NEVER Make These 10 Saxophone Gear Mistakes
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- #bettersax #saxophone
Jay Metcalf gives advice on the most common gear mistakes that saxophonists make and how to avoid them.
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Ok, here is number 12,
Never let sax hang from your neck strap unsupported with no hands. The neck strap could break or snap at any second, and bamm! Your sax is now smashed ! Always have 2 hands on sax or at least one hand. My strap hook separated from the sax body on my USAF mark 6, but I caught the horn!
I learned that the hard way....
Gives me the creeps when I see peeps letting the sax routinely hang by the strap, or routinely holding by one hand. Fair enough, there are times when you might have to BRIEFLY hold by one hand (turning sheet/book of music during practice at home or band room or during a marching band) but for Pete's sake not routinely 😱. If in doubt as to the potential damage, try dropping a sax from four feet to a hard floor 😳😳😳😳😳. Saxes are not as strong as they might appear; I have received two in the post, one with a damaged hard case and tone hole, the other with a smashed bell and disconnected bottom bow 🤬.
But i like hanging my alto
Ok here's another one, 7th grade band is done and kid says, I don't have time to put sax away, so I just carry fully assembled sax to parents car, who are waiting for him, I said, put your sax in the case. It only takes 45 seconds, sax body, fully swabbed, neck put away,clarinet swab through the neck, mouthpiece, reed, men's handkerchief pulled through mouthpiece. Neck strap done!
Yeah, I sometimes do it for like 0.00001 milliseconds every once in a while
Great video! I learned a lot, honestly.
Thanks shedbro
Hello, I'm a fellow sax player speaking on behalf of the audience. Simple, short, and concise question concerning both parties. Collab?
@@bettersax LMAO shedbro
Thanks for making this! It gives a clear reasoning why we want to avoid these certain mistakes, super helpful!
You’re welcome!
One thing I might add is to clean and disinfect your mouthpiece and reeds if you haven't played your horn in a while. I don't usually get my tenor sax out during the 6 month period between band performances. I generally practice on my EWI or clarinet for the sanity of my family. I had meticulously cleaned my horn before putting it away after the Christmas concert and when I took it out and played at the first rehearsal in June, I figured it would be good to go. About 6 hours later I started getting sick and barely made the concert the next day. Turns out I got food poisoning from the mouthpiece. Crud had grown even though I thought it was clean. I was floored for 3 days, so clean it before you use it if it's not been out of the case!
#11 - NOT putting stickers on your sax for fear of "ruining" it.
Literally my #11
Ha ha !!!!!!
Stickers on your horn is the correct thing to do though.
I don't get it
I didn't and still don't care, I put a sticker on it that my crush game me and a sticker I've had for a while
This shelf with mouthpieces is just a paradise!😃
Waiting for my Bettersax from Sweetwater. Thank you for waking up in me the little kid that used to play on a band, I just turned 66 and looking forward to make some music.
Congrats! Enjoy it.
I’m a late bloomer boomer here….took alto sax lessons when I was 43, then lost interest and now at age 67, taking a refresher course ……it’s all coming back to me…….these are great tips I didn’t know this! They didn’t RUclips when I first played sax…..now I can learn everything on RUclips university……Thankyou!!
My sax teacher is a 23 year old 😀I’m teaching him about rock n roll saxophone riffs from the 50s & 60s …….
Absolutely inspirational... don't stop learning...keep going. I just bought my first sax after working/ saving up for months and it's stuff like this that inspires me to learn the sax even as a young adult with no background in music or music notes at all 😅
All good advice! I've been guilty of many of these things myself, and learned the hard way :)) One from me: be very careful using a swab on a one-piece soprano - you may have to get it out in bits when it gets stuck on the octave key breather...
Don't hold the soprano upside down when swabbing. You have to turn it upside down to get the end of swab string to fall through but turn it the right way up before pulling the rest through. The swab can fall in on itself and you end up trying to pull more material than will fit though the narrow opening at the top of a soprano.
Not only is polishing an lacquered horn unnecessary, it is counter productive. Polishes are abrasive, and will quickly rub right through the lacquer. So unless you want to turn your horn into an unlacquered model, save the polish for your silver tea service.
