17 Pro Saxophone Tips: Assembly|Disassembly
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2024
- #bettersax #saxophone #saxophonelessons
Jay Metcalf shares a list of best practices on saxophone assembly and disassembly.
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Confess pride that even as a part time amateur I got all your offerings right.
You're very good.
Jay is the master teacher of all things regarding saxophones. Highly appreciated🙏
A great video indeed! One more tip is maybe: when you want to clean your hard rubber mouthpiece with water... always clean it with cold water and if you like, with a small soft toothbrush. Hot water makes the mouthpiece discolour and sometimes gives the mouthpiece a oily smell. When you use a mouthpiece patch and you want to change this, you can clean the sticky rests with white spirit and then with a little dish soap and water. After drying you can apply a new patch.
I've been playing about 20 hours. Love it. Can't stop practicing. I was pleased to see that I do all these sax cleaning procedures every play. Except one. The end cap between plays. I feel dumb. It's so obvious. Thanks Jay. Great vlogs. Gonna check out your Better Sax alto. Looks great.
Great tips Jay. I also was told by a teacher to always keep a hand on the sax when not playing it while hanging on the neck strap. Never let the instrument hang just by the strap. The clip can break and there goes your horn down to the hard floor!
I did that in marching band when we were laying out formations in the concrete parking lot practice field. The band director turned red as he came down off the platform. He ordered big fluffy padded neckstraps with metal spring clips for all the tenors.
Ouch. I was hoping that didn't happen to anyone. Per my picture, I used to play soprano. Learned on it 8 years ago. Never needed a strap. Very light. Been playing alto for a good while and use a ProTec strap with a METAL snap! The best and ultra comfortable. Used to live in FL where most floors are tiled so, like concrete, it can really bang up an instrument.
Mechanic said I blew a seal. I told him to fix the damn thing and leave my personal life out of it.
Great teacher and well edited to be so efficient. I suggest to leave your swab outside the case to dry after each day's use, whenever you can, and wash occasionally will be an even fresher result. Thanks for your your great videos, they are really helping me grow in vision for how much more of a player I can be and am having more fun!
Thank you John. Yes, leaving the swabs out to dry when possible is a very good thing to do. A quick hand wash every couple of years isn't a bad idea either.
Thanks, it's great to go through the basics because we're rarely actually taught this. Actually one of my sax teachers had a zip-up case and a vintage Selmer alto which was her most prized instrument. Leaving a gig, she picked up her case and swung it onto her shoulder only for the sax to come flying out and across the room, resulting in heartbreaking repairs to an instrument she'd cared for for years. That's the reason I went for a case with clips so I could see more easily if I'd done it up properly. 😊
Jay, you're the BEST! Because of you I clean my Yani EVERY time and my mouthpiece. No funky odors or icky stuff in there
When assembling, I do things in a slightly different order. Reed in mouth, neck strap on, horn clipped, then do mouthpiece and neck stuff. Made the mistake of not securing the horn before putting the neck on before. Dropped my mark vi right before a gig. Bent the octave key on the neck, a couple other keys, and there is a rather sizable dent on the bottom of the bell now. The keys I was able to fix in the first couple songs. Dent really isn't worth fixing as it is directly on the bottom where the reinforcement it. Someone would have to cut it off, hammer out the dent best they can and put the support back on. And that is with no guarantee it will work better or even the same as before the repair. The dent just makes low c and down harder to play, which is not a huge deal. They still work fine, just with less response.
Great video ! I think you only forgot to mention one great thing. It is to put your neckstrap before even assembling the saxophone. Putting it later for young students ends often badly. Great work !
Great basic advice. Always something to learn.
Only been playing (via online teaching), but I’ve been watching Jay play and show his techniques. Learning all the time from him.
Terrific, did not know about the suction on the reed and mouth piece to make it pop but always do the rest, though I never put the sax down on anything hard. That long fluffy thing keeps the moisture in so only used it to pull through the instrument first followed by swab.
Grouse teacher! I strongly recommend the Pentatonic Scale program downloadable on line! Excellent skill improvement exercises, demos , and scale utility drills! This is unsolicited, from a very happy customer!
GREAT, not grouse! Oops!
Thanks for the generous compliment. It is very much appreciated!
i've been playing sax for 40 years and I didn't know half this stuff! Wow! thanks, bro.
you're welcome!
You are an amazing teacher. I love your lessons. I’m a beginner and you are helping me a lot. Thank you!
Great advice as always Jay. The G# sticking key can be the plague of sax players. After experiencing the stick, much as Jay described, I learned to clean the key pad with a microfiber cloth after every use. It has solved the problem. Gently putting the cloth on the pad and gently sliding it out has worked well. I do the same for many other pads as well.
Thanks David.
Like that pop test for correct reed/ligature placement. Great tip. Also, like you say, swab should really be pulled from bottom to top. Given the conical shape of the body, more moisture will be removed if you pull the swab through the body in that direction.
