Just starting

[jcalfee1]

I think I may have goofed. I'm 47 years old and I played trumpet in high school band. I was 3rd chair 1st string so I was decent and I still can read music. I've always wanted to play soprano sax so I bought a cheap one before doing much research on them. Now just about everything I've read talks about how hard they are to play. I afraid my cheap one may be impossible to play. I'm also finding that there aren't many instruction books written specifically for soprano sax. I don't know anything about keying but I don't mind working hard to learn. Does anyone know where I can get instruction books for soprano sax or do you think I'm wasting my time?

[Martin Williams]

When it comes to learning sax, I dont think it is possible to 'waste' your time. What kind of soprano did you buy? That might help us determine if it is truly a good or bad horn. also, if you never did so before, take it to a tech to have them look at it to make sure everything is adjusted properly and in spec.

My suggestin for learning though would be to get at least a few lessons from a teacher to put you on the correct path to sucessfully learning your horn!

Martin Williams

[xuanvu]

All the saxes play the same, so if you can find any alto or tenor book would work. I agree that for most people, soprano is relatively harder than alto or tenor to start with, but I myself started on Soprano and I know many others who also did just that. The problem that I faced the most when starting out with Soprano is intonation. It was hard for me to play in tune. But long tone exercises helped. After I got a decent tone on the soprano, suprisingly, I have a VERY GOOD tone on the alto and making the alto much easier to play.

A crappy soprano will be a problem! The best you can do is bring it to a tech and have the tech set it up to the best potential and try your best to play it :)

Good luck,
Kenny.

[Gandalfe]

So jcalfee1, what kind of horn is it, what mouthpiece are you using, and what part of the world do you hail from? If you update your profile to provide this info, we can really give you customized help.

Enjoy,

[jcalfee1]

I bought a new "Schill" Model 129. It has the stock mouthpiece but I was going to upgrade to a better one as soon as I know more about what I'm doing.
I live in Dalton, Georgia.
Thanks for the input!

[babs0906]

Hi,

I bought a sax a few days ago and have basically been surfing the web to find as much information as possible on learning. I'm a total novice. I should get "The Art of Saxophone Playing" by Larry Teal soon. However, I was wondering about Martin Williams' note on getting a teacher. Is it absolutely necessary and are there any other books or websites where a newcomer could get help?

Babs

[Crumit]

I have never heard of a Schill model, but I think the advice to take it to a tech and get it checked out is very good. A leaky horn causes a player, especially a novice, to work twice as hard to make sound.

Another new poster here recently bought a new cheaper horn and returned it when he decided he would rather have a better horn to start with. I don't know if this would be possible for you. If not, your intention to move up to something better as you progress is sound. (Judging from the posts on this forum, most of us spend a lot of time dreaming of getting new saxes no matter what we already have...)

Babs, I just started playing sax a year and a half ago. The Larry Teal book and a Rubank method book got me started off. I went for a year teaching myself from books, which I wouldn't repeat if I had it to do over. I progressed, but not as quickly as I have since I found a good teacher. My teacher also let me know that my horn was not set up well (it leaked) and recommended a really good technician.

This forum is the most helpful spot on the web that I've found. Using the search I have found answers to most of my questions; I even found my teacher through a link someone here provided. The folks here, many of them pros or players decades of experience, are always willing to help you out, no matter how remedial you might think your question is. It's been invaluable to me.

[fballatore]

Babs -

I would definitely recommend working with a teacher. I finally decided to learn to play the sax after over 30 years, and just had my first lesson this evening. I bought my sax and a number of books about three weeks ago, and had been fooling around, following the books waiting for my first live lesson. In the first 5 minutes of the lesson, my instructor fixed a couple of things and dramatically changed my playing.

Frank

[fballatore]

Crumit -

That new poster was me. After returning the first cheap horn, I wound up getting a great deal on a virtually brand new YAS-23. I'm extremely happy with it (especially after my instructor and a technician looked at it and told me how nice it is). But I know what you mean... I can't wait to get good enough to move up!

jcalfee1 -

From what I was told by my sax tech, the inexpensive horns we bought may look good in the beginning, but are made of inferior materials, don't have the same tone, and will break down and require much more in terms of repairs long term. That's what made me decide to return mine.

Frank