Putting together a saxophone

Putting together a saxophone is a relatively simple thing to do but there are a couple of mistakes players tend to make:

• Ligature is not fastened tight or is off centered
• Neck is rotated incorrectly and the octave bar of the body does not align correctly with the neck
• Mouthpiece is forced in within cork grease
• Mistake of attaching the ligature to the mouthpiece before the mouthpiece is attached to the neck

1) Open up your case and take out your mouthpiece, reed and ligature.

2) Take the reed and place it into your mouth to soak for about 20-30 seconds. Alternatively, you can use a glass of warm water and dip the reed in there.

3) As your waiting for the reed to soak, take the mouthpiece and twist it onto the cork on the neck. If this is your first time or if you feel it is a bit stiff, apply some cork grease or Vaseline onto the neck's cork. Push in the mouthpiece until there is about 1 inch of cork showing.

4) Place the reed onto the mouthpiece and make sure to line up the reed with the mouthpiece. When pressed, the reed should make a thin hairline space between the mouthpiece and the reed.

5) Hold the reed in place to the mouthpiece with a ligature. Make sure the ligature is placed in the center of the reed and also make sure it is fastened tight.

6) Take out the saxophone body and attach the neck onto the body. If the neck is loose, make sure to fasten the neck screws. Make sure the octave key lies centered underneath the octave bar.

7) Attach the neck strap.

8) That's it! You're done!