How to Swab out a Bari Sax - ⚠ Warning ⚠ the first time will be gross...
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- #bettersax #saxophone #baritonesax
Jay Metcalf gives a lesson on how to swab a baritone saxophone.
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Pre-step 1: acquire bari sax
PRE-pre-step 1: acquire money for bari sax
Hi vi hi hi
So true
Cameron Melendez Music - Yes, but they’re worth the money once you’ve got one!
Car breaks down, need a new car: Bari sax money used to buy new car.
Pre-pre-pre-step 1: reacquire money for bari sax
Joe Blankenship - Yeah, I know ... that’s the way it goes ....
I've played my baritone sax for about 20 years and have never swabbed it out. Perhaps it's time. Yes I'm disgusting.
Must have like a full bacteria colony
You might discover that a snake or the lochness monster were living inside without paying the rent... 🎵🎶🎷😃
@@estebanvenegas89 Brass alloys and silver exhibit the oligodynamic effect. They self sanitize within a few hours. There may be gunk present, but the bacteria are dead.
@@NCF8710 Those poor colonies, good thing I try to add new bacteria every day!
@@ritamerrill3227 Good! Practice makes perfect. But in my case, practice makes better.
"The first time will be gross" pretty much sums up everything about the bari sax. It fits that this would be your first video about it.
Not a fan of the Bari sax I see
@@lucassstache8069 Um ... I love it and play it all the time. And because of that I also hate it.
moyamedia I don’t have 400 iq to understand what that means
@@moyamedia9 Nick Brignola used to have almost the same opinion... :D
Precisely 👌
Why don't you play the bari more often? It's fun and it sounds awesome. Plus, you could do a tutorial about playing funky little basslines and low note riffs with the blues scale. Ya know, like Squib Cakes or something like that.
Ok I'll put it on the list
Please!
Yes! More Bari! 🙂
Perfect timing. My friend just started playing the bari sax today after playing the alto for a year, and I play tenor so I can’t really help him. Our school owns the bari sax so I’m guessing it hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Thank you
Why am I shaking my phone? Like that’s helping you. 😂
thanks, it helped a bit.
😂 I didn’t realize it until reading your comment but I might have felt the urge to jostle mine a bit too.
What
I did the same 😂
Well... that's it, I'll buy the Alto
Tenor is just as easy to clean
Now image this is a sax you purchased on Ebay and you played for a month before swabbing it out.
"Nurse, just tell the doctor I'm sure I have saxophone lung. Just tell him. Now!"
Jay, I have been playing sax for 35+ years now, and I have to say, you did the cleaning the exact opposite of how I have always cleaned mine. I start at the bow and pull it down. I have three swabs that I use on each cleaning and pull them through one at a time. By doing it the way I do it, I don't have to rattle the weight around, it literally is drop it in the neck socket, tilt the horn upside down then tilt it right-side up. Finally I reach in (Buescher's have some pretty big bells) and pull the weight up through the bell.
I do get why you would do it your way, as it pulls the gunk out without allowing it to go down into the rest of the horn, but I just don't like having something rattling around inside my horn. To each his own I guess.
I clean my Bari Sax nearly every time I play, so that about 3 to 4 times a week. You can buy a special swab for the bari sax online. My advice here is to throw in the weight but hold the swab itself to the opening of the sax, to prevent that the swab gehts stuck in your instrument. ( always push the weight back to the end, they can sometimes move)
Then another advice is to let out the water first, with the one opening clap. Especially if you played a lot. Put a small towel or something under your sax to prevent the floor from getting wet.
If you are lazy, there are special swabs just for the upper part of the Bari Sax. It looks like a long hard swab without the string and you can push it into the opening where the s-bow would fit in. If I remember the name I'll update this comment
Yes, same method here. I have been doing this after playing since I started playing bari (many years ago).
Remember the name?
@ThatNeonLight Look in google the following : Hodge silk baritone sax swab
Very usefull to swab only the upper part (wet part of the horn).
As a repair tech for over thirty years. Swabbing your sax is you didn’t in the wrong direction. You swab from small opening to large, due to the tapper. About 80 percent the swab will get stuck and you will break the string due to the tight taper inside the horn. Plus on the saxes they have octave nipple that protrudes in side the horn that will dislodge it. This also includes to clarinets. Other tapered instruments oboe, English horn,and wooden/piccolo are tapped from the inside bore. Flutes are ok at either direction,because it’s cylindrical. I’ve seen this many times coming into my shop with stuck swabs because they went the wrong direction.
