New to Sax and need lots of help

[re-be-becca]

Right,



I'm new on here - hope you guys can help me . . . . . ?

I REALLY want to learn to play sax, and have wanted to for a few years, my pop has offered to get me one for Christmas, bless him. SOOOOO, my question to you all is can you give me some pointers between the alto/tenor, what's good for beginners, any tips, etc. etc.

We're finding it quite hard to find a teacher in my area too, have managed to track one down now though, but would like to know some info before going to see them.

IS it possible to learn through books and so on at the same time as having lessons from a teacher too - or is it best to learn through someone instead of text/tapes?


THANK YOU FOR READING! Hope you can help : )

[fballatore]

re-be-becca (neat name) -

Hi and welcome aboard - what a great pop you have!! I fairly new at this, and there are lots of great people here of all skill levels who are willing to help.

I think you'll find that the consensus is that you are much better off with a live instructor than trying to learn on your own. The instructor will be able to give you feedback on proper technique so that you don't develop bad habits that will be hard to undo down the road. I think that learning from books while working with an instructor will definitely help; your instructor will point you in the right direction for what books to get, and will work with you through those books.

As far as alto vs tenor, that's up to you. You should think of the types of sax music that you like, and that you'd like to play, and then find out what type of sax that it's played on. That would be a start. Generally, alto is probably an easier instrument to learn on, but you also shouldn't have any problems if you choose tenor. More importantly is the brand of horn you get. You should make sure that you get a horn from a reputable manufacturer, and for a first horn, you should probably get one from a reputable local dealer. It's tempting to look at eBay, and see the "deals" there, but you often don't really know what you're getting and you may wind up with an unplayable horn, or one that needs a lot of work. You may even want to rent a horn before you buy.

Well, that's enough for now. Let us know if you have any more questions.

Frank

[re-be-becca]

thanks for the quick reply!!

I'd love to play funky jazz kinda stuff - I've been advised that alto is best for this, do you agree?

Can you give me some general differences between alto/tenor?


Thanks again : )

[Face Ache Mike]

Hi re-be-becca,

You should be able to find a sax tutor where you live, try asking at a few music shops, theres usually ads in there or the staff will know.

Alto is physically a smaller sax than a tenor and will play a higher range of notes. Alto is in the key of Eb whereas tenor is Bb. A lot of us beginners have altos but some have tenors too.

I agree with what Frank said too. A tutor will likely encourage you to follow through a book as you learn with him. So, first step, find a tutor then he will reccomend which book to buy.

Welcome aboard :) Feel free to join us at the beginners recordings section!

[re-be-becca]

Yeah, have tried the ONE AND ONLY music shop in my town, but no joy - couldn't help with any contacts of teachers in the area. There's a couple of larger shops about half hour away so I'll see what help they can offer.

I guessed that that would be the case - if you teach yourself from text books and tapes nobody can pick up on where you go wrong (the hidden, not obvious mistakes!) and bad habits that develop.

I'm veering more towards alto I think . . . . . . .

I used to play piano (no room for it where I live now, so it's stayed at parents, sniff sniff) so I am able to read music from that. I've heard that sax is a difficult instrument to play, but not as hard as violin for example. I understand that you only get out what you put in, but be straight - how hard is it?! Is there much difference between the different types of sax? And where do I begin with makes/models?

[swede_peter]

Yeah, have tried the ONE AND ONLY music shop in my town, but no joy - couldn't help with any contacts of teachers in the area. There's a couple of larger shops about half hour away so I'll see what help they can offer.

I guessed that that would be the case - if you teach yourself from text books and tapes nobody can pick up on where you go wrong (the hidden, not obvious mistakes!) and bad habits that develop.

I'm veering more towards alto I think . . . . . . .

I used to play piano (no room for it where I live now, so it's stayed at parents, sniff sniff) so I am able to read music from that. I've heard that sax is a difficult instrument to play, but not as hard as violin for example. I understand that you only get out what you put in, but be straight - how hard is it?! Is there much difference between the different types of sax? And where do I begin with makes/models?

