[cazzz]

A few days ago I improvised with a friend. I first "prepared" my bari: put in the mouthpiece, wet the reed, etc. then put it down for a few minutes. (The same procedure as with my alto...) Then I played some piano.

When I took up my bari and tried to play it it wouldn't sound, only high squeaks. I first thought it was because of the reed not being wet enough. Or the octave or another key being stuck. But this didn't help either. After a few minutes playing odd, high sounds (squeaks...) the upper octave started to sound again, not well, but good enough. After 5 minutes or I was able to play the lower octave. I never experienced anything like this on my alto in 20 years of playing. At least as far as I can remember.

The next day, the bari sounded as nothing had happened.

Does anybody have an idea what the problem was?

 

[ianhart]

It was jealous of the piano. The Bari is a very tempermental creature, you have to be careful not to offend it. It takes offense at the slightest size remark, and tends to have some very quirky qualities like you mentioned above.




Honestly, no clue why that happened.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Does anybody have an idea what the problem was?

A mouse in your U-bend

 

[saxxsymbol]

i think the spit relief key on the pigtail was slightly open or leaking. when you set the horn down you may have moved or opened the key.that has happened to me. my spring is weak and the key will open and not close by itself.you know this is the problem when no notes will play.check the action and the pad.if it just the middle d and low notes it's probably your neck strap, t-shirt, extra shoes or whatever that you have stored in the bell!! you should always put a sax on a stand and never lay it on either side outside of its case.

 

[cazzz]

thanks saxxsymbol I will check that. (And I was too lazy to bring my saxstand with me...

 

[cazzz]

new experience with my bary

Several times in the last weeks and frustratingly at a concert too my Bari didn't play. I warmed it up and put it on a stand (sic) to be played in the concert. Then I started with my alto. Everything went fine. When I chose to play on my Bari, nothing but squeaks and high noises came out of it. A few days earlier I had been able with brute force to bring it to sound normally, so I tried. And got more and more desparate. My fellow musicians where also a little bit disturbed and the longer I tried, the less I could stop facing my defeat.

I think it has to do something with my mouth cavity which seems to close up sometimes, which makes me only able to play overtones of the hightest sort. Which is not really satisfactory. I wouldn't need a bari for that... So I got an idea, but it doesn't help me yet to solve it. Has anybody any suggestions?

In my twenty years with my alto, this never happened. And with my tenor I hadn't had this problem either. I am no pro, but no beginner either.

 

[jbtsax]

Oftentimes the key cups that are near the top of the bari sax have a lot of play in the key (side to side motion or wobble). Setting the sax down on one of these keys can move it just enough so that the pad "seat" doesn't line up with the tonehole causing the pad to leak. A leak in the top section of the sax can easily cause the effects you have described.

The solution is to take the sax to a repair tech to remove the play in the key (easier said than done on some makes) and to stiffen the spring. It is always a good idea to set the sax upright on a stand rather than lay it flat to avoid bending keys.


John