Great tips Jay-I’m already doing all of these, but I think it’s probably because I’ve been taking your courses and listening to your RUclips videos for several years!
One of the little things that I do which may or may not prove useful for other people - when I’ve I finished with my sax, it is put on a stand and I then cover it with a cotton pillowcase just to keep dust out of the mechanics. Even in a really clean house it’s surprising how much dust there is floating about.
Great video, Jay! Lots of great stuff packed into this video.
Thanks for taking time to awnser peoples questions about your vids!
Thank you for all the video about saxophone. I love them
im going to get a alto sax soon thanks for the tips so i make it last decades
Thanks for number 5! It's so counterintuitive. I have stands now for my saxes but this should be taught to all young players. I definitely made this mistake and basically all beginners make it too!
Even though I knew about 80% of this info, the strong warning to keep mouthpieces away from light and use only cold water I will heed, as I was using lukewarm water for a better clean. And yes, after my repair tech overhauled my Conn transitional tenor, I could sense his displeasure for my decision to not get a new case for it even though he suggested I do that. The original case doesn’t smell and is in okay shape, but yes I admit that wedging T-shirts and socks into the case for protection is less than ideal. Good stuff Jay, thank you!
Thanks for this video!
It proves to me that I'm a good saxophonist.
Certainly not in playing my instrument, but at least in how I treat my Sax. ;)
There is none of these mistakes in my exercise behavior.
All very good advice! I wish I knew #10 some 30 years ago when I started learning on the same Keilwerth sax that my father got when he started learning as a kid!
Just bought the swab kit! Thank you Jay!
I was very fortunate, my first sax instructor started with the basic techniques mentioned.
i definitely do some of these. thanks for these tips, i definitely learned some new things to avoid. Thanks, Jay!
1) i never had my hardrubber mouthpiece on sun.
2) i used only lukewarm water. I don't use hard rubber mouthpieces anymore, so no this problem anymore ;)
3) after playing i clean the mouthpiece with stream of water and time to time with toothbrush. But your seabs looks perfect!
4) following
5) i did not knew. If i cannot put the sax to stand, i put it on the left side but always on couch or bed or something soft.
6) never had such strange idea.
7) shame on me!
8) who can be so stupid?
9) i never polished my 50 years old sax. i like its de-lacquer look.
10) i use original case which looks as new, but yes, really new are surely better.
Perfect video Jay. Btw, how it goes with your Better tenor? Is already on the way?
Tenor is in development
These rules apply to clarinets as well! I just got my Selmer Series 10 rebuilt a few weeks ago, but I still use my case since it is in great shape and not moldy or smelly. However, I do plan to get a saxophone and will take these to heart.
Yep. Made the UV mistake last week on my soprano MPC. Now it's cammo coloured for extra sneaky jazz.
Thanks Jay, for this important tips!
I'm glad you made this video! I did some of that mistakes, but I'm sure I will not from now on!
Thanks for the advice. I didnt know the things i did were wrong till i watched this video. Again Thank you👍
So great that I have already done everything for up-keeping my saxophone through the years!
Jay, thank you so much for your reminder!
One more comment: I did buy a new case for my sax, because… yeah… Ick! However I kept the old one, due to the provenance. My horn may have been used in Glenn Miller’s Army Air Corps band. It came with the original box that has stenciling on it that may support this. Be sure before you trash that stinky old box, that it doesn’t hav some significance to the value of the horn.
I dig your channel, Jay! I haven’t visited in a while which is a shame! Mire shameful is I don’t practice near enough, not even close! I’m a baaaad boy!
Ciao
I have a spit fluff that is 2 1/2 inches tall and 1 inch wide, and I don’t know if it does the same thing as your fancy mouthpiece swab. I’ve been playing for about 3 months, and I’m learning a lot about my sax by just watching this video. Thanks a lot!!!🎷😁
I just got a 1938 holton alto and can't wait to learn how to play it!😊
I give all my students a white 100% cotton men's handkerchief from K-mart or Walmart. This is perfect for wiping the inside of the hard rubber mouthpiece dry.
thanks for the info loving ur videos
All great suggestions, I also specialize i repairing and restoring vintage Jazz instruments, my favorit is the Saxiphone!