So I just saw this video now and have been subscribed to your channel for years. I’m gonna have to show my marching band sax section this video. It’s extremely helpful
awesome tutorial, thank you!
Thankyou for making such detailed videos!!
Glad you like them!
now I would think handling the horn by the rods would be bad. I have always handled by the bell. I guess I can never stop learning. This is only the fifth video watched but Mr. Metcalf is an effective and efficient communicator. Many others would take four times as long and actually say less.
really enjoying your vids, lot of BS and stuff gets talked about instruments, you're vids and just good stuff, no BS.
Thanks Mike
The only 'BS' is Better Sax =D
I am brand new at this and first thing I had to do was air out the Chinese case !..WOW !!! The weird smell of that case could kill ya...hung it out in the sun and wind 3 days in a row after the first day it was better but needed more...The foam in the case I guess might have radiation and Round up poison mixed with some mercury in it.. Thanks for your videos they are wonderful.
Cheers man some new stuff for me
Great video, I learned something....
Remember to clean reeds before putting them back into a holder because the holder can develop black mold and so does the mouthpiece if you leave the reed on it. I had to dispose of an original mint Vito Leblanc sax case and the parent had to buy a new one. Any case that is not completely dry in every way can be a health hazard.
Thank you so much this was very informative!
Great class
Appreciate the tips
Great tips Jay! Just one comment - I like to air dry my swabs out of the case immediately after use if possible. It's probably not a good idea to leave them damp in the case.
Very useful tips! I have a stick pad, the G# pad, and I don’t know how to fix it. Thanks!!
Incredibly helpful stuff i'd never heard before Jay! Tremendous free value given here..who else would i buy a course from when i'm ready for it? :)
Great video, Jay. I've got some students who have said that previous music teachers had them put some sort of grease/oil on their neck tenon to help guide it into the body. I was always emphatically taught *not* to do that, because the neck should already be a perfectly snug fit, and any sort of grease/oil would mess up that relationship between the parts and/or cause problems down the road. Have you ever heard of that being recommended? Thanks for all of your content.
A neck that fits properly won't need any grease or oil.You can use the grease as a temporary solution before getting the neck fitted, but must wipe it off each time when putting the horn away.
Excellent tips! Thank you! I suscribe
Thanks Andres!
Better Sax Oh I forgot to give thanks also for the video of 5 saxophone mouthpiece for tenor under $200... Because of that video I buy my Jody Jazz HR 7*... I loved it. Here my video testing it
ruclips.net/video/1TBYcZSaZMk/видео.html
Andres, you sound great on it. Thanks for sharing.
I noticed most people do not clean up their horn after playing. I had the same mistake with my first horn. Within a month or two, the G# pad got stuck. With my new horn (3 years now), I have never had that problem, because I make sure that I clean up the horn with the swap cloth and then with paper for all the pads that close such as g#, c#, etc.
It makes a very big difference doesn't it.
Thanks Jay for this very informative video! Been playing for 5 months now and your tips are very useful.
- For the suction test, I get the pop sound as soon as I remove my mouth from the mouthpiece. Is that ok?
- Does the suction test work with synthetic reeds too?
- I had problems with sticky pads (the keys raise a fraction of a second after I lift my finger) and would really appreciate if you could do a video on how to clean them. I had different people counseling me but I'm not sure I cleaned my keys the right way.
Thanks!
Cindy, I'm glad you're getting something valuable from the videos. If you have a good seal, you'll get the pop a couple of seconds later.
Yes, the suction test works with synthetic reeds.
I am planning a video which will cover how to clean sticky pads. If you have a lot of sticky pads on your saxophone, it could have to do with the quality of the pads on your instrument. Try using Yamaha powder paper on all the sticky pads.
sticky pads on a flute meant that I was playing it after eating something sweet. Nowadays I wait for half an hour or so after sweets and before playing, and also brush my teeth and use the irrigator before sax, flute or harmonica.
Jay, Enjoy your videos. I am using synthetic reeds (Legere) you mentioned to suck the air and get the "pop" to make sure you have a good "connection" reed to mouthpiece. Do synthetic reeds also do the same "pop" as the cane reeds do?
I will over emphasize the importance of latching or zipping closed the case everytime you close it.. Once had a buddy pull up in his car outside a gig and decided to wait for him as he exited his vehicle. He had a Selmer mk VII that he just had overhauled and relacquered. He opened his trunk and grabbed the case by the handle. The case opened up and the alto sax fell out onto the pavement. I walked away to give him some alone time.. He later told me that after placing it in his trunk he decided to check if everything was in his case... He apparently got distracted and never latched it.
The pad saver (the big fluffy thing) is actually a very good idea, if used correctly. The horn should be swabbed first, then the pad saver inserted. It will absorb moisture left behind by the swab and acts as an end cap (important for those who forget to use the cap). Store the horn in the case with the pad saver inside.
