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Adult Beginner Looking for excellent books

9.1K views 26 replies 19 participants last post by  Kelpie  
#1 ·
Looking for excellent books that are geared towards an adult learner wishing to learn alto. I do not have any teachers within 60 miles of me so I am going the route of learning on my own and doing some online sessions when stuck. All the books I find are geared towards students in band classes.

Thank you for any insights and recommendations
 
#11 ·
If you truly are a rank beginner, get some online instruction over Zoom or FaceTime or something. Right away. Many people will do online lessons. This will save you time and money, by preventing very common mistakes around embouchure and breath control. Once you have a few basics down, get a fingering chart and a scale book and go to town.

Also get a copy of Larry Teal’s The Art of Saxophone Playing. This is the bible, and suitable for rank beginners through crusty old vets.

Where you go from there depends on what you want to do - jazz, chamber music, classical music, make up your own music, whatever.
 
#12 ·
Non-expert opinion: beyond the advice to get some instruction from a person, recommendations may depend on your background. For ex, if you already have some musical background from another instrument (understand notes, rhythm, can read basic notation), then a beginning band book that works up to "Oh, Susannah" in straight quarter notes might bore you. But if you don't have much prior musical background, then a book that comes with audio samples (CD or downloadable) may be valuable so you can hear what it's supposed to sound like, and train your ear while playing.
 
#13 ·
Looking for excellent books that are geared towards an adult learner wishing to learn alto.
Personally I really like John O'Neill's "The Jazz Method for Alto Saxophone." It will take you from beginner to early intermediate in a really fun way, with some great tunes and excellent instruction. Much more interesting, IMO, than Rubank, particularly for an adult learner with some music background.

If you need to go further then Dr Wally Wallace's free "Saxophone Fundamentals" is very good for the technical work and, with his online content (check out his YouTube stuff) is a really excellent resource/.
 
#14 ·
As you start to find books, I suggest searching google for free pdfs of simple songs. Pink Panther Theme, Hymns (if you know them and/or are religious), folk songs, etc. It's fun to see your practice turned into music! Don't worry about if they're in the "right key". You'll still hear the melody. Just make sure there's a treble clef in the front!

And of COURSE, feel free to mess around and make your own melodies, or mimic what you hear on the radio, or in your head!
 
#15 ·
Hi! Do you have a background in music otherwise? Are you able to sight read music already? Are you beginning all the way from zero - as in you need to learn the basic fingerings, learn your first scale, that kind of thing? Or are you rather looking for some good beginner-facing exercise books with little lessons and songs to try? Perhaps you're even moving on from there and looking for some exercises or solos to help you advance? Your response here might inform better help from the forum. Thanks and good luck with it!
 
#18 ·
Another vote for the Rubanks here.

Also the good ol' Tune a Day for Saxophone by C. Paul Herfurth (Chappell), or Learn as You Play Saxophone by Peter Wastall (Boosey & Hawkes), as these teach you to read music as well. Both can be studied with profit on your own.

Two others from quite early times I really like are: Méthode Complète pour tous les Saxophones by Hyacinth Klosé (Leduc), and The Otto Langey Series Practical Tutor for the Saxophone by John FitzGerald (Hawkes & Son), both of which ran to many editions over the years. One would benefit from a teacher's guidance to get the most out of these.

The Saxophonist's Beside Book by Paul Harvey (Fentone) combines interesting information with entertaining presentation.
 
#22 ·
Not my first choice. It’s a raging torrent of information written in an arcane way and not really geared to a beginner, so it will be a challenge. Mine has been sitting on a shelf in like new condition for nearly 50 years. Having learned many instruments as an adult, I’ve had the most success by far with the beginning band methods I mentioned earlier.

No matter what your choice, good luck to you.
 
#23 ·
Not my first choice. It’s a raging torrent of information written in an arcane way and not really geared to a beginner, so it will be a challenge. Mine has been sitting on a shelf in like new condition for nearly 50 years. Having learned many instruments as an adult, I’ve had the most success by far with the beginning band methods I mentioned earlier.

No matter what your choice, good luck to you.
I am
A glutton for punishment I suppose. I did pick up a copy of Andy Hampton’s book on Saxophone Basics as well. It’s a 2003 edition and from what I can tell it more of a modern book.
 
#24 ·
With beginners. I always separate just producing a tone. Tonguing finding where the fingers go and posture/ breathing from reading music. So for me it’s easier for them to understand how to get the reed to vibrate ( why it’s not vibrating ). Where to place everything etc. way before you are remembering where a b is on The staff and how to count a dotted eighth note This is my advice from teaching 100s of beginners. Not from what I used in elementary school 60 years ago. Just my 2 cents.
 
#26 ·
My teacher used Learn as You Play Saxophone (Peter wastall)

We skipped a chunk of it as I 'knew' bits from learning at school, gradually adding new keys, notes and rhythms.

On completion, he turns to me "good now you know what all buttons do, now time to learn how to play"

My rhythm and timing wasn't great, so now on 20 modern pieces for saxophone by James Rae, which is challenging, and a step up.
 
#27 ·
The Universal Method for Saxophone by Paul Deville is an excellent book that has a lot of etudes from beginner to advanced. Highly recommend.
 
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