I also reator vintage cases and try to bring them back to "Original" condition and shape.
i strive top restor these pieces for individuals who want to to play as close as possible vintage Jazz instruments in as best condition as possible today.
Yes this process is very time consuming, so to offset that cost i dont charge top dollar for my work, and am selective about my costomers and there love for vintage instruments.
i am a retierd Civil engineer and do this work for the people i meet and the love of the instruments and vintage music in general!
I get a tremendous sence of satisfaction restoring a vintage instrument. So when i finish my biggest reward is the look on peoples faces as they look and play one of these fine instruments i such nice condition, that my most satisfying reward doing this work!
of course i also enjoy customizing and upgrading these instruments to better and more modern standards so some users can experience what i call the "best of both worlds" in a completed finished instrument, and upgrading some of these fine instruments to be even better than they were the day they were new!
Anyways i enjoy your practical and information as i am not a "great playe" as i feel i am as a tech, but i certanily love 20TH CENTURY American Music!
Thanks for this Jay 🙏
Thanks for the information
This was very helpful
Superbly valuable video👍
GREAT 👍 VIDEO 📸.I LEARNED A LOT,HONESTLY.
Hey Jay! Just saw this video. So much good information. I Subscribe, have purchased your Swab kit, seen many of your videos, gotten valuable tips & exercises, etc. Although I’ve been playing professionally for many years, your channel has helped me improve considerably over the last 2 years. I’m looking for a Strathon AdjustaTone Tenor Mouthpiece with a 6 tip opening. Any Suggestions?Thank You!
Great advice here. From the thumbnail photo, I initially thought the image on the left was don't buy a silver plated sax 😂. Now I see that it's a monochrome image (not to lay on the left side). A silver plated sax is perfectly fine...if you like polishing 😩. That unlaquered sax looked gorgeous 😍.
Love the video Jay, but I’d love to see more Bari Sax videos.
for sure, I'd love some more tips for bari
This vid was amazing and I barely knew these things and I’m so thankful I watched this but I’m wondering… for bari, when I don’t have my stand with me what side should I lay it on? Because when on the “wrong” side the the top bow and bottom bow seem to be the only parts touching the surface and they are just pure hard brass
I actually polished my silver plated 70:s Weltklang baritone with household silver polish. Came out nice, it was all black and brown when I bought it. Of course I took all the keys off first and replaced most of the pads as they were in bad shape.
Love this channel! Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Love it when I see a Buescher!!
Thank you bro !
Good tips. I regularly swab out my hard rubber mouthpiece, but there are some deposits that form on the outside near the tip, that aren't easy yo clean with cold water.
Over the years l don't swab my mouthpiece l always wash it out every time l am finished playing and or practising.
Thanks for educating players on care of the sax. I must say I've never had a sax brought to my shop for laying the sax down wrong. If your sax goes out of adjustment laying it down "wrong" you need to get another sax. There is nothing wrong with laying it down on the way you commented. The keys and mechanism are usually pretty strong and won't be damaged this way. This is an old myth still perpetuating here I guess. Now, here's the one missed here big time. Never lift the sax out of the case by the bell! Ninety nine percent of saxes coming to me are damaged from doing this. Lifting it out wrong causes the metal to shift at the brace and causes the keys to fail to be able to close on the Bb, and B. Lift from the middle of the sax. This is a very nice feel and balance lifting it out and no you won't bend the keys or rods as they are pretty strong and have a tolerance level of bending. If a player feels they will bend then simply lift from the top but not the bell! Over my thirty years repairing saxes I see the same problem on almost every sax. We educate the players as soon as the sax is examined and see the light coming through the tone hole. If the bell is out of alignment, the bell has to be twisted back to position and not just bend the keys which may not solve the issue. Also, do not use alcohol on hard rubber mouthpieces as this dries out the rubber and makes them turn greenish. Hope the helps the players out there.
muchas gracias.
Thank god for this video, I was about to put my sax in a vice...
I'm a clarinet player and beginner clarinet players should see this video, they could avoid bad habits (the legendary "not swabbing mouthpiece"...), and on Bass and Alto clarinets we have metal part to take care of.
I agree with everything he said except for throwing out the old case . Certainly if it stinks, however old original Conn and martin cases are collectible. Believe or not there are people who are missing the original case, and they are willing to pay high dollar.
