Top tips for Saxophone and Clarinet

Here's my top tips for happy saxophone and clarinet playing :

1- Make sure your instrument is in good working order, take it to a technician if you're unsure

2- Make sure your reed is in good working order, if it's cracked, chipped or warped it won't play easily.

3- Further to point number 2, play test your reeds and mark the best ones with a star on the back, this way you know which one will work nicely for you in rehearsal and on a gig. Less stress all round.

4- Clean your instrument regularly inside and out, it's amazing the difference it can make to your sound.

5- Keep your fingers close to the keys, the less your fingers have to move to play each note the easier it will be.

6- Following on from point number 5, keep your fingers relaxed, if your fingers tense up it makes it very difficult to play, try not to let your fingers lock out dead straight at any time.

7- Don't lean forward too much, think about your windpipe and keeping your air flow uninterrupted.

8- On the Saxophone, adjust the sling so that you don't need to reach for the saxophone, it should swing nicely into your mouth without you having to bend to reach it. On the clarinet, hold the instrument at about a 45 degree angle from your body, so you're not trying to play with your head down and holding the instrument close to your body.

9- If you're getting lots of unwanted squeaks put a little less mouth piece in your mouth.

10- Make sure your reed is positioned correctly, it often needs adjusting slightly to get the clearest sound.

If I've missed anything, tell me in the comments below.