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Swab or brushing out a Mouthpiece ?

4.9K views 47 replies 30 participants last post by  saxophender  
#1 ·
Was just looking for info on who swabs their sax and noticed alot of people saying the swab their or pull cloth through their MP after playing each time.

Just passing on something my clarinet teacher Lewis Gilmore said (he plays in the US Marine Band so he's pretty knowledgable haha) he said never swab your MP because over time it will change the interior enough to make a difference. We were talking Vandoren Clarinet MPs hard rubber ones so I stopped cleaning out my sax MP's also.

Maybe it's a clarinetists thing because Benny Goodman's MPs when there's a shot of the inside is usually white which happens to mine after a few months and gets progressively more and more covered with dried slime. One would think that (the caked slime) would change the MP but hey Lewis Gilmore thinks it's ok and Benny did not seem to mind nor care either...
 
#2 ·
I really dont think they will change the chamber. Hard rubber is quite durable. Calcium builds up and will change the piece. Especially if its on the baffle.

However you can damage a piece pulling through hard. Ive known guys to get them stuck and then pull the cord upwards towards the table and cracking it if it’s thin. I dont suggest them for those reasons.
 
#3 ·
I would guess that any brushing or swabbing would cause wear on the interior surface of a mouthpiece. I dont think anyone has studied how much swabbing wears the inside of a mouthpiece to give an evidence based opinion. I cant believe a silk swab would cause much wear. And if the alternative is brushing out the hardened slime, less frequently then swabbing, the brushing would be more abrasive. The less frequent brushing implies that the interior of the mouthpiece is covered in dried spit, which would also change the interior dimensions of a mouthpiece between scrubbings. I strongly suspect this is really more of an issue of whether you don't mind having a scuzzy mouthpiece and you do mind the effort to swab after every session.

Rob H
 
#11 ·
there's a shot of the inside is usually white which happens to mine after a few months and gets progressively more and more covered with dried slime.
That white coating, if it forms over a period of time, is calcium deposits from moisture. It can be removed with vinegar on a soft cloth. However, far better not to let it build up in the first place. I've been swabbing my HR mpcs out with a Hodge silk cloth for many years and have never had any calcium build up on the inside of the mpc. Nor has there been any apparent wear at all. Maybe after several centuries of daily swabbing, there could be a tiny bit of wear, but certainly not in a couple lifetimes of use. On occasion, I give the mpc a rinse with water and dry it out thoroughly.
 
#37 ·
When I've gotten hold of gunked up nasty old mpcs as case candy I soak them in soda water for an hour or two. The mild acid loosens the calcium and/or protein deposits so I can then gently use a soft toothbrush and toothpaste to clean them. Works every time on hard rubber.

I have a small brush, a clarinet swab, that I run thru my mpcs when I'm through. They're made of soft cotton nap. If you're careful not to scratch the inside of the mpc with the wire part it won't change the interior dimensions.
 
#12 ·
Silk swab pulled through after every session.
Bubble bath monthly.
If any of you have spent time with any middle or high school reed players you'll never NOT swab your mouthpieces after playing.
Some of the yuck that builds up in those things would make a maggot take a hard pass. 🤮🤮🤮
 
#13 ·
Just passing on something my clarinet teacher Lewis Gilmore said (he plays in the US Marine Band so he's pretty knowledgable haha) he said never swab your MP because over time it will change the interior enough to make a difference. We were talking Vandoren Clarinet MPs hard rubber ones so I stopped cleaning out my sax MP's also.

Maybe it's a clarinetists thing because Benny Goodman's MPs when there's a shot of the inside is usually white which happens to mine after a few months and gets progressively more and more covered with dried slime. One would think that (the caked slime) would change the MP but hey Lewis Gilmore thinks it's ok and Benny did not seem to mind nor care either...
I'd suggest using your own common sense.

How can it make sense to believe that pulling a soft cloth through your mouthpiece will significantly change the interior, but that the (visible) build-up from not doing so won't change it?
 
#26 ·
First of all, please clean your mouthpiece regularly - there are serious health hazards (and a massive gross factor) if you don't. I've been using a silk swab the last few years, I really doubt the wear caused by doing this is meaningful in any way.

Also soak my mouthpiece in cool water with vinegar added to it every so often - which is a non-toxic, abrasion-free way to sterilize it and break down in of the calcium deposits that can occur. Don't use warm water on a HR mouthpiece though, this can cause discoloration.
 
#30 ·
People wash their swabs?!?!?

looks at stinking, brown rag type thing....

Oh, right, yeah. ☺
 
#31 ·
I have a very valuable Kasper clarinet mouthpiece that I got as a teenager. That’s more than 60 years ago. It’s the only mouthpiece I’ve ever played. (I have a couple others, but the Kasper is the one I play.) I swab it every time I play it, unless there is a pretty girl waiting for me after the gig. It still plays wonderfully. There is no white build up. I use a chamois swab.

I know this is an anecdotal experience, and only a single data point, but still. FWIW I swab my alto and soprano mouthpieces too, with similar results.
 
#33 ·
I don't think so. I think the water thing is probably a bit overblown. Unless you're washing your mouthpiece in unusually warm water (or taking it into the pool with you), most of the discoloration will occur over time as the result of oxidation rather than as the result of any rinsing or cleaning technique.

One thing that can definitely accelerate the process is exposure to sunlight. I've had virtually unused mouthpieces start to discolor as a result of storing them where they were regularly exposed to (small amounts of) sunlight.

In fact, you can see evidence of this on mouthpieces that were regularly stored with the ligature and/or cap on. The discoloration will be most severe on those parts of the mouthpiece that were not covered.
 
#35 ·
I use a flute swab to clean my mouth piece every time I play. It is a soft swab, and causes no damage. I rinse my mouth piece(s) occasionally. They stay pretty clean already. The only time I ever needed to wash a mouth piece was in high school, where I did not care for the horn that well, or at all. Donuts and pop really affect wind instruments!
 
#36 ·
Every so often, when needed, I just take the MP to the rest room and wash it with cold water and soap. To get down inside it I twist a paper towel to reach.

I have one mouthpiece I've been using since 1978 and this regimen has kept it free enough of scale and deposits that it's still the same as it was when I got it. That's not 60 years, like Skeller's, but it's 45 years and that's a meaningful amount of time.