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I'm sure this has come up before, but I thought I would remind Café members about it.
I was having a lot of difficulty playing bottom B and Bb on my alto. I could just manage B, but Bb was almost impossible. I live a long way from my usual repair person, and a quick visit was not an option, so I tried to find the problem myself. I tried lots of possible causes before finding the (obvious) one.
I carefully and systematically checked for leaks using a leak light, and found a couple of minor candidates, but fixing them didn't solve the problem. I even bought a softer reed to see if that might help (it didn't).
Then the penny finally dropped and I checked the G# pad with a leak light while pressing down and releasing the bell Bb key. Voilà - the leak. The reason I had not discovered this was that the movement of the pad was so small that it was not obvious, but the leak light showed it clearly. So 10 seconds adjusting the F-to-G# linkage with a screwdriver fixed the problem, and now I can play Bb.
Since this is a simple problem with a simple DIY fix, I will try to explain it.
Symptom: B and Bb hard to play. The saxophone does not ring on B and Bb. (I'll explain what I mean by this below.)
Cause and fix: The G# key mechanism on a modern saxophone is rather complicated. The G# key touch causes the pad to lift, unlike most pads where the touch closes the pad. There is also a linkage which will cause the pad to lift when any of the bottom Bb, B, or C# keys are pressed. However pressing the F key will keep it closed. On most modern saxophones there is a link bar between the F# and G# pads with an adjustment screw on top of the G# pad. If this is loosened too far then pressing the F key will not completely close the G# key, meaning that B and Bb will open it a fraction, causing a leak. But if the screw is tightened too far then it prevents the F key closing properly, causing a different leak. So it has to be just right. The good news is that is easy to adjust and it is easy to tell when it is right with a little experimentation.
(Note that this information does not necessarily apply to vintage saxes.)
There is a simple test for leaks which I call the "ring" test. I'm sure there is a better name for it. Hold down all the keys and then firmly open and close one of them (I use the RH1 F key). The saxophone should produce a hollow ringing sound. If you get a dull thud, then there is probably a leak.
I was having a lot of difficulty playing bottom B and Bb on my alto. I could just manage B, but Bb was almost impossible. I live a long way from my usual repair person, and a quick visit was not an option, so I tried to find the problem myself. I tried lots of possible causes before finding the (obvious) one.
I carefully and systematically checked for leaks using a leak light, and found a couple of minor candidates, but fixing them didn't solve the problem. I even bought a softer reed to see if that might help (it didn't).
Then the penny finally dropped and I checked the G# pad with a leak light while pressing down and releasing the bell Bb key. Voilà - the leak. The reason I had not discovered this was that the movement of the pad was so small that it was not obvious, but the leak light showed it clearly. So 10 seconds adjusting the F-to-G# linkage with a screwdriver fixed the problem, and now I can play Bb.
Since this is a simple problem with a simple DIY fix, I will try to explain it.
Symptom: B and Bb hard to play. The saxophone does not ring on B and Bb. (I'll explain what I mean by this below.)
Cause and fix: The G# key mechanism on a modern saxophone is rather complicated. The G# key touch causes the pad to lift, unlike most pads where the touch closes the pad. There is also a linkage which will cause the pad to lift when any of the bottom Bb, B, or C# keys are pressed. However pressing the F key will keep it closed. On most modern saxophones there is a link bar between the F# and G# pads with an adjustment screw on top of the G# pad. If this is loosened too far then pressing the F key will not completely close the G# key, meaning that B and Bb will open it a fraction, causing a leak. But if the screw is tightened too far then it prevents the F key closing properly, causing a different leak. So it has to be just right. The good news is that is easy to adjust and it is easy to tell when it is right with a little experimentation.
(Note that this information does not necessarily apply to vintage saxes.)
There is a simple test for leaks which I call the "ring" test. I'm sure there is a better name for it. Hold down all the keys and then firmly open and close one of them (I use the RH1 F key). The saxophone should produce a hollow ringing sound. If you get a dull thud, then there is probably a leak.
