It is common knowledge that all you need to play a saxophone is a the saxophone and a good quality reed. But what about all the other accessories that go into the upkeep of a saxophone? And the products you can buy to make your saxophone playing experience all that more comfortable. Lets have a look at the accessories that all saxophone players must have:
Cleaners
A saxophone is a wind instrument which means that spit is going to collect inside it. Most woodwind instruments have a cleaner which consists of absorbant material on a stick so that it can be lowered into the instrument to clean it out. These are inexpensive and can be bought from any shop or website that sells saxophones.
Mouthpiece Pouches
The mouth piece of the saxophone is its most delicate area. It is also detachable from the saxophone and many players take it off and store it in another part of the case. To protect it from any scratches or extra bashes that might happen whilst the saxophone and case are in transit.
Lip Balm
It may seem like a silly suggestion that you need lip balm to play an instrument. But all woodwind and brass instrumentalists will know that playing their instruments involves a good amount of stress on the players lips. Lip balm helps to lubricate the lips and keep them from chapping. Once chapped it becomes painful for an instrumentalist to play. Many woodwind players refer to this as ‘busting their lip’ as it becomes near on impossible to play once they have causes damage to their lips.
Silver Cloth
As many of the top range saxophones are silver plated a silver polishing cloth is a must for these instruments. They are impregnated with silver polish and can be used multiple times. Silver cloths are exactly the same as silver jewellery polishing cloths but are usually bigger. Both can be picked up at a small price and make a huge difference to the overall look of the silver saxophone. There are also brass polishing cloths for saxes made of brassy materials instead.
Sax Strap
A sax strap is a very important piece of equipment to have when you play the saxophone. Essentially the sax strap is a safety feature. The strap clips on to the back of the saxophone and then loops around the neck so that the saxophone has a harness in case it is dropped. Another reason for the strap is that it gives the player more comfort as they don’t have to hold the heavy saxophone alone, they have some support from their neck via the sax strap.
Electronic Tuners
This isn’t an accessory that is specific to the saxophone but it is useful. An electronic tuner lets you play a note into it and will tell you if that note is sharp or flat so you can adjust it accordingly. The most popular brand of electronic tuner is Korg. Their tuners have a dial that goes right when the note is sharp and left when the note is flat.