My thoughts, exactly! I would consider it tragic to separate my 1923 Martin from its case and mouthpiece. No way! My dad always kept a bar of soap in his old 1957 Gretsch guitar case. He's almost twenty years deceased, but opening the case to play has a distinct irreplaceable scent that brings back so many reminiscences and memories. All I can advise is to take care of your gear. Somehow, we've lost the willingness to leave a legacy for others from ourselves.
@@PhinAI yes exactly
Ditto. If you spent a gazillion dollars on a collectible vintage you should definitely keep the old case if original to the horn. Buy a new second case to store the sax but please keep the original.
i have a vintage conn case!! i don’t use it as i worry about it breaking as it’s 90 years old, but i love it sm it’s so pretty
uah! grazie maestro 👍👍👍
Thank you
5:45 Holy CRAP, that's my HORN. I HAVE a Buescher Aristocrat that I bought in a pawn shop in 1987 for FORTY BUCKS. Spent $85 on a repadding. It's got almost no lacquer left, but plays GREAT (or would if its owner could....)
Thank you so much for number 5! I’ve been doing it wrong for years, I wish I knew earlier.
Watch out of you play baritone.
You don‘t want to lay most of them on the key side
Oh no.... where was this video back in 1990 🤔🥴😂. I've d@mn near boiled many of old "vintage" hard rubber mouthpieces. Love your channel... Thanks Jay!
Thank you for the tips! I’ll make sure to avoid these mistakes so I don’t run into bad habits.
The first one is kinds hard for me to do cuz of marching band.
I was dirt poor in high school, but still scraped up enough for a Rico Royal piece for marching band to save my old Meyer and the school’s Berg Larsen. It’s almost like the price of a box of reeds. Plastic mouthpiece and soft plasticover Rico reeds, that’s cheap and perfect for marching. You don’t want or need resistance beyond whatever gives you clean crescendo and diminuendo. Plastic will survive sun and drops onto concrete that will wreck rubber and metal pieces.
@@leebrunk4390 the one I have is a yamaha 5c bari sax mp, I dont exactly know how well it'll hold up
Get plastic or metal mouthpiece for marching band.
Just play a stock plastic mouthpiece, your sound literally doesn’t matter in marching band lol
@@eliwyatt2292 to me it does
Yeah, my Bari Sax mouthpiece is almost green! That's my souvenir from 7 years of High School and College marching bands.
I just started playing alto sax thank you
Thanks for all the info ,you're site is the greatest . Is there anyway to restore a green faded hard rubber mouthpiece
Man, I was clapping and “yeahing” to the gospel and then... High-Mass neck screw... Snake-Oil. Love ya, cheers!
loved the vid.
alto or tenor?
Thanks for what you do. I'm wanting to get back into playing. I own a 1904 Conn Pro (Silver) in very good shape. I think I should sell it and get a modern instrument. What do you think?
Shout out to Seamus Blake!
Một hướng dẫn vệ sinh kèn saxophone rất hữu ích thanks
i always brace the neck by grabbing it and not the horn when installing mouthpiece, since it's well greased it's not a hella tight fit. but i always disassemble neck first, reed, then swab neck and mouthpiece then pull them apart.
Dang thank you I will share this with my section lol
what would you recommend for cleaning a bari sax?
I haven't found any issues with heat on any mp except for discoloration. Discoloration is not a big deal to me. I wash with cold water and soap after each use.
I have also used hydrogen peroxide or vinegar and baking soda.
Thanks for the advice. For me it is also essential to wash your hands with neutral soap before and after using the saxophone. The grease from your hands contaminates and rusts it and the metal parts of the sax also contaminate your hands, which is not very hygienic.
And the most important....love your sax!!!❤❤
can you make a video about hitting the upper register on bari sax? and more bari videos in general :)
I know it’s a year later and I may not get a response, but with #1 could a reed cap fix that problem if you’re playing outside? In marching band it seemed like I was the only one that used mine and my reeds lasted longer but also my mouthpiece is still in extremely good condition.
🤣 Unless you're swabbing your mouthpiece out with sandpaper, classic, thanks for making me laugh Jay :-)
What do you do for a case when it's a Conn new wonder series one c melody?
