What type of saxophone?

[jazzlazz_clarinet]

I joined the jazz band at my school this year, and I have been playing the clarinet in it. I am planning on switching to playing the saxophone this coming year. The problem is, I'm not sure which saxophone I want to play.
I really like the sound of the bari sax, but I'm afraid that I don't have a good enough "breathing ability" to play it. Does it require a lot of air to play?
I also like the tenor sax, but I play the tenor part already with my clarinet. I know that the tenor is in Bb like the clarinet, but is it that much harder to switch to an Eb instrument?
I know that the soprano sax is similar to the clarinet, but is it used often? I don't see many people playing it...
So far I have been leaning towards the alto sax. I don't like the sound of it as much but......I just don't know! :roll: Does anyone have any suggestions or tips? I just want to make sure I choose a good instrument to play 8) Thanks!!

[colibri]

You won't have enough air to play baritone sax and it'll be too heavy for you. The tenor sax also takes a lot of air, which you probably don't have from playing clarinet. You can try the alto, but the pitch will mess up your head. The soprano sax is not used too often.

Whichever instrument you pick, if you love it, you will be able to play it. There's no need to worry about techniques, air support etc. As long as you have a teacher and practice, you will get over anything that obstructs you from playing the sound that you hear in your head. So I'd say just pick one that sounds good to you and go for it.

[dpwadw]

I'd give the alto a try. Since its in Eb you'll have another group of charts to play.

If you don't like the typical alto sound I encourage you to listen to someone like Gerald Albright. He plays all the horns but his alto tone is edgy, percussive...just downright awesome. Down low he even sounds a lot like a tenor.

The alto is actually very versatile with the right mouthpiece/reed combination. A good teacher will make a huge difference too.

[conntenor]

look under my post' and see the one called breathing
play tenor or bari
if you want to try a new key then bari; tenor is not much different so if you're worried about breathing and bari and decide to play tenor play bari because they use about the same amount of air.

Have fun :) :D

[conntenor]

and tenor is very similar to alto on the subject of breathing.
and you don't need such a tight embouchure on bari or tenor
so if you like bari; GO FOR IT :D

[woodwindmaster06]

changing keys is not hard from clarinet bflat to an e flat is not hard, you should play what you really want to play, if you want bari and you are purchassing not it is a lot more expensive than Tenor,Alto and sop.

[Storamin]

You don't huge amounts of air for the bari. Give all of them a fair try and pick the one you like. Don't worry about preconceived sterotypes. I've seen many small players rock on the bari.