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News & Articles

News, product announcements and helpful tips for woodwind players.

Articles

  • A man stands with his hands up in confusion with saxophone end caps around him and text reads: Why is a sax end cap needed?

    Why Is a Saxophone End Cap Necessary? What Is That Black Plastic Thing?

    · Nathan Brown

    Quick Answer: Why Is a Saxophone End Cap Necessary? The Primary Purpose: An end cap braces the delicate, exposed octave key extension pin to prevent...

  • How to Fix Sticky Bis Bb Key Pad on Saxophone

    How to Fix Sticky Bis Bb Key Pad on Saxophone

    · Rulon Brown

    Quick Answer: How to Fix a Sticky Bis Bb Key The Mechanical Cause: The Bis key is engineered with exceptionally light spring tension so it...

  • Seattle entrepreneur launches award-winning music-accessory business, industry taking note

    Seattle entrepreneur launches award-winning music-accessory business, industry taking note

    · Nathan Brown

    SEATTLE, April 1, 2019 -- A mix of clever innovation, determination and DIY entrepreneurship led musician Rulon Brown to solve a sticky problem that had...

  • A Tribute to Tom Wanne, by Rulon Brown

    A Tribute to Tom Wanne, by Rulon Brown

    · Nathan Brown

    With heavy hearts the Key Leaves family mourns the passing of Tom Wanne. On paper Tom was our Business Development Officer - an industry vet...

  • A picture of a man trying to eat money as he sits below a dead tree in a dead wasteland. In the sky the words - Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught and the last river been poisoned will we realize we cannot eat money.

    Music For Change - Guest Post by Alastair Penman

    · Rulon Brown

    Humans have been making music for over 40,000 years, but what is it that draws us to do so? What is it within us that...

  • The RULON Saxophone Key Riser for High F# elevates the key to meet the player's hand so it is easy to operate.

    Announcing the RULON Saxophone Key Riser for High F#

    · Rulon Brown

    Today I am thrilled to announce the release of the RULON Saxophone Key Riser, inspired by a conversation I had with Dr. Robert Brooks, professor...

  • MAGA and Trump Forcing Price Increases

    · Rulon Brown

    Dear Musicians and Music Stores, I held Key Leaves prices steady for the last two years during a time of great inflation. Before that I...

  • An image showing a saxophone player with jaw pain

    Saxophone Jaw Pain? How to reduce and prevent It!

    · Rulon Brown

    Learn everything you need to know about saxophone jaw pain, what causes the jaw to hurt while playing sax, how to treat saxophone jaw pain,...

  • How to play saxophone seated and best playing positions for sitting sax players

    How to play saxophone seated and best playing positions for sitting sax players

    · Rulon Brown

    How to play saxophone sitting down? Music teachers and students often wonder what is the best position for playing saxophone when seated (center between legs...

  • How Do You Clean Spit Out Of a Saxophone?

    How Do You Clean Spit Out Of a Saxophone?

    · Rulon Brown

    To clean the spit out of a saxophone you should swab clean it after every playing session and follow this guide for optimal saxophone cleaning....

  • How To Clean Your Saxophone Neck

    How To Clean Your Saxophone Neck

    · Rulon Brown

    This step-by-step guide will show you how to clean your saxophone neck and we’ll show you easy ways to clean the inside of a saxophone...

  • Saxophone Octave Key Not Working? Try These Fixes

    Saxophone Octave Key Not Working? Try These Fixes

    · Rulon Brown

        Quick Diagnosis: Why Is Your Saxophone Octave Key Not Working? Symptom: High notes won't speak or low notes squeak: The neck octave key...

  • How To Clean My Saxophone Mouthpiece and Clarinet Mouthpiece

    How To Clean My Saxophone Mouthpiece and Clarinet Mouthpiece

    · Rulon Brown

    How To Clean a Saxophone Mouthpiece or Clarinet Mouthpiece Learn everything you need to know about how to clean a saxophone mouthpiece or clarinet mouthpiece,...

  • Can you use old reeds instead of Key Leaves saxophone care products?

    Can you use old reeds instead of Key Leaves saxophone care products?

    · Rulon Brown

    Some folks recommend taking old saxophone reeds and placing them under the pad to open it to air dry clean. While we understand this may...

  • Saxophone Neck with Cork Grease

    How to Use Cork Grease on a Saxophone

    · Alanna Hawley

    Applying cork grease to the neck of the saxophone is a critical step in saxophone maintenance. This article details how to use cork grease, how...

  • Spit Sponge in a Saxophone for Proper Saxophone Maintenance

    Saxophone Maintenance 101 - How To Take Care of a Saxophone

    · Alanna Hawley

    Proper saxophone maintenance ensures optimal performance and prevents costly repairs. This article covers everything you need to know on how to take care of your...

  • A saxophone neck and mouthpiece laying on a RULON musical instrument cleaning cloth.

    How to Clean a Saxophone

    · Rulon Brown

    Keep your saxophone in top condition and prevent costly repairs by learning how to clean a saxophone the right way.

