By Dan St. Marseille

Although it can take many years to become an accomplished saxophonist, here are some tips to get you started.

First, keep your reed wet. I like to keep a small plastic cup filled with water to soak my reed while assembling my horn. A reed soaked properly will have a better tone, ease of articulation, and less chance of squeaking. Try rotating four reeds. Use a pencil and number each reed 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Each day move to the next reed and after 2-3 weeks, throw them away and start with a fresh group. This is especially helpful for beginning students that are having trouble deciding when to start a new reed. Using the same reed for many weeks can weaken a developing embouchure and cause tone and squeaking problems.

Next, try experimenting with ligature positions. By moving the ligature slightly forward or backward--no more than an 1/8 of an inch--you might find that a reed responds easier or gets a more desirable sound.

Reeds and ligatures tend to move around when pushing your mouthpiece onto the cork, so place your mouthpiece on the neck first, then hold the neck so the tip of the mouthpiece is at eye level and put on your reed and ligature.

After playing, wipe off your reed and store it in a reed guard. Once a week, you can take your reeds and soak them in a denture cleaner such as Efferdent, this will loosen up dirt and bacteria and give your reeds new life, not to mentioned a clean smell.

Keep a mental check list of these ideas mentioned and in future articles. With daily practice these concepts will become "good habits" and add to a lifetime of growth and enjoyment in music.