Beginner (playing) Middle f and e and d are all stuffy and feel ‘ blocked ‘ ......advice needed please .

[saxofiend]

Hi Saxy ppl ,

Today my middle f e and d were all blocked and stuffy feeling when playing .

I changed my reed to a reed that I know is OK but still the same .

I have looked on the pads for the lower holes concerned and they are diff heights etc...so I am wondering if it is a pad prob on my cheap alto sax !?

There is a repair tech in hobgoblin birm where I live so am waiting for cost quote of repairing / repadding the sax .

Yesterday the normal high a sort of popped when playing as well , so maybe there are probs I cannot see etc...

I am a beginner but normally no probs getting notes to play , v v v annoying for me !

Any advice from experts would be much appreciated !

Other notes seem Ok but f e d on staves and low f e d feels like fighting to get sound .

Does it cost much to service / repair / repad an alto sax ?

kind wishes to all .

 

[mizmar]

What's changed, if it was ok recently?
Are you sure someone hasn't stuffed a sock or something into the tube?

 

[nigeld]

What's changed, if it was ok recently?
Are someone hasn't studded a sock or something into the tube?

It’s definitely worth looking down the bore to check there is nothing stuck.
If the problem has appeared from one day to the next then it’s also worth checking whether any obvious bits of cork have fallen off.

 

[jbtsax]

If the notes C, B, A, and G come out ok, but the notes below are resistant or stuffy it is usually a problem with the G# not closing or a lower stack regulation problem. There a lots of inexpensive leak lights available on line that when used in a dark room can help you to diagnose where there are leaks.

 

[Stephen Howard]

You say the problem occurred today - does that mean it was OK the day before?
If so it's unlikely that something's suddenly gone wrong with the lower stack (though possible) and my first port of call would be to check the octave mech - specifically the crook key.

Have a look here and work your way through the troubleshooter. At worst it'll rule out the octave mech.

The SHWoodwind F.O. Guide To Octave Key Mech Problems

Troubleshooting the octave key mechanism

www.shwoodwind.co.uk

 

[DavidUK]

Matt Steward at Sheward-MIR would be my preferred tech in Brum. Used him many times, never tried Hobgoblin.

 

[saxofiend]

Thank you for your replys I appreciate it very much .I had a long phone call with a sax tech at dawkes . She was very helpful and informative about possible problems , all in all it does not look like the sax has a very serious problem but it needs looking at for sure .If the quote for repair I get is too steep I will rent a new sax from dawkes for £30 a month while I am saving for my Xmas present .No worrys .kind wishes.

 

[saxofiend]

It’s definitely worth looking down the bore to check there is nothing stuck.
If the problem has appeared from one day to the next then it’s also worth checking whether any obvious bits of cork have fallen off.

A sock would probably improve my sound anyway , but I did look inside just in case ! Kind wishes .

 

[saxofiend]

Matt Steward at Sheward-MIR would be my preferred tech in Brum. Used him many times, never tried Hobgoblin.

Hey is the alto still for sale ? I am in Brum ...

 

[saxofiend]

Matt Steward at Sheward-MIR would be my preferred tech in Brum. Used him many times, never tried Hobgoblin.

Hey buddy , please ignore my question about the alto sax for sale .I will let the dust settle after the tech gives me a quote etc...I really an too old to be a ’ panic buyer ‘ .It must be the withdrawal symptoms , sax is definitely an addiction ! Kind wishes

 

[DavidUK]

Hey is the alto still for sale ? I am in Brum ...

Weird reply? Please explain.

 

[saxofiend]

Weird reply? Please explain.

You have an alto for sale in the yardsale .So in a moment of desperation I thought if the tech fixing quote is crazy I might buy it from you .But after asking you I decided to not panic too much ......it is very hard after my first 13 weeks of noobie practising 4 hrs every day to suddenly have to stop , so I did panic a bit .But panicking never helps any situation so I will wait and see what the sax tech says .that is all .I hope that explains it better .It has been more than 24 hrs and I really am getting withdrawal symptoms .kind wishes .

 

[saxofiend]

Weird reply? Please explain.

I am a UK Army War Veteran and I have been using the sax as my therapy for the last 13 weeks to help me cope with various mental and physical problems from my service ....so panicked a bit when had problem on sax because I have become reliant on my sax for keeping me positive etc...no worrys I will find a way to acquire another sax if I have to .kind wishes

 

[mizmar]

FWIW - and we all have to find our own paths - for the cost of a little LED strip light, a set of instrument skrewdrivers, (maybe a wooden spatula, pipe cleaners, lighter fuel, contact cement...); and time taken reading / YouTubeing about basic adjustments, a body can solve a lot of niggling problems and at the same time feel more involved with the horn.

 

[saxofiend]

FWIW - and we all have to find our own paths - for the cost of a little LED strip light, a set of instrument skrewdrivers, (maybe a wooden spatula, pipe cleaners, lighter fuel, contact cement...); and time taken reading / YouTubeing about basic adjustments, a body can solve a lot of niggling problems and at the same time feel more involved with the horn.

Thank you, that is a kind thing to say .It is also correct ! Kind wishes

 

[turf3]

Well, if you suddenly have some notes that feel wonky when the day before they didn't, it's most likely that something is ever so slightly bent, or that there's a little piece of cork or felt that's fallen off, or an adjustment screw's backed off its setting. Could be a torn pad. Point is, that the most likely outcome is for a tech to look at it, run a leak light down the bore, ID the problem, and fix it all within about 10 minutes. Cost might run to $20 or so. It's unlikely that anything that manifests in this way will require an expensive or time consuming fix.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Unless you dropped it. 😉

 

[Nordbo]

Middle f, e and d - played with the octave key? If yes, check that the octave pad on the body is not sticking.
\Bo