Taking care of your instrument is very important. Frequently cleaning and tuning up will keep the instrument looking, sounding, and feeling new which will overall enhance performances and practicing.
Today, you’ll read how to clean a saxophone. The process is quite different and requires more use of instrument cleaning tools.
First, you start with the mouth piece. Remove the reed, and then use a mouthpiece brush to get rid of any “foreign gunk” that might be in there. Then run lukewarm water through the mouthpiece. This step may need to be repeated, depending on how long it’s been since the instrument was last cleaned.
Set the mouthpiece aside (or dry it yourself with a small cloth) and find a brush attachment to scrub the inside of the instrument. You can use water on a saxophone, however it’s important to remember: don’t let water touch the cork pads, or they will swell and deform and need to be replaced. So really, unless you’ve got steady hands and patience, it’s best to just work with the brush and scrub out the instrument’s insides.
You can also purchase a swab for the instrument -- this is a cloth with a weighted side. Put the weighted side through the bell and turn the saxophone upside down, then pull the cloth through the instrument. This can be done as many times as necessary in order to properly clean and maintain the instrument.
Make sure the cork on the neck is completely dry (if you chose water) and then apply a generous coat of cork grease. If you clean the saxophone and apply cork grease once a week, you’ll keep a good seal on the cork and therefore maintain a new look and feel for the instrument. However, don’t grease the little bits of cork on the ends of keys -- those are there for padding.
After proper cleaning and maintenance, you can reassemble the instrument and it should look and feel good as new!
Today, you’ll read how to clean a saxophone. The process is quite different and requires more use of instrument cleaning tools.
First, you start with the mouth piece. Remove the reed, and then use a mouthpiece brush to get rid of any “foreign gunk” that might be in there. Then run lukewarm water through the mouthpiece. This step may need to be repeated, depending on how long it’s been since the instrument was last cleaned.
Set the mouthpiece aside (or dry it yourself with a small cloth) and find a brush attachment to scrub the inside of the instrument. You can use water on a saxophone, however it’s important to remember: don’t let water touch the cork pads, or they will swell and deform and need to be replaced. So really, unless you’ve got steady hands and patience, it’s best to just work with the brush and scrub out the instrument’s insides.
You can also purchase a swab for the instrument -- this is a cloth with a weighted side. Put the weighted side through the bell and turn the saxophone upside down, then pull the cloth through the instrument. This can be done as many times as necessary in order to properly clean and maintain the instrument.
Make sure the cork on the neck is completely dry (if you chose water) and then apply a generous coat of cork grease. If you clean the saxophone and apply cork grease once a week, you’ll keep a good seal on the cork and therefore maintain a new look and feel for the instrument. However, don’t grease the little bits of cork on the ends of keys -- those are there for padding.
After proper cleaning and maintenance, you can reassemble the instrument and it should look and feel good as new!
No comments:
Post a Comment