  • A pile of sticky rotten saxophone pads made of leather. The resonators and pad material are full of green and brown gunk that makes pads sticky

    How to Fix Sticky Saxophone Keys for Good (G#, Low C#, and Eb)

    · Rulon Brown

    Quick Answer: How to Fix & Stop Sticky Saxophone G# Keys The Core Issue: Saliva, sugars, and yeast dry inside closed key pads(G#, Eb, Low...

  • Maine Music Educators Association features RULON Sax Care Products

    Maine Music Educators Association features RULON Sax Care Products

    · Rulon Brown

    The Maine Music Educators Association quarterly magazine Maine Motif features an article by saxophonist educator, Connor Ellis, about how RULON saxophone care products are helping...

  • Occupational Therapist Opinion About the RULON Saxophone Thumb Rest

    Occupational Therapist Opinion About the RULON Saxophone Thumb Rest

    · Rulon Brown

    Saxophone Hand Pain & Ergonomics: An Occupational Therapist’s Review of the RULON Thumb Rest Struggling with right-hand thumb pain, wrist strain, or tension in your...

  • Rulon Brown holding a Mark VI alto saxophone in his hand

    FREE SAXOPHONE LECTURE - Pain Free Playing and Modern Sax Ergonomics

    · Rulon Brown

    Playing sax can be a pain in the neck, or the thumbs, wrists, back, jaw, teeth, and more depending on your age or body. Join...

  • RULON saxophone rest maximizes comfort for all hand sizes

    RULON saxophone rest maximizes comfort for all hand sizes

    · Rulon Brown

    For 175 years saxophone players have been hooked on a way of holding their horn using a thumb hook, until today. Key Leaves launched the...

  • New Oboe Care Product from Key Leaves

    New Oboe Care Product from Key Leaves

    · Rulon Brown

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Key Leaves branches out to oboe and thrills Principal Oboist of The Metropolitan Opera Innovative new oboe cleaner helps prevent wood cracks...

  • Key Leaves Makes the First USDA Certified Organic Cork Grease

    Key Leaves Makes the First USDA Certified Organic Cork Grease

    · Alexia Perez

    Key Leaves is proud to announce it has created the first USDA Certified Organic Cork Grease to smooth musical instrument connections including saxophone neck cork,...

  • Music Inc Magazine features Key Leaves collaboration with Better Sax

    Music Inc Magazine features Key Leaves collaboration with Better Sax

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Music Inc magazine featured the Key Leaves saxophone key props being included with the new Better Sax alto saxophone from Jay Metcalf of BetterSax.com The...

  • DownBeat Magazine Spotlights GapCap® Sax End Caps As "Noteworthy New Product" from NAMM's Believe In Music2021

    DownBeat Magazine Spotlights GapCap® Sax End Caps As "Noteworthy New Product" from NAMM's Believe In Music2021

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    The April 2021 issue of DownBeat magazine ranks the Key Leaves GapCap as #5 in the Gear Showcase List of 25 noteworthy new products from...

  • NAPBIRT Annual Conference 2021

    NAPBIRT Annual Conference 2021

    · Rulon Brown

    Meet Key Leaves founder Rulon Brown at the 2021 virtual NAPBIRT conference to learn how Key Leaves helps grow your business, build client trust, and...

  • MMR Magazine Spotlights Better Sax and Key Leaves Collab

    MMR Magazine Spotlights Better Sax and Key Leaves Collab

    · Rulon Brown

    MMR (Musical Merchandise Review) magazine shared the news about the Key Leaves saxophone key props being included with the new Better Sax alto saxophone from...

  • GapCap® Wins "2020 Product of the Year" from The Saxophonist Magazine

    GapCap® Wins "2020 Product of the Year" from The Saxophonist Magazine

    · Rulon Brown

    “Ingenious” GapCap® saxophone storage product wows critics and marks the second “Product of The Year” award for Key Leaves. The Saxophonist Magazine choses GapCap® saxophone...

  • Rulon Brown Interview - Music & Sound Retailer September 2020

    Rulon Brown Interview - Music & Sound Retailer September 2020

    · Rulon Brown

    Music & Sound Retailer Editor, Brian Berk interviews Key Leaves Founder & President Rulon Brown about the mentors, advice and music that inspire him, and...

  • #LockTheSaxDown Challenge for Saxophonists

    #LockTheSaxDown Challenge for Saxophonists

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Key Leaves is proud to support endorsing artist Emma McPhilemy and the #lockthesaxdown challenge. #lockthesaxdown invites sax players from around the world to play new...

  • MMR Magazine features Spit Sponge™ pad dryers

    MMR Magazine features Spit Sponge™ pad dryers

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    MMR Magazine (Musical Merchandise Review) spotlighted our Spit Sponge pad dryers for "extending pad life and keeping instruments clean." Read the whole review HERE

  • Black Lives Matter

    Black Lives Matter

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    BLACK HEALTH MATTERS Covid-19 doesn’t care who it infects, yet it is killing black people unequally in the U.S.. In Wisconsin, a state that is...

