424 Awesome! Glad I could help.
So my c and c sharp sound the exact same thing and i have no idea what is happening to it so does anyone have anyway advice?
The spring that opens your C key is off of the hook. Look on the side of you sax near where the C key is. It's most likely behind the rails. Pop the spring back on and your C will work again.
My g sharp is not closing when I play it
Yep… both G# key and octave key…
My high key B is misbehaving sir when I play the key C it's goes down with the key B then give me an A sound
Pls I need help
My low notes on my tenor.sax are fluttering..I just got it and it’s used
Fluttering low notes almost always means you have a leak. Take it to your repair guy.
Im use a peso bill (Philippines currency) and put little amount of baby powder
Not buying another one
😅
Good Riddance
I just use a dollar bill to fix my sticky keys
That works, but who knows where the dollar has been and if it's dirty, it could be adding gunk to your pads.
My d with octave key sounds muffled
Check your second octave key. Something is probably sticking