Saxophone Octave Key Not Working? Try These Fixes
Saxophone Octave Key Not Working? Try These Fixes
Have you ever tried to play a saxophone high note and wondered, why is my octave key not working? Or tried to play low saxophone notes but only been able to an octave higher? Your octave key may not be working. This step-by-step guide will help you learn about common saxophone octave key problems, how to fix a saxophone octave key, and how to protect your saxophone octave key
Why is my octave key not working? Common saxophone octave key problems.
We’ll explore the common saxophone octave key problems one at a time to help you learn why your saxophone octave key is not working. Here is a list of the most common saxophone octave key problems that sax players face:
- Missing octave key arm rubber tube
- Neck octave key screw has backed out
- Neck octave key leaf spring slipped out of place
- Octave key pad is leaking or damaged
- Bent octave key arm near neck socket - Pro Repair if bent more than 15°
- Bent neck octave key
- Damaged “floating lever” of octave key - pro repair
How to fix a saxophone octave key
You can learn how to fix a saxophone octave key that has been bent, damaged, or misaligned by using this step-by-step guide to diagnose and fix your saxophone octave key problems. Let’s start by checking the most common and easy to fix octave key problems.
Rubber tube fell off the saxophone octave key arm
What This Looks Like/Sounds Like: You’ll be able to visually see that the rubber tube is missing (see image below) and may hear a metallic clicking sound as the octave key clanks without the rubber tube. This problem can commonly cause the octave key to not work correctly.
If the rubber tube has fallen off your saxophone octave key arm, take the saxophone into a repair shop to have the tube rubber replaced. A janky temporary fix is to wrap masking tape around the octave key arm until you can get the saxophone in for repair
Loose saxophone neck octave key screw
What This Looks Like/Sounds Like: If your neck octave key screw has backed out, you’ll be able to visibly see more of the screw (see the image below) and you may experience odd octave leaps that you don’t intend to play.
Sounds simple, but sometimes the saxophone neck octave key screw will loosen and back out, causing the pivoting octave key to not work as designed.
Screw the octave key screw back in using your finger nail or a screwdriver. This is our favorite compact travel screwdriver for saxophones because it saves your manicure and even has a magnet mount for quick storage inside your sax case. 
Saxophone neck leaf spring has slipped out of place
What This Looks Like/Sounds Like: If your saxophone neck leaf spring has slipped out of place you will be able to easily see the spring slipped off to one side of the neck. See the image below.
This is a less common problem that can be fixed quickly using your fingertips to slide the spring back into its cradle. Here is an image of the octave key leaf spring sitting correctly in the spring saddle.
Saxophone neck octave key pad is not sealing on octave pip
You need to be sure the saxophone neck octave key pad is not leaking or damaged. Give it a visual inspection to make sure the pad leather is not torn. Then do this air pressure test to see if your saxophone neck octave key pad is sealing as it should on the octave pip opening.
- Using the palm of your hand, cover the saxophone neck cork opening.
- Place the large open end of the saxophone neck against your lips and blow air into the pipe.
- The octave key pad should hold pressure.
- Using a spare finger, tip the octave key arm open and closed repeatedly.
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You should hear the air flowing from the octave pip opening when opened and then stopping quickly when closed. You can also feel the air pressure on your mouth as you do this test. If the octave key leaks air under light blowing pressure, you know something is wrong with that pad seal and it needs professional repair.
Now that you checked for the basic saxophone octave key problems, it is time to check if the octave key mechanism is operating as designed.
Bent saxophone octave key arm
A bent octave key arm is one of the most common forms of damage that a saxophone experiences.
This often happens when a player forgets to use a saxophone end cap (aka end plug), or the player sets the saxophone into the case too aggressively causing key bending, or the saxophone case has been hit or dropped very hard. To help prevent all these problems we recommend using a GapCap sax cap because it adapts to fit any model alto or tenor saxophone and any saxophone case. Plus, it absorbs impact shock from case drops and bangs. Better to have your end cap take the hit than your saxophone!
If your octave key arm is bent less than 15° you might risk gently bending it back straight. If it is bent more than 15° we strongly encourage you to take the instrument to the repair shop for professional service. It is very common for folks to over stress or over bend octave key arms causing the metal to break. That’s a much more expensive repair than simply having your repair shop professionally adjust a badly bent key.
If your saxophone octave key arm is badly bent like the image above, then you definitely should not try to fix it yourself. Take it to a repair shop so they can disassemble the octave key mechanism, straighten the parts and key rod, then re-assemble and adjust the mechanism.
Damage to the “floating lever” of a saxophone octave key
The floating lever of the saxophone octave key system is a delicate bit of key mechanism that must pivot on a screw rod freely.
If the floating lever becomes bent or the key rods become dented, the lever will bind and not float freely. That will cause your sax octave key system to malfunction.
Check your floating lever function by removing the saxophone neck, use your left hand to press the notes of a high G with the octave key, then use your right hand to wiggle the octave key arm. If the octave key arm moves freely without any friction, noise, or delay, it is good to go. If the floating lever is hesitant or moving slowly, the saxophone needs professional repair. Sorry. This mechanism is complex enough you should leave this to the pros who can repair your sax quickly and well.
Bent saxophone neck octave key
If all the prior steps and check are in order, the next step for fixing your saxophone octave key is to check that the neck octave key is working well with the body octave key arm. Follow these steps to check the neck and octave key interaction:
- Connect the saxophone neck onto the saxophone body and align the neck as if you are about to play. Then, gently tighten the neck screw and use your left hand to play high G.
- Repeatedly press and release your left thumb octave key while looking at the neck octave key pad. The octave key pad should stay still and not bounce. If the pad bounces, an adjustment is needed. We will get to that fix soon in step D. Please follow step C to rule out a concern with the floating lever.
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Now repeat this test, but this time look at the octave key arm.
Does the octave key arm bounce enough to move the neck octave key? If so, something in the floating lever and thumb key linkage is not working correctly. Seek professional adjustment and repair for this situation.
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Fingering high G with the octave key held down, wiggle between high A and G repeatedly while looking at your neck octave key pad.
If you play high G and the octave key pad stays open (does not close all the way down on the octave pip opening) the neck octave key (not the body octave key arm) needs to be adjusted. Do this by bending the bottom loop of the neck key further away from the octave key arm. Hold and bend like this:
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Repeat the last step and adjust the neck octave key arm until the octave key pad is opening on high A and closing fully on high G.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Fix a Saxophone Octave Key That Is Not Working
Can I fix my saxophone octave key by bending the neck octave key?
Maybe. Don’t start bending saxophone octave keys without first understanding the problem. Use the step-by-step guide above to diagnose your specific octave key problems and fix them for good.
Why is my saxophone playing up an octave?
If you are a beginner saxophone player trying to figure out why you can't get the lower register notes to speak, your mouth shape may be too tight (watch this video about relaxed low tone). Or, there may be a problem with your octave key not working properly (see the guide above about fixing octave key saxophone issues).
How to fix octave key on alto saxophone
You can fix your octave key on alto saxophone using the step-by-step guide shared above.
What do I do if my saxophone octave key arm is bent?
If your saxophone octave key is bent very slightly you can try bending it back gently with your hands. But if your saxophone octave key is badly bent it is best to take the instrument into a saxophone repair shop for a professional fix. See the detailed guide above for knowing the difference between a slight bend and a major bend.
We hope this article on How to Fix Saxophone Octave Keys That are Not Working has been helpful and informative!
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