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I very lightly buff silver plated keys using Music Medic's "blue hubble" on a soft buffing wheel in my bench motor. Nickel plated keys that are cloudy or blemished are buffed more "aggressively" using the same method. These are before and after pictures of keys from a nickel plated Cannonball...

Our dear English Springer Spaniel Toby passed away a year ago last December. He was 16 and lived a very good life at least since we rescued him from the shelter at about age 2. Since we have become very attached to the looks and personalities (dogonalities?) of Springers we ended up getting a...

These are some of the things I used with my beginning clarinet students and some suggestions for equipment. Use a rubber mouthpiece patch to insure the top teeth are firmly on top of the mouthpiece and in the same place each time. Remind him to sit upright on the front half of the chair with...

The old "standby" leak test for clarinet is to take just the top joint close the bottom end with your hand, cover all the holes with your fingers and blow in the top. If there are leaks in any of the pads you will be able to feel the loss of air pressure or hear air escaping. The same can be...

I found this 1950 silver plated Selmer SBA in a pawn shop marked $75, and I talked the owner down to $50. Of course it didn't look like it does in the photo at the time.

To compliment the excellent write up done by Steve Sklar, I would like to share one of the clearest and easiest ways to describe and teach the clarinet and saxophone embouchure I learned from Dr. Ray Smith saxophone and jazz instructor at BYU. The "EE" muscles pull out, and the "OO" muscles...

Thanks Pete. That is most interesting. I have always thought that "colored" saxophones were a more recent "abomination" than that. :)

Please realize that in order to clean the body of the instrument inside and out it is necessary to remove all of the keys so that the pads are not damaged. I do this often when I overhaul saxes and do a Clean Oil and Adjust (COA). If you are not comfortable that you can put everything back...

I taught beginning band for many years. Here are a few things that worked for most of my flute students. Put the lips together and blow a fast, cold air stream letting the air make the opening in the lips. Bring your index finger up and feel the air stream. It should feel strong and narrow...

I checked my Terapeak Ebay research service and during the past 12 months only one Fontaine metal clarinet was sold. It brought $14.95 at auction. :)

My hands on experience with crack repair on wooden instruments is very limited. In the shop where I worked there were two other techs who were skilled at this proceedure. What I learned by observation is that it is critical that all of the old adhesive be removed for the glue to be effective...

Heating the keycup with a cigarette lighter to reattach a clarinet pad that has come loose has been the "standard" emergency repair for band directors and music teachers for years. Doing so does not guarantee a pad is well seated. Checking with a feeler gauge and "floating" a pad is required...

Thanks for the info. I don't see these in my neck of the woods---small town in Utah. :)

A customer brought this in last week and I have never seen one like it. All I know at this point is that it is a "Martelle", it is made in Germany, and it is the best saxophone in the world. :) (It says so right on the instrument) It also has a plastic wraparound keyguard reminiscent of a...

My memory of Fred Hemke goes back to 1959 when I was in 7th grade and my teacher took me to the Gunnison Summer Music Camp. I signed up and took a lesson from Mr. Hemke. I was his last student that day and he sat on a desk wearing hip waders to go fly fishing afterward and was smoking a pipe...

I agree. It is unfortunate that he measured key openings from the top of the tonehole to the center of the pad or the average of the front and back opening. I can't remember which. Most techs I know take the measurement perpendicular to the outside edge of the tonehole. I believe the Yamaha...

Back when the YAS-23 was first introduced and the Bundy II was in it's heyday as the most used student sax the differences between a student instrument and a "professional" instrument included the following features: Removable Individual Key guards Detachable Bell Octave Key Rocker Assembly...

Meet Dr. Eugene Rousseau Here is an example of his playing on both soprano and alto on some of my favorite songs.

I have been playing a YBS-52 for several years and it is great. The one I am playing actually belongs to the band, but I have a used one that I am going to overhaul with a brushed brass finish that will be my personal sax. As far as I am concerned the Yamaha research and development department...

Tone Production Make sure the chin is flat, and the jaw and teeth feel as if they are pulling down away from the reed Play long tones on the mouthpiece and barrel holding the note F# concert with a big, full, steady tone Remember the clarinet generally uses fast, cold air. Hand position Cover...