To begin with, you have a great dad.;) If you buy a "beginners standard" horn, and you "give up":shock: :x after a while, your father can sell it without loosing to much money. I can only refere to what i have been experiencing, and i started off by renting a horn, just to be sure. Sometimes you can cut the rental fee off the price when you buy the horn, at least i did here in sweden. After all its a lot of $, right? After that, i decided to buy a yamaha, and i know they have some models that are concidered to be a great "schoolhorn", a fair price for a fair horn. They have a couple of beginner horns, both alto and tenor. But if youre not gonna buy a new horn, try to take a hornplayer with you, after all, you now nothing about horns (yet;) ). Ask here, there might be someone who lives near you if you cant find a horn player. IMHO i think a tenor stands up everywhere, jazz, rock, blues. Why do i think that you might ask? I play the tenor of corse.. ;) Its just a matter of taste. Some begin on tenor, some on soprano. Tell us later on who you fell in love with..:D

Good luck Becca! /Peter.:)

[AlistairD]

Great,
Another UK beginner.....

I started on Tenor and love the sound (but not always the sound mine makes...) I had a course of 8 lessons in an Adult Learing Centre which was good as it offered lots of encouragement, meeting other like minded people and we were all beginners so we had a great laugh trying to make "music."

I have now found a private teacher and hope to make better progress.

Keep practicing....

[fballatore]

I'm veering more towards alto I think . . . . . . .
Well, if you like funky jazz, have you heard Candy Dulfer? She's great, and plays alto primarily.

I've heard that sax is a difficult instrument to play, but not as hard as violin for example. I understand that you only get out what you put in, but be straight - how hard is it?! Is there much difference between the different types of sax? And where do I begin with makes/models?
The sax is easy to play, but difficult to master. The one thing I can tell you is that you'll have fun along the journey. If you're dedicated, you will always continue to improve. One of the nice things about the family of saxes is that the fingerings are the same. If you start out on alto, it will be relatively easy to play tenor.

Ahhh, now the ago old question. Makes and models. If you do a search on the forum, you'll find tons of info about this. I'm of the opinion that the best beginner alto is the Yamaha YAS-23, but there are many other horns that are good as well. Check out the "What to Buy & Why" section of the forum for more info than you ever wished for - http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=257. Then you have to decide on new or used. You can usually get a good buy on a gently used beginner sax, and save quite a bit over a new horn.

Good luck, and keep the questions coming!

Frank

[re-be-becca]

Thanks to all of you for your help : ) I'll keep you posted!


: )

[JazzMan_4_Jesus]

I started on a 1953 Martin Tenor.. a great horn but a bit large for my little hands at the time.. When I went to the Alto I found that it was easier, but soon learned that my embouchure needed to be tightened up.

For a beginner I would suggest that you get a student Alto..renting is a great idea if you are not sure that you will stick with it. Give it a few months..practice practice practice and if you fall in love with the horn like most of us have.. you can move on to a more professional model.

Good luck with your endeavour, and welcome to the fold of the ever-loved saxophone players!

[Consider the Source]

Welcome to the forum. I have exactly two months on you as I started in the beginning of October.

I want to help you address which horn to play by referring to what you said at the beginning of your first post:

I REALLY want to learn to play sax, and have wanted to for a few years...

Why?

Answer that question for yourself and I'm guessing you'll know whether it's alto or tenor for you.

Do you like the sound of Adderly, Parker, Desmond and those players? Or do you find yourself mesmerized by Stan Getz, John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins?

I took up the tenor because of Stan Getz and John Coltrane with a little bit of Ben Webster thrown in for good measure.

Unfortunately I'm now coming to appreciate Parker and Desmond and the general sound of the alto such that I'm considering getting one and learning both at the same time. Tenor is still number one with me though. You can always go higher on a tenor with altissimo, but you can't hit that bad*** low Bb on the alto.

Consider the Source

[Gordon (NZ)]

If you read this sectionof the forum, from beginning to end, you will have a fantastic background of information for a beginner.