Saxophone Forum


by That_Alto_Girl
(1 post)
7 years ago

Something wrong with my sax or something I am doing??

Hi,

I play alto sax, and about half a year ago it started being weird. I would go to play it and no sound would come out unless I blew really hard. I wasn't sure if something was wrong, because it only did it sometimes. It randomly starts and stops and I haven't noticed any patterns.  It will also sometimes squeak on any note high G or above. It doesn't seem to be broken, but I can't think of anything I'm doing wrong. It is a student rental, so probably not a great quality instrument. Could that be affecting it?? Please reply, it's really annoying me.

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  1. by Saxshrike
    (3 posts)

    7 years ago

    Re: Something wrong with my sax or something I am doing??

    Since the problem comes and goes, it sounds like either a sticky key or a change of reeds.  Breaking in a new reed, especially if you're playing with a hard reed, takes a lot of wind to make the horn perform.  As the reed gets broken in, it's easier to blow. 

    Squeaking on the middle register G or above sounds like you have a leak somewhere.  You should take the horn to a really good repair shop to get this fixed. 

    So - possible key sticking and possible leaky pad.  Maybe you need a repading job.  Those aren't cheap but that sounds like what's needed. 

    Now - you mention a student rental - why not take the horn back and get the rental shop to swap it for another horn?  That's bound to be quicker and less expensive than fixing the horn.

    Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

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  2. by historicsaxwhisperer
    (644 posts)

    7 years ago

    Re: Something wrong with my sax or something I am doing??

    Impossible to tell without having the horn. It could be any one of many minor situations.

    Possibly a leaking neck if it does not seem to fit snuggly.

    Possibly a loose mouthpiece if the cork is worn on the neck.

    Probably a leak in one of the top palm keys or your front F mechanism.

    If you have not had a shop lokk it over in a year, it is probably time to put a LITTLE money into a tune up

     

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