That's interesting! I was always taught the opposite from my teacher's/repair techs. I agree that it might increase the chance of getting stuck. I think the argument is that it swabs more effectively, going from the dry side to the wet, instead of pulling the moisture over the dry parts. This is especially important on bassoon, where the large side of the taper is unlined, exposed wood. Thoughts?
I have been waiting for a quality type video like this for over 3 years. Though I already have an extended bari swab, now i finally feel like I have formal instructions on how to clean a bari sax. THANK YOU!
After seeing your video I decided to make my own by following your advice: an old alto/swab cut it in 2 parts, making a noose between the rope attached to the weight to my extension, then making a noose between the extension and the swab rope. But I was prudent and attached another rope to the swab end and letting it dripping out of the bell, so I could pull back the swab if it got stuck somewhere... which happened by the way, The swab I used was similar to you by having these spreading plastic wires under the swab. So I'll shorten the length of these spreading wires and see if it goes through without getting strangled in the neck. Thanks for the post Better Sax.
Your good at playing every saxophone. I’m impressed
Hodge silk swab. I use it every time I play and my 11 year old bari still looks like new inside.
Yes! Hodge silk bari swap. I have been using it on my Yanagisawa bari for over 20 years.
Yes that is a good product👍
So the bari sax I play has been at our school district for over twenty years and honestly I’m deathly afraid of getting sax lung but the thought of the foulness that is probably inside scares me even more :/
I've had a swap like this for bari lying around for over 20 years, being convinced that it was impossible to get the chord thru. After watching this video I now use the swap regularly. I had to pull the cord very hard at first so I've cut part of the brush underneath the swab so that the swab can be pulled through with less force. This will keep the cord from breaking. But to be save, never use the swab close before showtime :); if thinks go wrong, it buys you time to visit the repairshop to get it out or.... just take off one of the palmkeys and pull the swap out via the tone hole. It takes two minutes. Been there, done that! The swaps without the brush are better. Less change of getting stuck. And even when it does you can reattach it by re-knotting the cord to the swap.
Hey man there is a better tool for that the hodge bari sax swab check it out i think it does the job in an easier way.
Maybe you should do a video on that.
Hahaha that was a great vid to wake up to! Plus: I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to hear you play some more Jay!
Yeah....I wanna learn about that bari strap!
Me too. I use a BG strap played cross body because my neck can't handle it. What is that Bari sax neck thing you have?
It's called a Hooki. Works pretty well for the bari and tenor. Only issue is that you can't put it in the case.
@@bettersax Where can you get it? I'm currently using a camera strap that works pretty well and fits in a case but that Hooki looks like it will work better. I need a single shoulder strap due to neck problems.
@@davidhollingsworth8696 I bought one of these off eBay when I saw a comment about it. I was using a Jazzlab Sax Harness, and I'm still trying this new sling thing out, but it was cheap enough that I didn't mind if I didn't like it. So far I'm liking it, but I haven't tried playing sitting down yet. And I couldn't use the Jazzlab harness sitting down.
www.ebay.com/itm/BA-Sling-Saxophone-strap-a-neck-saving-way-to-play-any-Saxophone-/183360780389
I vomited a little bit into my mouth when I saw the pull through. But thanks anyway!
Hi Jay,
as a newbie on Sax i am blessed to call a old french Dolnet Bari my own.
Having searched for a tool to clean it after every ! use, i found a bari swab, which just already has a looong strap attached, and a bit more weight bullets inside the strap.
But be aware: Just a few weeks ago i had to open a key to get the stuck swab out after throwing it accidentially inside the bell to early and the strap was wrapped around a corner of the swab ...
So i recommend to not throw the swab somehow into the bell, only the strap with the weighted end first.
Then with nearly no shake necessary, just let the weight do it's work and pull the strap through. If the end of the strap is at the neck end, then you can pull slowly and continously the swab through.
Thanks, I just bought one like that from Gewa I think.
Damn Jay! And it does sound noticeably better
bob blues - Yes, I thought so!
Yeah, was a big difference right away which makes sense I guess.
I use the Hodges padded “snake” for my bari crook and it works well. Nasty first couple of cleanings as well.
