High notes

[ameliamak]

I have a Trevor James ‘the horn’ version one and its not in perfect condition but not terrible. Lately it’s been acting up a little bit. For example, for a couple days last week i could not play a low c# as it would just play a c but that fixed itself somehow but now I’ve noticed when I try and play high notes like f, e and d and then I go down to a b, a or a g then it either squeaks or the note just doesn’t come out properly. However when I have this issue it takes a while for it to actually happen so today at school lunch time I was practicing with a band I’m in and I was soloing and everything was going fine but then after a little bit the problem just started happening and then I took apart my sax to clean it a bit to see if maybe something inside was the issue but that didn’t help. There is a screw on the d side key(I think) that comes loose on its own and I just screw it up with my fingernail and sometimes that fixes it but that didn’t help today.
Also I’m not sure if this is related but at the same time I couldn’t play low notes as they didn’t come out properly so in my solo I was stuck with playing middle d, e and f which was a bit boring.
By the way I don’t think it is my technique as I have been playing for quite a long time and have never had this issue up until like last week.

Sorry for the long post but I have concerts coming up and I am just seeing if there is any fix before having to take it to get it repaired and have to pay

 

[Stephen Howard]

The low C# problem is easy enough - it's due to the C# pad sticking down. It's very common, and also affect the G#.

There's some useful info about it here:

Curing sticky pads

As for the problems at the top end - well, the loose screw needs sorting out...and if you have a screwdriver that's small enough it's just a matter of tightening the screw up snugly.
The other problems are trickier. You have what's called an 'intermittent fault' - which is to say that sometimes the horn plays just fine, and sometimes it doesn't. These can be hard to diagnose on the internet.
I'd say that there's a key at the top that is borderline leaking. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's not - but tracking it down could be rather hard.
Also, if your horn has a leak at the top it'll have a knock-on effect all the way down the horn...which is why you can't get your low notes.

Given that you've got concerts coming up, I'd really recommend taking the horn to a repairer for a checkover.

 

[saxyjt]

I'm not sure if you realise how understanding the mechanical aspects of your instrument can help you. It should be part of the musical education, specific to the instrument. Understanding the different parts and how to keep them in good operating order.

To me it's the only way you can't intimate with your horn and get the best out of it in the long term.

But I can be wrong. We all have our ways...