By
eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Saxophone
- Cork grease
- Reed
Assemble the Mouthpiece
Step1
Loosen the screws on the ligature and place it around the mouth piece so it conforms to the proper shape.
Step2
Put the moistened reed between the mouthpiece and the ligature. Be sure the flat side of the reed is down and the thin part of the reed is pointing towards the tip of the mouthpiece.
Step3
Adjust the reed so it is flush with the mouthpiece tip.
Step4
Tighten the ligature until the reed is snug. Do not over tighten.
Assemble the Body
Step1
Apply a coating of cork grease to the cork on the saxophone neck. Gently push the mouthpiece onto the neck until most of the cork is hidden
Step2
Loosen the screw at the top of the saxophone body where the neck is to be attached.
Step3
Attach the assembled neck and mouthpiece into the body of the saxophone. Use a small amount of cork grease as needed.
Step4
Retighten the screw so that the neck is held in place. Do not overtighten the screw.
Adjust to Play
Step1
Place the neck strap around your neck.
Step2
Connect the hook of the neck strap to the neck strap ring on the saxophone body.
Step3
Adjust the neck strap so that it holds the saxophone at a comfortable height for playing.
Step4
Check to see if the angle of the neck is appropriate for play. Loosen the screw, turn the neck and retighten the screw to make any adjustments.
Step5
Make sure that the orientation of the mouthpiece is appropriate for play. Gently turn the mouthpiece until the correct orientation is achieved, if needed.