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iliveforhim0725
06-22-2003, 06:31 PM
Ok, now please bare with me here cause i have some pretty basic questions. I went to my local coffee shop last night and they had a jazz band playing and there was a guy that played the sax and it sounded AWESOME. so awesome that it got me wondering how hard it would be to pick it up. Right now i play guitar and i love that and i just have a couple questions on the sax. First off, if i was to buy a sax, which one would be better? I've read many people say that the JAS 23 is a good one to start out with but what else is there. Also what are the sound differences between alto and bari and the rest? i've never been in band or anything so i don't know the difference. If i was to purchase a sax how would you recommend learning? getting a teacher or using a book? Thanks for the help.

George
woodwindmaster06
06-22-2003, 06:49 PM
The sound differences between them all is that just diffent octave jumps, generally you think alto as classical, and tenor as jazz. If you were to learn the YAs 23 Yamaha is good for begginers and you should get a teacher so you do not develop bad habits, and it will help you learn faster.
iliveforhim0725
06-22-2003, 10:46 PM
thanks for the reply... so since tenor is for Jazz i'm guessing that that is what the guy was playing at the coffee shop. Also is that what kenny G plays? Is anyone (tenor, alto, bari, etc) easier to play than the others? Thanks again for the help
Big Nick
06-22-2003, 11:08 PM
Kenny G generally plays soprano - the smallest sax you're likely to see and usually straight. The others (in order of increasing size) are alto, tenor and baritone and are curved/bent to some degree.
Most people learn to play on alto. It's thought to be the one easiest to handle for a beginner, there are more about and you can pick them up cheaper. But if you have a particular desire to play another it's not really a problem, and if you've learned to play one it's easy to switch to another..
I'd have to disagree with woodwindmaster about which you play for jazz or classical since they're all used for both. I'd definitely agree about getting a teacher though.