  • Key Leaves Announces ‘Music Store Stimulus’ Program to Support Music Shops Closed by  Covid-19

    Key Leaves Announces ‘Music Store Stimulus’ Program to Support Music Shops Closed by Covid-19

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    During the Covid-19 quarantines we invite you to name the local music store you would normally buy from so we can credit them for your...

  • Seattle Faces Water Shortage After Spit Sponge Accident

    Seattle Faces Water Shortage After Spit Sponge Accident

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Seattle is facing a water shortage after a shipping container accident spilled two tons of Spit Sponge pad dryers into Lake Union. The bright yellow...

  • A pile of rotten saxophone pads. These pads were the result of lack of care towards the instrument, without Key Leaves.

    NASA 2020

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Join saxophonist and Key Leaves founder, Rulon Brown, for the NASA Saxophone Alliance 2020 presentation - The Most Disgusting Science Every Sax Player Should Know...

  • Key Leaves is going to NAPBIRT 2020 in Sacramento!

    Key Leaves is going to NAPBIRT 2020 in Sacramento!

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Meet Key Leaves founder Rulon Brown at NAPBIRT in Sacramento this April to learn how Key Leaves helps grow your business, build client trust, and...

  • BestSaxophoneWebsiteEver.com recommends GapCap and Spit Sponge

    BestSaxophoneWebsiteEver.com recommends GapCap and Spit Sponge

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Zach Sollitto of BestSaxophoneWebsiteEver.com reviewed our new GapCap (the ultimate saxophone end cap) and Spit Sponge pad dryers and gave both products high praise. "[Spit...

  • Spit Sponge wins "Outstanding Product" rating from The Saxophonist Magazine

    Spit Sponge wins "Outstanding Product" rating from The Saxophonist Magazine

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    The Saxophonist Magazine shared a detailed product review of Spit Sponge™ pad dryers for saxophone and woodwind. Spit Sponge won their OUTSTANDING PRODUCT rating! "It's...

  • GapCap wins "Outstanding Product" rating from The Saxophonist Magazine

    GapCap wins "Outstanding Product" rating from The Saxophonist Magazine

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    The Saxophonist Magazine shared a detailed product review of the GapCap™ saxophone end cap and gave it their OUTSTANDING PRODUCT designation. "The GapCap is really...

  • JAZZed Magazine features Spit Sponge™ pad dryers for saxophone, flute, clarinet, oboe and more!

    JAZZed Magazine features Spit Sponge™ pad dryers for saxophone, flute, clarinet, oboe and more!

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    JAZZed Magazine recommended the Spit Sponge™ pad dryers in the Nov/Dec issue. Spit Sponge pad dryers work for flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe or what ever...

  • Key Leaves wins Product Excellence Award 2019 from Music Inc. magazine

    Key Leaves wins Product Excellence Award 2019 from Music Inc. magazine

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    We are thrilled to announce Key Leaves has won a prestigious ‘Product Excellence’ award from Music Inc. magazine, a leading trade publications for the music...

  • Music & Arts - HORNS OF PLENTY, November 16, 2019

    Music & Arts - HORNS OF PLENTY, November 16, 2019

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Join Key Leaves at the Music & Arts Horns of Plenty event 10 am - 2 pm, Saturday, November 16, 2019 Red Lion Hotel. 11211...

  • The NAMM Show 2020

    The NAMM Show 2020

    · Key Leaves Customer Support

    Key Leaves will be at The NAMM Show 2020 - BOOTH #8752 Hall B CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE LATEST INFO

  • Midwest Clinic 2019 (DECEMBER 18-21)

    Midwest Clinic 2019 (DECEMBER 18-21)

    · Rulon Brown

    Visit Key Leaves at The Midwest Clinic 73rd Annual ConferenceBOOTH 339 (MAP HERE)December 18-21, 2019 Join us at Booth 339 to try everything Key Leaves...

  • Jazzwise Magazine Recommends Key Leaves

    Jazzwise Magazine Recommends Key Leaves

    · Key Leaves

    "...this neat little system opens all three potentially sticky pads (Eb, low C# and G#) without touching the pad leather. Made from silicone, the Key...

  • BetterSax Key Leaves Giveaway

    BetterSax Key Leaves Giveaway

    · Key Leaves

    Jay from BetterSax.com is a big Key Leaves fan and is giving away our most popular saxophone care product to 10 lucky winners. Check out Jay's excellent sax lesson videos,...

  • Key Leaves Helping Sax Players of Belgium

    Key Leaves Helping Sax Players of Belgium

    · Nathan Brown

    For saxophonists, Belgium is the place where it all began. In the 1840's, Belgian inventor and musician Adolphe Sax developed the world's first saxophone, patenting...

  • Welcome Diana Anderson

    · Key Leaves

    We are delighted to welcome Diana Anderson to our team. Diana is a visual artist who also runs a business that uses social media meets...

  • Christian McBride Big Band Sax Section Recommends Key Leaves

    Christian McBride Big Band Sax Section Recommends Key Leaves

    · Key Leaves

    Jazz fans know that the Christian McBride Big Band is an outstanding ensemble making some of the hardest swinging music out there. If you haven't...