Goodๆ
my buddy with a garbage rout found a retired rental (from oakland ca) Hollywood woodwinds Alto with 24kt gold plate. In a trash can. the steel pin springs worn. the seals leaking. valves loose because the hardware was worn. I found a 15$ amazon alto rebuild and spent a couple days overhauling it. only one seal from the kit didn't match the size. but that key sealed fine and didn't need a new one. it plays beautifully after overhauling.
My sax came in a wooden case, it s a Jupiter JAS-669, will the case be fine? It’s god a decently thick layer of wood on it and from what I have seen it was taken good care of, along with a repair tech a went to a little bit ago and he never commented on the case, I’d just like to know
i am just curious but can you do tips on maintaining specifically a bari sax
If we leave it in the case, does it matter how we lay it?
A new case? Good idea!...but I love the old case my grandpa gave me that the horn came in! ;-)
Great vid. Thanks. (43 yo guitarist/drummer/singer thinking about getting a sax)
Any case recommendations? Alto (model 26)
Hi , I need some advice? I used to be a professional saxophonist and played infront of large audiences but then I had a stroke and got very depressed as I couldn’t play apart from a few notes so I sold everything. All my music books , my Hercules stand and Emma my professional alto sax a P-Mauriat . That was 7 years ago, I feel now I would like to play again and I wish now I had kept everything , I think at the time I was angry after putting so many years in playing. So I would like to buy just a cheap alto sax of Amazon. I’ve looked and don’t recognise these Chinese ones? I did look at your video review of a Btuty ? Should I buy one just to see how things go , what’s your advice please? My Emma cost me £2500 , so not sure about a £244 sax thankyou.
Well, yeah im writing a comment. But do i just buy my own for a school owned Bari sax? Do you make one for bari sax?
i started paying the sax reed upside-down with the mouthpiece, my first tutor never ever seen someone play the sax like that before and he was blown away on how i did i managed it lol
Hey I have a brush does that work as a mouthpiece cleaner
I knew I was correct in laying my sax down on it's right side. All of my friends throughout middle and high school told me I was wrong lol.
How can I get your practice tools
Hey Jay! I bought one of those Jean Paul tenors on your recommendation. I'm very happy with it. I'm glad I got it when I did. The prices have gone up a lot, like many thing have. I have a HR Theo Wanne MP. I always swab it out and then dip it in hydrogen peroxide to disinfect it. Do you see any problem with the H2O2 ? I never put my horn in it's case unless I'm taking it somewhere. I leave it in the stand and cover it with a shirt to keep the dust off of it. I also place pieces of microfiber cloth under all the pads that are spring loaded to stay closed. Do you see any issues from that. My pads seldom stick and ought to last a long time I think. Cheers !
I don't think the hydrogen peroxide is necessary if you are swabbing the mouthpiece out after each use and you are the only person playing it.
how often do i have to change reed's
Great advice! I would disagree on no 10. Yea buy a new safer case but keep the old (but clean it). If you have an old saxophone from 1930s and want to sell it later the value could increase some what with original case :)
Do you ever find yourself at the Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois-sur-Seine? I grew up there and have many fond memories of jazz wafting through the village, but haven't been back in some years.
The stuff that builds up inside a mouthpiece is calcium deposits. The same thing happens to your mouthpiece as that happens to teeth that aren't cleaned. Bacteria in saliva -> plaque -> tartar. You clean your teeth so also clean your mouthpiece.
Does laying on the key on true for bari too?
I just received my Selmer supreme and after a month of practice sill have problems with low E through especially low B flat as well as middle G and to a lessor extent A. In your video same instrument you made or had changes made for your style (only). Were they small tweaks or did they related to some of my issues. Thanks for your help.
Get your supreme looked at by a technician. You very likely have some leaks. You should be able to get it looked at by the shop that sold it to you and they hopefully they won’t charge you if you just purchased it new.
Question about reusing the case. I am currently having my 1926 conn C melody overhauled. The case is musty as they usually are. I have been able to get some of the must smell out. Any suggestions on replacing that case as they don't make a molded gig bag for a c melody that I can find.
That’s a tough one. Not sure who makes a c melody case. You could get a soft gig bag that might fit but offer less protection.