Bought a new saxophone? Time to assemble it! The saxophone has different parts to put together. Putting together a saxophone is quite a detailed process.
Besides, you will need a clear knowledge of all the parts of a sax.
Here, you will know about the parts of the saxophone that you will be putting together. Next, you will find the steps for assembling the sax.
Give this guide a thorough reed because it has essential details about assembling the saxophone correctly. And, you don’t want to put it together incorrectly, do you?
Let’s start with the discussion now.
Step 1: Placing &Opening The Case
It certainly seems simple! All you need to do is to open the case, right? But there are some important details that we would like you to know.
Usually, music teachers suggest, students should place the case on the floor. You could place the case on a wide table as well. Just avoid opening it in your lap or in a congested space! Why?
As a beginner, you might drop apart and damage your newly bought saxophone. That will be a pretty heartbreaking experience.
Moreover, the saxophone is a big instrument, isn’t it? You should get used to handling it day by day. Advanced-level players are used to holding the instrument. As a result, they will manage to assemble it on a small table.
But, for beginners, we suggest you place the case on a big table or floor. Then, you can utilize your lap while assembling the saxophone.
However, when you place the case of the saxophone in a secure place, you can open the case. The case might have a zipper, or it can have a clutch look on it.
Whichever lock it is, open it accordingly. If you get confused unlocking the clutch, refer to the owner manual of your sax.
Step 2: Preparing The Mouthpiece& The Neck
The mouthpiece consists of four pieces altogether. Such as the neck, the mouthpiece, the reed, and the ligature.
In order to set the mouthpiece, take it out of the case. Next, you need to add a reed to the mouthpiece.
To do that, first, you need to wet the reed to prepare to contribute to the nice saxophone sound. Use your saliva or just a little amount of water to keep it moisturized.
You need to set the reed then put it aside for a while to soak in the water. When the water is soaked, you can set it on the mouthpiece with the help of the ligature.
Step 3: Connecting The Mouth & The Reed
There is a reed bed under the mouthpiece where you set a reed. One more thing here, the reed will be slightly separated at the tip of the mouthpiece.
That means the connection of the reed and the mouthpiece does not go all the way to the tip of the mouthpiece.
Now, you must be wondering about the length of the reed while adding to the mouthpiece.
The simple solution to that is, to place it following the height of the mouthpiece. Place it in a way so the reed and the mouthpiece are the same lengths!
Step 4: Connecting The Mouthpiece & The Neck
After that, you add the mouthpiece to the neck of the sax. So, gently take the neck out of the case. There’s a key on the neck; avoid touching that area. You can simply hold it by the top or bottom.
Once the neck is in your hand, you need to grease the cork a little. Then, you can slide the mouthpiece in it easily.
Avoid over-greasing the cork. Otherwise, it will be all over your hand and the case of the sax.
Step 5: Connecting The Neck & The Horn
Once the neck and mouthpiece are ready, you have to connect the entire neck to the horn of the saxophone. You need to take it out from the case and take it on your lap.
Once again, don’t grab the horn by the keys! The mechanism of the keys is very sensitive in an instrument like a saxophone.
You can hold it by the bell or the top part of the horn. Next, you have to connect the two ends of the neck and horn together.
To do that, you will find a small screw lock on the top part of the horn. You need to unfasten that screw first. Then, put the neck in the neck and fasten the screw again.
Putting the neck into the horn should not take a big amount of energy. Carry out the process very gently. Otherwise, you might bend the keys or form a dent in the saxophone.
Step 6: Playing The Saxophone
The saxophone should be all set by now! You can start practicing, but before that, you need to wear the neck strap. Connect the sax with the neck strap, and hold the saxophone in your comfortable position.
There the one more thing you need to pay attention to. While you hold the saxophone to play, check if all the parts of the saxophone are aligning correctly.
If you see any of the parts are in line, just pull and twist to place them in line. You can only play a sax properly when your set it properly. Otherwise, you will have to sit, hold the saxophone, and play it in a very uncomfortable position.
On A Final Note
That’s how you assemble the saxophone in order to prepare to practice. You have seen then there are a good amount of details in the discussion about assembling the saxophone. Hopefully, you can assemble your sax correctly now.
Also, you can disassemble the sax by performing all the tasks reversely. Before disassembling, you should swab out the horn and the mouthpiece separately to wipe out the moisture from the practice session.
It’s part of the daily maintenance of your saxophone. Finally, you can put the sax back in the case again.