Can you wash a saxophone

Start out by removing the reed, then use a mouthpiece brush to remove any residue inside the mouthpiece. You can substitute a bottle brush or even a small toothbrush. Run cold or lukewarm water through the mouthpiece, then pull a clean, lint-free cloth through the mouthpiece to dry and remove any particles missed by the brush.

Soaking in antiseptic mouthwash or detergent is helpful for particularly dirty mouthpieces. Sand out scratches. If you'd like to save a rubber or resin mouthpiece with light marks, use sandpaper or a fingernail sanding block. Start with the coarsest grit to remove the scratch. Progress to increasingly fine grits to smooth the mouthpiece out. Clean the reed. The warm air you blow into it contains saliva, which provides a moist place for bacterial and fungal growth as well as food particles that damage the instrument.

This will stop bacteria and chemicals from congealing. Deep clean as necessary. Soak especially dirty mouthpieces in water and a small amount of detergent or malt vinegar. Part 3. Polish the body. You can use just a brass lacquer polishing cloth.

Tighten loose screws. You can safely tighten loose rod screws, but be careful not to over-torque them. Clean your cleaners. Specialty swabs, pad savers and bell brushes can be washed lightly by hand with a small amount of soap. Each should last years if cleaned regularly. Reassemble your saxophone. It should look, feel, and play beautifully!

When in doubt, consult a professional. There are a few possibilities. You might be pressing a button and not noticing, and or your saxophone is not being properly tuned. If it's sounding low, push your mouth peace in; if it's too high, pull it out. Also, check to make sure that your bottom lip is tucked in between your mouth and mouthpiece when you play. Not Helpful 13 Helpful You should have the cork removed and replaced. In the future, regularly clean the new cork, because mold is harmful and difficult to remove.

Not Helpful 7 Helpful Every time you're done playing you should completely take apart your sax. For cleaning you need to to clean all the parts. Not Helpful 11 Helpful Invest in one of those cleaner rags on a string, for the inside. For the outside, you can probably buy or make a cleaner using a micro-cloth. Or, you could get it cleaned at a shop. Not Helpful 10 Helpful After not cleaning my saxophone enough, I have noticed gunk buildup on the inside of the instrument. Is there a good tool or method for cleaning this?

Just use a swab and clean it out a lot. If it has a lot of gunk in it, then you will most likely have to wash the swab and repeat the process, until it is like new again. Not Helpful 4 Helpful Not really, because you can cause more damage to it. The best thing you can do is to take it into a shop that does repairs and usually they will just knock a small dent out it for you free of charge or for a very small cost.

Is there a good technique for not pressing down other keys without meaning to? The simple answer is to practice. This is most likely occurring because you are playing too fast, so use a metronome and take it one note at a time, noting any troubles you have with fingerings.

Also, before playing, stretch you fingers a bit so they don't cramp and accidentally hit another key. Not Helpful 3 Helpful I an unable to remove my mouthpiece as the crook cork has swollen. What can I do? It sounds like you may have exposed it to water or over-greased it. If so, you will probably have to replace the cork.

If you have trouble, bring it in to a musical instrument store and they should be able to help you. This is the ultimate guide to taking care of your electric guitar yourself - and saving Everything you wanted to know about cleaning and taking care of your acoustic guitar in one place, with links to more in-depth articles if you need them.

Skip to content. Hold on a sec Cleaning Your Sax with Water The Saxophone has three parts that you can clean with water and other cleaning tools, such as swabs, pad cleaning sheets, brushes, and even detergents or antiseptics. Below are the steps to take in order to keep your mouthpiece clean with water: Start with cold or lukewarm water never use hot water as this could damage the plastic of the mouthpiece and run it through the mouthpiece for several seconds. Next, use the mouthpiece brush to scrub any debris or particles of build-up from the inside corner and surface of the mouthpiece.

Finally, rinse out the build-up you have scrubbed off using warm water. Below are the steps to take in order to keep your gooseneck clean with water: You always want to loosen and remove the gooseneck of the sax properly to avoid bending or breaking the connection point screws or lining.

To loosen the gooseneck correctly, grab the neck by the base and then loosen the bolt holding it in place. Once loose, twist the gooseneck from the bottom and lift up to take it off of the body of the sax.

Next, run water lukewarm or room temperature through the gooseneck to remove any debris. Finally, use the swab on a string and drop the string through one end of the gooseneck, then pull out the other side to remove any moisture.

Pay attention to the cork, which may need oil or grease to avoid needing replacement if it begins to crack. How to Clean the Body of the Sax with Water The body of the saxophone has many pads on it that should be kept clean and dry. Below are the simple steps to rinse and clean the body of a sax with water: Water will pool at the bottom of the sax, so you do not want to pour water through the body. Instead, start by swabbing the body with a large swab towel and string to pull it through.

Next, using a small dish of water, dip a cloth or small soft toothbrush in the water, and clean the surface of the pad if sticky and the areas where your hands are resting on the sax body and keys. Finally, use a polishing cloth to clean and dry the areas where you brushed. Pay extra special attention to the keys. You may also want to keep a guard and in the sax that protects the lower octave and can absorb any leftover water while the sax is stored. Below are some of the best tools to use for cleaning the mouthpiece, gooseneck, and body of your sax: Sterilization spray with mouthpiece brush and polishing cloth By using a fine mist to spritz over the mouthpiece and on the inside edges, you can let the spray sterilize the surface a little better than just rinsing.

Watch the video below to see how I use the smaller swab to clean the mouthpiece and neck. You can give your mouthpiece an extra deep clean by running it under cold water and cleaning it with an old toothbrush. Never use warm or hot water on your mouthpiece. When you're starting out on sax, should you get a new, cheap Chinese saxophone from Amazon, or should As a beginner player, why is the alto sax mouthpiece the best upgrade?

Your sax mouthpiece is the Learn how to put your sax together and find your notes, ready to play some fun tunes. Some players attain a legendary status within a particular genre of music. Harlem Nocturne is one of those songs that every saxophone player really should know. This week I'll show Today I get to test two great mouthpieces from French manufacturer Brancher.

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