DO I NEED LESSONS ?

[cheech]

I am a 55 year old male with a passion to play sax. I've been a singer with a very powerful voice with great musical ear. I play a little piano and an accomplished song writer and arranger, all done by ear. I can't read or write music.

What is the best approach to learning to play the sax?, that is, should I hire a teacher or buy DVD's and self tech?

What type of horn should I start with, Alto. Tenor. I like stuff by Dave Koz, etc.

Please help this confused adult. :roll:

[srcsax]

You will learn fast and better if you have a coach to help you do it right the first time.

[Gandalfe]

Alto can be cheaper and are easier to carry. I prefer the sound of the alto, but most prefer the tenor. If you want a new horn and don't have the bucks go with a Yamaha 62 or 82 series or a Yanigisawa 901 series. Vintage horns are lovely but I prefer the modern keywork that tend to make the palm and pinkey keys easier to work and generally speaking have better intonation. Coufs, Keilwerths, Yanis, Yamahas all have great used horn prices.

Don't waste your time on a student horn. If you decide to give up on the sax, you should be able to recoup the cost of your horn minus the repair necessary for most used horns. Try the horn out, by bringing a sax-playing buddy. Get a decent mouthpiece and a neotech neck strap.

Look for an instructor that you can develop a decent relationship with. If you get bad vibes from one, go to another. My current instructor charges me $20 an hour, but the rates for great music teachers are usually higher. Sometimes you can get a better monthly rate. I see my instructor every other week now. I started out at every week for a couple of months.

Plan to spend 10 to 15 hours a week for a while. Real fanatics spend even more time. After six months of building up your chops and developing some technique, consider finding a community band so that you can work at staying in tune with others.

And check out the starting stuff at the sotw site. There is a lot of good advice from people like Paul Coats. Good luck to you.

[Jeff Foster]

To answer your question: Yes. It's easier to develop good habits in the beginning than it is to break bad habits later.

[Cameron Wigmore]

Get lessons, and don't hesitate to learn from a "greener" sax player. They may be young, but good teachers come in all shapes and sizes.

[Andrew]

Lessons...yes...always.

[Jon B. Bop]

Cheech,
I'm a 49 year old who took up Tenor about 15 months ago. I strongly recommend a quality teacher, right from the start.

Unlike piano, where you press a key and a pretty note sounds, Sax requires you to "manipulate" the sound with your louth in order for it to sound good. This not only requires practice, but correct practice. A teacher can get you through the process(and all the other stuff you need to develope)far more quickly and accurately then you can do on your own.

A teacher can also help you learn to read music, which will open up a wide range of playing possabilities