Article: Let the neck strap rest around your neck like a necklace. Make sure the hook is hanging over your chest at the front of the strap. Wait to make adjustments to its length until you have the saxophone attached to it. Occasionally you’ll need to rub a little bit of cork grease onto the cork part of your saxophone’s neck. Apply a very small amount all the way around the tip of the cork whenever the mouthpiece stops sliding onto the neck easily. You can get tubes of cork grease at music stores or online. Use a gentle, back-and-forth twisting motion to get the mouthpiece onto the neck of the sax. Twist it on until it’s about halfway down the length of the cork. The flat side with the reed on it should face down toward the inside of the neck. If you’re having trouble getting it on, and you’ve already applied cork grease, don’t force the parts together. Take it to a repair shop to have it looked at by a professional. Picking up your sax by the upper body can cause damage to the mechanisms that make the instrument work properly. Wrap your fingers around the outside of the bell, where there are no keys, and grip this area as you lift it. Below the octave key, about halfway down the saxophone, there’s a small metal loop. Connect the neck strap to this loop by opening the hook and fastening it over the loop. Using the same back-and-forth twisting motion, press the neck down into the body until it’s all the way on. The tip of the mouthpiece should line up perfectly with the rest of the horn and create one straight line from the reed to the bell.  If you can’t slide the neck right into the body, try loosening the wing nut at the top of the body by turning it counterclockwise. Do not force the neck on. Consult a repair shop if you’re having difficulty getting the pieces together. Be careful to not damage the octave key built onto the neck when you’re assembling. Hold the assembled saxophone in front of you and loosen your grip on it so that the neck strap bears most of the weight of the instrument. If the mouthpiece is suddenly lower than you mouth, adjust the neck strap up. If it’s higher than your mouth, adjust the neck strap down. The strap should hold the saxophone exactly where it will be while you’re playing it.
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Put the neck strap around your neck. Apply cork grease to the saxophone neck as needed. Twist the fully assembled mouthpiece onto the neck. Pick up your saxophone by the bell. Hook the neck strap onto the small loop on the back of the body. Slide the neck into the body. Adjust the neck strap as needed.