Keep your Instrument Clean

You know the saying, “A happy room is a clean room,” right? Well the same goes for your instrument. While you play spit, or moisture, goes into your instrument and stays there with some little microscopic pieces of wood, dirt from you fingers, and some skin cells get lodged everywhere. When you clean your instrument it tends to sound a lot better than if it is left dirty. Keep the mouth piece clean more so than the rest of the instrument. That’s where maybe some lunch that didn’t think was in your teeth was, wood from the reed you’re using or were using, and some tissues from your lips. This gets clogged in the mouth piece and makes the passageways for air a lot smaller. Making the tone of the instrument bad. Keep you r instrument clean to sound good; your instrument will thank you for it!

Give your Instrument a yearly Check-up

Yes, sometimes you need to take your instrument in to give it a check-up at your local music store. Usually what happens in these check-ups is that a person makes sure that all of your keys are working properly and if that aren’t they fix them. This could save you a lot of money because you can wait for a part on your instrument to be broken, or you can take it in for a check-up and correct the problem before it costs you a lot of money.

Cork Grease is your Friend!

Cork grease makes it easier for you to put your horn together, saving you time. This may not make you sound better, but it sure is helpful!

Think “oh” instead of “ah”

Especially in throat tones! When you think “oh” when you’re playing it gives you a fuller sound more beautiful sound. if you say “ah” while your playing it gives you a not so centered tone that kind of sounds like the lady next store screaming when her kids snuck up behind her. That’s not a very pretty sound, and saying “ah” doesn’t make you sound as in tune as “oh” does. It makes it more pleasing to the ear.

Practice regularly

When you practice you tend to sound a lot better than when you don’t. Also, if you practice regularly your tone improves, and you can play a lot more songs. Your ability to play music increases, and people in class will become jealous of your new found talent! Just remember to keep a consistent tempo, or as I like to refer to it as a pulse.

Know your Scales!

Shown above is the concert B flat scale. It’s one of the most common scales played, or so I’m told. To improve your skills a musician you have to know all of your scales major, minor, and chromatic scales. This helps you with fingering a different pieces of music, and it comes in handy for some auditions. Learn your scales in one or two octaves or in three if your instrument permits! Also, try to get them down in thirds! This also makes sight reading easier so you know what key you are better, and don’t have to guess at all of the notes!!

Good embouchure

An embouchure is how your lips go around the mouth piece to get air into the instrument. It could be the difference of you being really flat and sounding ugly, to sounding good and in tune. The firmer your embouchure is the better you will sound!

Lip balm is a must have!

You know when your lips are chapped, they hurt! And playing on chapped lips just isn’t fun because don’t give your music your all because you have to stop so your lips stop hurting for a little while. Also, it makes your instrument dirty because some of you lip tissue may get into your instrument. I know, gross! Using lip balm makes your playing time much more enjoyable because your lips are soft. My favorite brand is a new one called Chopsaver it was made specifically for musicians, if money is a little tight, any lip balm will work. Except, Chopsaver is one of the brands that you don’t have to keep reapplying and its all natural!