[Chordelis]

I wasn't really sure where to post this, but this forum seemed the most logical. I have a music audition with my Alto Sax coming up for college in a few weeks and as part of the audition I'll need to play scales from memory as they name them off. I'm sure most of you have already experienced something like this before, but I only know a small handful of scales from memory.

I was wondering if anyone knew where to find all the scales somewhere online. I looked around this forum myself and around the web but I didn't find much of anything. My only fear with looking for something like this online is that it could possibly be wrong and then I would memorize the wrong scales and stuff, that's why I figured I'd better ask you guys

Any help would be awesome! Thanks in advance.


-Chordelis

 

[Pete Thomas]

I guess you must mean major scales? There are 12 of those, but there are way more than 12 scales altogether.

The thing is, I would assume that by the time you are expected to play all 12 major scales, you should really have the ability to transpose them in your head. You must know at least a couple, so by working them out for yourself in other keys, you stand a much better chance of actually memorising them than if you learn them off paper.

 

[Agent27]

I assume you mean just the 12 major scales.

Here they are from Root to Root:
http://www.saxshed.com/pdfs2006/MrSaxophoneScales.pdf

Here they are the full range of the horn:
http://www.saxshed.com/pdfs2006/SaxophoneScalesFullRange.pdf

They probably just want the basic root to root, but it's good practice to start shedding them full range.

 

[Carl H.]

You also need to find out the range expected for the scales - 1 octave, 2 octaves, range of the horn, your range?

Get them quick and play them daily, many times over. Run the circle of fifths, do the fingerings as you walk around. Hold the horn and run fingerings while watching TV. You've got a bit of work ahead of you.

Good luck.

 

[BlueLight]

buy Les Gammes by Jean Marie Londeix. It's a great book, it writes out all the major and minor scales including the scales in major thirds, perfect fourths, perfect fifths, etc... and he writes them out in full range!! The aspiring saxophonist must learn his full range scales!!

you can buy it here
https://www.eble.com/store/product_...11247&osCsid=e830d0b9d4f5491e29d78baa23f69438

 

[dohertyjazz]

I second BlueLight here and I just want to point out that Eble music is an extreme delight to deal with. I've been buying from them for the past 4 years or so and they have always had incredible service each time.
If you are outside of the US, chordelis, then it may be a different story, but I'd recommend checking them out anyways if that is the case.

 

[fenix424]

What those two said. Les Gammes pretty much lays everything you'll need to know out for you.

 

[gary]

What those two said. Les Gammes pretty much lays everything you'll need to know out for you.

If you can't get that quick enough, the Joe Viola book #I would help. But...

since you are supposed to play them from memory I don't think it's to your benefit to bury your head in a book. I would suggest learning the scales from memory in one octave and then expand the range. Do it in your head from the beginning and do it right and it'll stay with you quicker and longer.

If you have to download the basic scales to get started do it, but I would get away from the printed page as soon as possible. IMO it's better to play the F# scale slowly in quarter notes and with no errors than to be reading those scales at twice the speed, out of a book. You'll actually learn it quicker by learning it slowly and error free.