Asthmatic Low D

[Basil]

Today has been a bad day!!! After a really good practice session this afternoon, as I was putting it away my sax leapt out of my hand and went crashing to the floor. I watched it land on the keys, kinda bounce a little, and just lay there. I picked it up, spoke gently to it, asked if it was all right.....but it wasn't, and isn't. Above low D is fine, but low D and below sounds like I am playing both low and middle D at the same time...and is really quite hard to blow. I can't see anything wrong, all pads seem closed etc...keys seem fine (although I did have to bend c sharp key very slightly back into shape)

Any ideas chaps.....or is it really going to have to go to hospital?

 

[griff136]

Basil,

check that your low Eb is closing fully, and whhile you are at it your low C - although this should not affetc the D so much as it is sprung open.

You should also check that the octave arm that protrudes from the body of the sax doesnt actually touch the crook octave key loop when the octave key is not being pressed.

seeing as it has had a little fall I would take it along to your friendly tech and get a decent leak light put down the instrument in a darkened room to check for leaks.

 

[Basil]

Griff

You are a gentleman and a scholar.

Thank you for your advice.

I will do all that you suggest....fingers crossed.

Basil

 

[Basil]

Had a much closer look and compared it to close up photos of my sax on ebay...and there it was ! The guard over the bell pads was bent in, holding the c pad about 1/4 of a cm closer to the hole. So, after music careful pulling, bending and a little tapping with a mallet we are now as good as new !