Saxophone - Kyrene School · PDF fileSaxophone History The saxophone was invented by...
Transcript of Saxophone - Kyrene School · PDF fileSaxophone History The saxophone was invented by...
Saxophone History The saxophone was invented by Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax. h (Adolph) He was born in Dinant, Belgium on November 6, 1814. His father was a manufacturer who built a factory for woodwind and brass instruments.
The saxophone is known as a reed musical instrument that is a staple in jazz bands. Considered to be newer than other musical instruments in terms of it’s' music history.
Adolph's studies of flute and clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory led him to design refinements to the bass clarinet before creating a new instrument which was a cross between the woodwinds and brass he called the saxophone. He applied for a patent in 1841, then in 1842, he moved to Paris and began his own instrument making business. The saxophone was given its official 15-year patent in 1846.
Bass Clarinet
Adolph Sax’s original saxophone
With a few exceptions
such as Donizetti and
Bizet, Adolf Sax did not
tempt many classical
composers to include his
saxophone in their
scores. In 1845 he found
a way to enlarge his
audience by convincing
the French Ministry of
War to make a
competition among it's
military bands to test the
attributes of the
saxophone, and
overwhelmed the public
with a dramatic display.
Assembling the Saxophone
1. Take a saxophone reed out
of its case and soak the thin
half of the reed in your
mouth; soaking the reed will
allow
you to produce a better tone
when you begin to play, and
will also allow you to
produce sound more easily.
While soaking the reed
follow the steps below.
Take the saxophone body out of the saxophone case.
Put the neck strap around your neck.
Take the main body of the sax from its case holding it firmly by the bell. A saxophone should always be held by the bell. The reason is simple. If you do not touch the keys, you will not bend the keys. The reason for the need of most sax repairs is bent keys.
Hook the neck strap on to the ring positioned about half way down the back of the body.
Remove the plastic
end plug. The end
plug is critical. It serves
to protect the octave
pin that usually sticks
out past the top of the
sax. This octave pin
can be easily damaged
even in the case. If the
sax bounces around in
the case or if the
weight of the sax is on
the octave pin then it
may get bend and will
not open or close the
neck octave key. This
will result in your sax
not playing properly or
not at all.
Loosen the neck screws
slightly.
Attach the neck to the
body and tighten the
neck screws to keep the
neck from moving around
too easily. The center of
the neck, which is also
the center of the
reinforcement bracket,
should always be lined
up with the strap eyelet.
After you line it up
correctly, just tighten the
neck screw so that the
neck does not move
around.
Apply cork grease. Attach
the mouthpiece to the
neck; push the
mouthpiece about
halfway down the cork.
Take the reed out of your mouth and place the flat part of it over the bottom of the mouthpiece.
Hold the reed in place with the mouthpiece.
Take the ligature out of the saxophone case and carefully slide it over the mouthpiece and the reed.
Align the left and right sides of the reed with the left and right sides of the mouthpiece.
Align the top of the reed with the end curve of the mouthpiece. Make sure that the two are well aligned; when looking at the mouthpiece from the top, the reed should not be hanging over the mouthpiece curve.
Tighten the screws on the ligature (do not tighten the screws too tight because you will have to remove the ligature from the mouthpiece before putting away your saxophone.)
Care and Cleaning 1. Swab the neck. Use the
brush attachment (looks like a flexible metal hose with a rag ball on one end, and a small brush on the other) and pass it through the larger, base opening on the neck, coming out on the narrow side to which the cork is attached. Brush out the inside to remove any foreign particles or bacterial growth, and use the swab last. You can run water through the neck as well, just be sure that no water comes in contact with the cork, or it will swell and deform. Be wary of the pad on the octave valve as well.
Swab the body. With a standard
cleaning kit, there is an
attachment that looks like a brush
and cloth on a long string
weighted on the opposite end.
Put the weighted end into the bell
of the saxophone, and turn the
sax upside down, bringing the
weighted end completely through
the body and coming at the
narrow end to which the neck is
attached. Gently pull the swab
through the body, repeating this
process several times. If possible,
hold the keys down as you do
this. It is not unusual to see a
slight green color on the pad after
a few passes. This is corrosion
on the inside of the saxophone,
as brass rusts green due to the
copper.
Clean your mouthpiece.
Remove the reed and
ligature, and use the
mouthpiece brush to remove
any foreign material inside
the mouthpiece. Run cold
water through the
mouthpiece at the sink.
Finally, using a clean, lint-
free cloth, pull it through the
mouthpiece to dry and
remove any particles missed
by the brush. This may take
a few passes.
Important! Clean the outside of your saxophone after playing it. Do not leave a swab inside the body.
Do not keep the case closed when the instrument is wet. The humidity will damage the instrument.
Never lay the instrument on the "spatula key cluster" (left hand little finger) This will easily bend these keys.
Never pick up a saxophone by the neck.
While putting the mouthpiece on the neck always hold the neck tight to avoid warping.
Before picking up your case, please make sure that it is correctly closed.
Do not store your band book or music folder in your case with the saxophone you could bend the keys.