NEVER Make These 10 Saxophone Gear Mistakes

Ok, here is number 12, Never let sax hang from your neck strap unsupported with no hands. The neck strap could break or snap at any second, and bamm! Your sax is now smashed ! Always have 2 hands on sax or at least one hand. My strap hook separated from the sax body on my USAF mark 6, but I caught the horn!

Great video! I learned a lot, honestly.

#11 - NOT putting stickers on your sax for fear of "ruining" it.

Thanks for making this! It gives a clear reasoning why we want to avoid these certain mistakes, super helpful!

One thing I might add is to clean and disinfect your mouthpiece and reeds if you haven't played your horn in a while. I don't usually get my tenor sax out during the 6 month period between band performances. I generally practice on my EWI or clarinet for the sanity of my family. I had meticulously cleaned my horn before putting it away after the Christmas concert and when I took it out and played at the first rehearsal in June, I figured it would be good to go. About 6 hours later I started getting sick and barely made the concert the next day. Turns out I got food poisoning from the mouthpiece. Crud had grown even though I thought it was clean. I was floored for 3 days, so clean it before you use it if it's not been out of the case!

All good advice! I've been guilty of many of these things myself, and learned the hard way :)) One from me: be very careful using a swab on a one-piece soprano - you may have to get it out in bits when it gets stuck on the octave key breather...

Great tips Jay-I’m already doing all of these, but I think it’s probably because I’ve been taking your courses and listening to your YouTube videos for several years! One of the little things that I do which may or may not prove useful for other people – when I’ve I finished with my sax, it is put on a stand and I then cover it with a cotton pillowcase just to keep dust out of the mechanics. Even in a really clean house it’s surprising how much dust there is floating about.

This shelf with mouthpieces is just a paradise!😃

I’m a late bloomer boomer here….took alto sax lessons when I was 43, then lost interest and now at age 67, taking a refresher course ……it’s all coming back to me…….these are great tips I didn’t know this! They didn’t YouTube when I first played sax…..now I can learn everything on YouTube university……Thankyou!!

Waiting for my Bettersax from Sweetwater. Thank you for waking up in me the little kid that used to play on a band, I just turned 66 and looking forward to make some music.

Great video, Jay! Lots of great stuff packed into this video.

Not only is polishing an lacquered horn unnecessary, it is counter productive. Polishes are abrasive, and will quickly rub right through the lacquer. So unless you want to turn your horn into an unlacquered model, save the polish for your silver tea service.

Yep. Made the UV mistake last week on my soprano MPC. Now it's cammo coloured for extra sneaky jazz.

Even though I knew about 80% of this info, the strong warning to keep mouthpieces away from light and use only cold water I will heed, as I was using lukewarm water for a better clean. And yes, after my repair tech overhauled my Conn transitional tenor, I could sense his displeasure for my decision to not get a new case for it even though he suggested I do that. The original case doesn’t smell and is in okay shape, but yes I admit that wedging T-shirts and socks into the case for protection is less than ideal. Good stuff Jay, thank you!

I have a spit fluff that is 2 1/2 inches tall and 1 inch wide, and I don’t know if it does the same thing as your fancy mouthpiece swab. I’ve been playing for about 3 months, and I’m learning a lot about my sax by just watching this video. Thanks a lot!!!🎷😁

This vid was amazing and I barely knew these things and I’m so thankful I watched this but I’m wondering… for bari, when I don’t have my stand with me what side should I lay it on? Because when on the “wrong” side the the top bow and bottom bow seem to be the only parts touching the surface and they are just pure hard brass

Thanks for this video! It proves to me that I'm a good saxophonist. Certainly not in playing my instrument, but at least in how I treat my Sax. ;) There is none of these mistakes in my exercise behavior.

All very good advice! I wish I knew #10 some 30 years ago when I started learning on the same Keilwerth sax that my father got when he started learning as a kid!

Thanks for number 5! It's so counterintuitive. I have stands now for my saxes but this should be taught to all young players. I definitely made this mistake and basically all beginners make it too!

im going to get a alto sax soon thanks for the tips so i make it last decades