STME58
2030 posts
Oct 08, 2017
11:17 PM
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My son is the saxaphone section leader in his marching band. This means he helps the less experienced musicians when they need help with little problems, like when you take the reed off your instrument at the end of rehearsal and find your mouthpiece crawling with maggots! I think this student will now understand why you shouldn't blow into your instrument right after taking a bite of that cheeseburger. (he might want to get his cheesburgers elsewhere) I'll also bet he is glad there are no draw notes on a saxaphone.
My son decided to keep a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the band room for this student and any others that need to correct sloppy hygiene. He got the idea from a bass calrinetist on you tube that suggests that H2O2 not only sanitizes the reed, but removes the mold from the pores and improves the response of a reed that have mold buildup.
What's in your instrument?
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Dox
25 posts
Oct 09, 2017
2:52 AM
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Hi! Not a news, I'm using the hydrogen peroxide on the harmonica too. A solution on 3% on water, inside the ultrasonic cleaner!
Bye
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Andrew
1692 posts
Oct 09, 2017
2:58 AM
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Treat the disease, not the symptom.
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Andrew.
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Flbl
15 posts
Oct 09, 2017
5:35 AM
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If the music you play draws more flys than fans, you might have a problem.
Maggots in my mouth piece, aren't those the words to an old blues song?
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florida-trader
1203 posts
Oct 09, 2017
7:29 AM
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I grew up playing the clarinet. Every clarinet comes with a bit of cord with a small chaois on one end and a small weight on the other end. The weight enablse you to drop the cord through each section of the clarinet and pull the chamois through. This should be done to each section of the clarinet after each time it is played. This may or may not be the same for saxophones but it probably true for other woodwinds like oboes.
In addition, I aways removed the reed from the mouthpiece and put it on a small mirror that I had in my case. The mirror had strips of elastic fabric, like you have in the waistband of underwear, etc. wrapped around it. You would slide the reeds between the elastic and the mirror - flat side down. The elastic held the reed in place and compressed it against the glass keeping it flat.
Evidently, the student in question was not adhering to this practice. :)
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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Andrew
1693 posts
Oct 09, 2017
10:48 AM
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I spent most ot the 70s playing the oboe - you run a cloth through the lower section and a pheasant feather through the upper section (generally in those days it wasn't too difficult to acquire pheasant feathers). The reeds themselves simply get blown hard from the wrong end then put in a box after use. They never need cleaning, although you could swish them in mild disinfectant if you wanted - when they are new, they smell as though they have been dipped. But they don't last long enough for hygiene to be a worry.
On the other hand, few people with any musical talent are cretinous enough to blow an instrument with their mouth full of burger.
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Andrew.
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STME58
2031 posts
Oct 09, 2017
6:04 PM
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You guys are of course correct about instrument care. Realize though that we are talking high school students and there is a huge difference in maturity between a freshman and a senior. One of the things I like about music in school is the kids learn responsibility. My son has a position of leadership and he has to try and figgure out how to get the new students to do things right, hopefully they will learn, and in a couple of years they will be advising the new students to keep things clean and in good order, and don't blow burger into you instrument.
Flbl, I like your humorous comments. I may pass that on to my son.
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groyster1
3033 posts
Oct 15, 2017
5:49 AM
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just dont let someone else play your harp......
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jbone
2369 posts
Oct 15, 2017
6:34 AM
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Rarely does anyone ask to play my harps. Last time a guy did I said, "Sure, I think the test will come back negative." "What test?" "You know, for that thing that gets in peoples' mouth." End of conversation.
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