Saxophones - Care

After every play you should put a moisture absorbing cloth through the saxophone. The most condensation will occur at the top end, but that does not mean leaving the bottom end and bell out of a swabbing. Do not leave a cloth inside your instrument after using it to pick up the moisture, as it will damage the pads over time and cause all sorts of nasties to grow inside.

The top group of key pads and octave keys are very likely to becoming sticky, and to avoid (at least minimise) this a simple tip is to use cigarette papers in the space between the pad and the tone hole in the body of the saxophone. Gently close the key onto the paper, and do not drag the paper out, as you might cause damage to the pads. The paper absorbs the moisture from the pads easily, and that removes some of the protein build up as well, and that causes the sticking. Don't use powders to dry up a sticky pad. All that happens is a build up in the powder and that becomes like a mud doing more harm and causing more concern later. If you are having constant sticking of a key, a professional clean might be in order, but try the paper first, and do it after the instrument is warmed up, and each time you play......it usually works well.

When you are cleaning your saxophone, inspect it's action and pads as you do so. All pads need to close properly to avoid leaks and keep the notes playing. If a note is hard to play, or a note jumps an octave no matter what you do, odds are that one key is not closing properly. Hold the saxophone on your lap or on a towel on the table and close the keys one at a time. Inspect the closed key to see if it is actually sitting evenly on the note hole.

With the keys that act on long levers or off other actions, close that key as if playing the note, if you cannot reach get someone to help you do this and while the key is closed use the tip of a finger and give the key that is closed a gentle touch. Most of the time the pad will be closed, and will not move any further, but a leaking pad will move just a fraction more. Take your finger off, and repeat the process, but this time looking to see any gaps between the pad and the tone hole seat as you do the action again. With practice you will be able to find the problem leaks, and even if you don't adjust them yourself, it will make it faster for the repairer to find.

Probably the most frequent adjustment will be to the octave keys movement. If you are getting jumps in octave and all the pads are appearing to close properly, look at the movement of the octave key, to make sure it is closing properly.