The cork on my alto sax came off?!?
yeah. i saw your post in the other category. who knew? i sure didn't. :D my answer's the same--with a little added... there are 'quick fixes' like wrapping the area with masking or plumbers tape--at the 1st link below, see the videos under 'Emergency Sax Repair--Broken Cork" you cannot substitute the cork with something else. not if you want the same sound from the sax. and it also seems that each type of sax is 'cork specific'--"...Each different type of saxophone (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass) have specific corks." and a definite yes--you can get it replaced. but it seems you can repair your instrument yourself, if you want to take that 'adventure'...(: "How to Repair Saxophone Neck Corks ..." (2nd link, and there are more links) there are also more vids at that first link. the first one is over 30 minutes long, but he does go into great detail. (your post has proven very interesting. gave it a star :) i never even knew there was 'cork'. (:
I can't get in tune with my alto sax?!?
This is going to take practice on your own to get it in control. First of all understand these things --- 1. the longer your sax is the flater it will be, the shorter, the sharper -- so if you pull the mouthpiece out a little bit it is going to make you flatter. Push it all the way in, and you may become sharp. 2. Tuning is also effected by your airstream. If you blow cold, slow air - you are going to be flat. If you blow fast, warm air - you will be sharp. So, what you need to do is get a chromatic tuner and start checking every note on your sax. Write it down. Then, make adjustments - if most of your notes tend to be flat, then push your mouthpiece in and maybe also blow faster, warm air. You may have to test these different options and find what works best for you. But in general, there are probably just a few key notes that always tend to be out of tune. And in that case, you would make your own adjustments with your airstream.
How often should I use cork grease for an alto sax?
When I started renting my sax the music store stuck in a notice on how to take care of it and it says on all cork woodwinds you should apply cork grease once a weak just to keep it from drying out. Then anytime it's sticking really bad I would apply some.
Why is my alto saxophone squeaking? I have been playing for almost a year, and I recently got a new mouthpiece (same model as before). Is my new mouthpiece the cause of the squeaking?
It’s possible the mouthpiece could be the problem. There are quite a few factors that go into the design of the mouthpiece and if any of the measurements are off or uneven it can result in problems such as squeaking, intonation issues, stuffiness, etc. However on the better designed professional level mouthpieces these issues are fairly rare. On the cheaper student level or even some of the intermediate mouthpieces, the variations in the manufacturing process can be much more exaggerated and sometimes you just get a bad mouthpiece.Try going back to your original mouthpiece and see if that solves the problem. Also check your reed and go to a softer or harder, or even a different reed of the same strength. Sometimes reeds are just bad out of the box. Finally have someone else play your sax with their mouthpiece and see if they are having the same problem. You should also try playing a different saxophone with you mouthpiece and reed. If you have the same problem no matter the horn or the reed, than it’s either the mouthpiece or it’s you. If someone else has the problem, than it’s the horn. You can have it checked by a tech.Good luck.
What is wrong with my Tenor Sax?
there are so many things that could be wrong with it, take it to a professional. before when I've broken my sax I have: -put it in the case wrong and some of the keys got bent -had a screw could have came off and went into the sax screwing it up -had a pad fell off or started leaking -had a reed problem -not put it together right and btw, the cork wouldn't make anything happen, when I started playing the sax I never used cork grease and the entire cork fell off but it still played fine just a tiny bit squeaky.
Can an Alto Sax mouthpiece fit on and work on a Tenor Saxophone?
Listen very carefully: NO.