Putting a pearl back on your horn

Here is another tip  that you can use on your horn. Have you ever had the pearl off your horn come off? If yes, heres what you can do. Take the pearl that has fallen off  and place a little hot glue on the back of it. While its still hot place the pearl back on pearl key and let it set. Once it is cooled down you are ready to go.

~TM~

Fixing the octave mechanism on a sax

~TM~

Have you ever played your saxophone and had your horn all of a sudden jump to the high octave? If yes, then here is a simple fix you can do. Take the neck off the horn and push the leaver up while pushing down  on the top part of it. Do this gently, if you don't you might over extend the key.

Cold weather is bad for us.

So here's a nice little tip for the upcoming change in the season. Do not leave anything wood out in the cold. Mainly, because wood will condense and crack . The reason why this would happen to wood is, because there is no moister in the air.  So please keep all wood type instruments and products in a well moister place.

~TM~

I'm a Brass Player and my Mouthpiece is Stuck

This has to be the most common thing I have seen come into the store I work for. Its actually a really easy fix that the technician will do for you for free. Yes that right usually most places wont charge you for this, but will if you try to do it yourself. You're probably wondering what I mean by that. Well most people will try to get the mouthpiece out with pliers. My suggestion to you is......DON'T DO IT, Unless you like seeing my smiling face. But really don't do it. You will break the solder points on the trumpet and a free fix will soon turn into a $15-$30 job. In today's post we'll talk about how a technician would remove your stuck most piece, but first lets talk about some of the reason why it might be stuck.

The reason why it might have gotten is as follows: It could be that the shank is out of round, or there could be a build up of dirt and food particles in the main tube that the mouth piece gets stuck.

Now that we know why it gets stuck, here's how a technician would fix the problem. The technician will use a simple tool called a mouthpiece puller. It hooks into the mouthpiece just like it does in the photo. The technician will then twist the handles till he hears a "pop". Once he hears that pop he knows the mouthpiece is pulled.

 You can find this handy tool in your local music store.

~TM~

Chewing gum is sticky....

So here is another little trick you can use if your pad falls off your horn while on a gig. You can use chewing gum. The sticker the better. Take a piece of gum and chew it. After you have chewed it to the perfect gum substance, take it out of your mouth and spread it under the pad. Take the pad and put it in the cup.

~TM~

We Need Fire....

This is a saxophone player's worse nightmare on a gig.......Having one of your saxophone pads fall out while you're playing. I cringe every time I've seen this happen, it's like watching a car crash happen in slow motion. Okay maybe not to that extreme, but if you are a sax player you know what I mean. Anyway in today's we will be talking about how you can fix this problem on the gig and also how the technician would fix the problem.

Let's first talk about why this happens. Saxophone pad along with clarinet pads are held in with a special type of glue called Shellac. Shellac can come in two different type of makes which are pure and with a hot glue mix. Depending on the temperature and weather at time can effect how the shellac holds. Pure shellac is typically used in warm to hot like conditions. Mainly, because this type of shellac has a high melting point and works perfectly in these conditions. If it is exposed to colder conditions it because brittle and does not hold as well. Shellac with a hot glue mix is just the opposite. It has a lower melting temperature and is used in cold conditions.  It does really well in winter conditions and alright in summer conditions if not too hot. If it is too hot it does not do well.

Now that we know about shellac, let's talk about how a tech would replace a pad. First he would heat up the cup of key, and clean out the remaining shellac that was left behind. After cleaning, the technician would fit a new pad in cup without glue. Then he would put glue on the pad and would make sure the pad was secure inside the key cup.

Here's how you can do. This is what you'll need:

Matches or a lighter


Take a match, light it, and place on the underside of the cup. You're gonna want to try to heat up the cup so the glue that is left on the pad or on the cup will stick. After being heated place the pad back in the cup .


~TM~


First 

Don't Grease That Head Joint

Here is a tip that all flute players should follow. If you are having a hard time putting head joint  to the body of the flute, do not put cork grease on it to make it easier. Putting cork grease on the head joint of a flute actually traps fibers and hairs that will make harder to put together over time. If  you're having a hard time putting the head joint with the body simply grab a rag and wipe off the receiver. If this problem continues, then it might be, because you're receiver might be out of round. Your local technician should be able fix this problem while you wait.

~MT~