The Hodge Silk Baritone swab I recently found works great for the upper section
I have a Bari sax specific pull through. It’s silk, so unlike the cloth one I had previously, it doesn’t get stuck.
Yeah that is probably safer than what I did if you don't know how to get it unstuck.
Can you talk about Leo P. His style of playing?
It's amazing, btw
Tizwig TFC It’s nothing special. He dyes his hair and does weird dance movements. His skill is meh-good.
Palpa- Meme like you can do better, his talent is beyond perfect, and why tf r u disrespecting his dance moves and hair color you seem like asshole
CwNplayZ Never said I was better, fanboy. I seem like an asshole because I don’t share an opinion with you? You might wanna check the definition of “opinion”. Egghead.
Palpa- Meme you should keep your asshole like comments to yourself, there’s something called decency
Jay, I find the pigtail (curly top tube) on the bari traps pretty well all the moisture and any gunk, so that plus the neck and mouthpiece are the only parts needing regular cleaning and drying imho. I use a Hodge swab for the pigtail. For those who haven't seen one, that's a bendy, 2 foot long, silk-covered sponge 'sausage' which can be pushed around both bends. It leaves my tubes spotless. But if I was cleaning a used bari with someone else's gunk in it, I'd use your method along with some disinfectant!!
Your high notes are amazing!
I use a Hodge Silk, kind of flexible stick. Works great !
I can hear the difference. Before the sax sounded very good, and now it sounds great!
The vibe of this video is so chill
You can buy swabs especially designed for bari saxophones. Like someone below already commented, hold the swab between your fingers while you guide the string through the body and crook.
This was great. Please do now Bari videos.
Lovely bari sound.
Thanks... Needs some work...
My produce is to place the Bari in it’s case on the kitchen counter next to the kitchen sink. Then run water thru neck and mouthpiece and using a handkerchief twirling it around while pushing it thru I also wash the reed and dry it. Then take the Bari out of the case and holding it by one hand under the top bend, place it down vertically down to the floor. Then I take a glass of water and pour it in the neck tenon and fill it up. Then using two hands tilt and turn upside down while shaking to to slosh the water around and getting the water around the bends. Then while moving the sax over the sink open the top F key to drain the water out. Then I place the sax back in the case do the neck opening is resting on the case edge. Then I take my handkerchief and twirl it up and around the bends as far as I can and trill for s not. After removing the handkerchief I then open the top pads and blot them dry with the handkerchief.
I occasionally take off the top keys to clean crude of the key holes and pads. Got to think of a longer cleaning cloth than a handkerchief but it not bad.
You make it look so hard. I swab my bari after each play session. With a proper swab (enough weight) thats no problem.
You sound great on that bari. You should play more bari on your videos.
thanks, need to practice it a lot more though.
I play baritone sax. They make swabs for the upper body that are much easier to use on a daily basis. I have a couple of them that I use after every time that I play. They are more like a snake that bends with the curves. I think they are made by Hodge. I like it better than the traditional swabs that sometimes get stuck in the horn.
That strap is the new Jazzlab prototype, idk much more about it, but you can just tell it’s them. He said in a past video they were coming out with a new one.
That is not the Jazzlab SaxHolder, it is from a different company called Hooki. Similar concept but quite different design. I'll do a video soon.
Better Sax Aww, I was really hoping. I’ve been waiting to see the new prototype! The way that company made it, it looked like it came from Jazzlab!
Hi, I'm Latino and I just wanted to tell you that you're a god😂
Hi Better Sax. I'm a Baritone player and I struggle a lot with dynamics (playing soft on low to middle notes). Can you make a video or give me any tips to maintain a softer sound on bari?
Pads must seal perfect, then you can whisper on bari - and think about singing the lowest note you can, adjusting your throat.
I know I’m a bit late but finally a bari video
LOLOL I tied 2 swabs end to end plus added an additional length of string, to which I added a sinker (weight for fishing line). It makes it much simpler and efficient.
Tha is for this. Just tried it and it works a treat 👍👍
That sounds nice and smooth, cleaned without problem after each use, no problems as you experience! Thought everyone would clean their instrument after each use. Use a proper Baritone sax swab, you would not have to shake it about so much as the weights are heavier! Euew! that is disgusting, we cleaned our from new after every practice session.
PERFECT IDEA!: buy one of those cheap but super cool looking tai-shan baris and compare it to the yani you have in this video! :)
I'm working on it. Problem is what do I do with an extra bari?