That little bit of dampness will still mildew, just not as quickly--better to let it evaporate. Plus, they shed a lot of fibers.
just watchin some old jay's vids just check-in if I'm still doing it correctly
I try using the seal popping technique and wet my reed put on my palm and suck in i never get a popping sound ive tried like 5 reeds
What's the cork grease made out of? Can I use vaseline or coconut oil or my non-perfumed non-colored chap stick?
Is the fluffy thing in conjunction with thorough swabbing ok? However I've heard the fluffy thing sheds fibers that compromise the seal, etc.
I am a very new saxophone student and I have been taught by several instructors that pad savers are extremely important to keep your instrument clean but he said not to use them because they keep the moisture inside the saxophone, is it true that I shouldn't use them?
I think you could also dry your pads before you put it back.
My saxophone came with one of those big fluffy things. If you swab your sax, is it ok to leave the fluffy thing in? Or should that not be left in at all?
5:55 what to do if your swab doesnt have the weighted end?
Thanks. The strap you are wearing is not the one you advertise. Which model you use in this video?
This is belated, but thanks🙂
I was wondering, as a beginner what or how should I go about getting started. Im looking into renting a sax from my local music shop or should I buy a used one and seek instruction by a private instructor. I'm in NYC and there are a ton of sax instructors and music shops. A rental sax is about $300 for 10 months and $35 thereafter. If I want to purchase a sax from the shop, the price is minus the rental fee which I'm told is around $1500. I see on eBay some name brands are going for cheap, i.e. a Conn shooting star for about $300 old Yamahas for about the same price. What's your advise. Would love your input. And by the way the info has been very informative...thanks,
Rocco
+Rocky P, read my blog post on buying your first saxophone. I answer all the questions there: bettersax.com/saxophone-buying-advice/
Do the swab need washing regularly?
Laying down the sax on the front side doesn’t bend the keys or anything else from pressure?
What are your thoughts on key clamps?
I've used them in the past. If your pads are installed well in the first place they shouldn't be necessary. I don't use them, and my horns that don't get played much still work great when I take them out.
Hi there. I might be spamming the forums at this point. but I always struggle with putting the neck in and removing it after playing! it doesn't slide as smoothly as it did in the video. I got a brand new Yamaha YAS 280 a month ago and it had this issue since the beginning. I thought that was pretty normal at first but after watching a couple vids I figured it probably aint... am I doing something wrong? or is my new sax busted?
Would you recommend using the swab then the pad saver?
Or just don't use the pad Saver at all ?
+gama munoz Once you swab the horn out, you have no need for the pad saver. It will only leave lots of unwanted fibers inside your horn that will get stuck to your pads. Best to only use a neck plug in the horn when it's in the case and nothing else.
a swab..hmm..I have heard of those...:)
je sèche aussi les tampons à partir du sol avec un buvard.
Those big sticks are actually there for cleaning the pads.
I have one of those fluffy swabs that you mentioned. I was using it to stabilize the horn (I thought). I have the body swabs to clean the horn. So, you’re saying that I don’t need the fluffy swab?
I'd get rid or it and use the swab instead. Make sure you are using an end plug when the horn is in the case though.
But would it do any damage if I leave it in? Or would it just collect germs.
It leaves behind fibers that get stuck to the pads, body and mechanisms.
Better Sax I was told the stick is a pad saver
I'm always confused by the thumbs down responses.
Love your case, Is it a backpack? Could you pls write the name / company of this case? I'll be very glad :)
That’s the BAM trekking
@@bettersax Thank You :)
1. Should I discard a reed that does not pass the suction test?
2. My reed initially passes the suction test, but fails it after some playing. Is that to be expected?
Isaac, how are you storing your reeds after playing? You should be putting them in a reed case that keeps some moisture in them. You may also want to use a tool to keep the back of the reed flat.
Sorry I wasn't clear. I test immediately after playing, not after storage. A reed that initially passed, now fails.
BTW, I gained a lot from your classes. Thank you.
Should i be cleaning everything with each short session i play, even if only a couple of hours in between playing?
yes, in a couple of hours all the moisture will dry and leave a residue that builds up over time. Your pads will harden over time as well and not last as long.
@@bettersax Thank you Jay! Noted! It's kinda fun to clean it, actually. I think i'm ready for a mouthpiece/ ligature upgrade.
You were demonstrating with Alto saxaphone right?
+Blue slime Gaming yup alto
Like +++++
Good morning Sir lve been following your videos for the last two plus years and this is the first time l have to disagree with a point you made . The fluffy thing is a pad saver it is placed in your horn after swabbing it out to absorb any residue it isn't a substitute for swabbind
I just realized that the right way to lay the horn on a table surface is not the same way it lies in the case. Why’s that, I wonder?
Because a good case allows space for the keys and holds the instrument in place by immobilizing the ends.