Better Sax give it to me, or you can sell it with the label (jay from better sax) and it’ll probably sell faster :)
Yamaha makes a long cleaner swab for the Bari neck. I use it all the time.
I'll probably order something that is intended for this purpose...just improvised something quick for the video.
The Hodges bari swab is another option. Works great, and there is no need to shake the sax like a James Bond martini.
Don’t know why I watched this as I never played a sax. I just purchased an alto though. Maybe in the future if I can ever afford one.
Saw this a couple of years ago somewhere else. Tried it on my brand new bari. The cloth got stuck. The string broke. Spent $$$$$ to get it removed an fixed... Never again!!
(Will take bari to a shop to get it cleaned every couple years, I don’t use it that much anyhow.)
Yeah, there is a risk of that happening. I think the safest option is to get the Silk swab that is made specifically for this purpose. If the swab does get stuck you can take the keys off and push it back down through the tone holes...
The only Bari sax I ever heard sound that sweet and smooth is a Selmer Mark VI bari, is that what the horn is?
@bettersax Have been playing more Bari lately and appreciate this video! Which neck strap are you using here? do you like it as much as the jazz lab?
First time I swabbed my bari I nearly threw up. I was really lightheaded and threw the swab away
Better hope that string doesn't break or that your swab isn't too big. Safer to use the Hodge baritone crook swab.
I'm sure it would be safer that way. I just improvised something for this video since I have loads of swabs lying around.
There are just some things we don't need to see! What is the strap you are using with the bari? And are you using a Vandoren B9? I loved mine but I couldn't get it to play nicely with my 1940s King Zephyr - I had to pull it too far off the neck to play in tune and then the intonation was awful.
I usually clean brass instruments so I didn't know what to expect coming out of this. The comments made me think it'd be a whole lot more. Now I just hope these commenters never have to see a brass instruments gunk.
PLEASE tell me what your sax harness is? I use a Jazzlab harness, but it gets annoying in its own way… yours seems so simple and comfy.
What is the neck-strap you’re using in this video? Its not the SaxHolder right? Love your video’s ! Hope to hear from you!
Not the saxholder. It's called a Hooki. Pretty good so far. Need to test more.
Hi! thanks for mentioning the hooki! We are a small start-up from Germany and you may find mor informations under hooki.eu . The hooki is a real ergonomic and medical-physical correct sax strap. It brings the weight of the instumen from your neck to your shoulders. The hooki is a single piece of aluminum without any mechanic, without joints, straps and without having to lean on the abdomen!
Do a review of the Amazon baritone saxophone please
Great video. What mouthpiece is that? I'm getting frustrated.....tried Meyer, Jody Jazz, Syos, Brilhardt. Can't my sound dialed in quite right. Thanks.
Wait...what, another neck strap? How is that one? Is it good for sitting down with a tenor?
Still just testing it out. So far it's pretty cool. Called Hooki
I play the bari sax at my high school and it’s a school instrument. I can get low notes out pretty well but I have a lot of trouble playing anything above a d without it sounding really out of tune. Any advice?
review the mendini bari sax by cecilio, or the estella bari sax. both less then $2000
that is an interesting harness you are using. Who makes it? Thanks.
Interesting, but how would you clean out the body of the bari? Because if the swab is too small then it won’t be able to swab out the body.
Oooh I see him playing Skylark, one of my favorite ballads
What's that amazing one-sided shoulder strap you're using
Just glad you did a Bari video.
Hey I know you probably won't see this, but I've been having problems marching with my bari sax with back pain as well as it not being comfortable to play and march at the same time. Do you have any suggestions? Or know of a good neck strap to help?
howdy! it's almost impossible to march bari without feeling some sort of pain at the end of the day😔. what strap are you using?
Well that’s all good but uh...
What do you do with the gunk one the actual swab?
I laid my bari on the carpet floor of a downstairs room over night (because I was too lazy to put it away the night before), and the next day I had a huge line of ants going to and from the “nasty zone”
uh oh. probably time to clean it...
Better Sax , or let the ants do it. That could be a method...
Jay how does one get a swab unstuck from a neck of a tenor sax I may or may not have screwed up
Where can I find these neck piece (holder)? Looks very comfortable
Hi there Jay!! I know this video was posted it 3 years ago but i wonder about the strap you are using. Still have it? Brand or where to find it?
Thanks for all your videos.
The Bari sax is better the sax with neck similar tenor or similar Alto sax?
More bari sax videos please!
Nice playing..
Hi!
Which jazzlab saxholder do you use in this video? What is your experience with it? Thank you for your answer!
Greetings from Hungary!
I have the same question too.
Greating from Egypt. Awesome content mr Jay
That's a Hooki. not from jazzlab although it looks somewhat similar. Very different design though.
@@bettersax Wow! Now I found it, thank you so much! I Will try it!
Hi! thanks for mentioning the hooki! We are a small start-up from Germany and you may find mor informations under hooki.eu . The hooki is a real ergonomic and medical-physical correct sax strap. It brings the weight of the instumen from your neck to your shoulders. The hooki is a single piece of aluminum without any mechanic, without joints, straps and without having to lean on the abdomen!
Hello! I would like to know the name and the model of your neck strap. Can you tell me?
What neck strap is that you are using?
Thanks for asking! I would also like to know. I can almost make out the name on it, but can't seem to find it anywhere.
Your strap looks cool. Name please!!
Thanks!! More Bari videos, and/or just some jamming out on it.
I should really do this with the school owned bari I have because I’m having some clarity issues with it but I’m really scared I’ll find something in there…
ich verwende ein Baumwolltuch, das auch durch ein Altsax passt und daran ist ein Bleiband (für Vorhänge) von 2,10m angenäht. Das ist billig und lässt sich sehr gut in der Waschmaschine in einem Wäschesack waschen. Und es fällt mit der richtigen Drehung sehr gut durch das Rohr des Saxophons (I use a Cottoncloth with a lead-strap (for curtains of a length 2,10 metres). It´s not expensive, easy to wash in a wash-net, easy to get through the sax) - sorry for my English. I hope you get the message
what is that neck strap your using? Im looking for a new neck strap
Do something about Bari!
I wonder what my 1950 Buescher Big B looks like on the inside!
One way to find out...
I swab out the removable parts of my Bari sax with a silk swab every time I play it. I use a fuzzy thing for the top loop but that's all. It goes all the way around past the water valve. Is this enough? I look inside the bell but it's usually dry. There is a padded tube shaped thing you can get that's a bit longer than the fuzzy thing and is fabric, not fuzzy stuff. I'm thinking about that as my next purchase. I'm kind of a wet player and use the water valve frequently. I notice I need to wash the silk thing periodically. How hard should I work to do more than swab the top loop after each play? Better absorbent cleaning device? More down in horn? I don't sound as clean as you do, even with a plastic and reed #3 for tbgo marching band. It is more me, the mouthpiece (hard plastic, not metal) or even some good buildup? What do you think? It's a Yamaha baritone 52 or 62 or whatever was the top level at the time from Yamaha. Tone is otherwise remarkably beautiful.
Plasticane Reed........spell incorrect is on.
Goo buildup. Darn.
Anything that gets it clean is good. I would like to try that padded swab thing that is flexible. probably a lot easier than what I did here.
You should do one of the cheapest saxophone on amazon videos with a Bari Sax
My first teacher had never washed his sax so the first time was my first time and then I had to clean it very often
I was cleaning my alto sax with this weird swab and the string got disconnected with the cloth so it got stuck in the middle of the body! Since I was short of supplies I took my bass clarinet peg and pushed it out xD.
i play on a yani too! i love her 💕💕🥺
Where is that opening licc from I wanna learn it
You better do it the other way around....and better more often😂
Yanagisawa makes an awesome bari...
Yes they do...
Make a video about the "hooki strap" it's fantastic!
Hi Giacomo! Thanks for your excitement about our hooki! We are thrilled! Could you provide us with some photographs of you playing the hooki? You may contact us directly on info@hooki.eu!
Hi, what is the neck strap you use in this video with the bari sax ? Thank you in advance for your answer.
Hi! thanks for mentioning the hooki! We are a small start-up from Germany and you may find mor informations under hooki.eu . The hooki is a real ergonomic and medical-physical correct sax strap. It brings the weight of the instumen from your neck to your shoulders. The hooki is a single piece of aluminum without any mechanic, without joints, straps and without having to lean on the abdomen!
What kind of neck/shoulder strap are you using?
Hello.
What is this baritone mouthpiece that you are using?
What swab is it specifically? It's not the Hodge one...