In my experience, you major in saxophone, not sax size.

Most of the classical literature (yeah, MOST of the classical literature, you tenor guys!) is written for alto sax.

That being said, you are a Music Ed major. You need to be able to make a decent sound, at the least, on all instruments in order to be an effective teacher.

You've also indicated that you're in Junior College. JC's don't generally offer Bachelor's degrees, which you will need in order to be eligible to become a credentialed teacher. Have you been considering where you will complete your training?

Sorry if I don't seem sympathetic, but the music teacher game is difficult to begin with, and you're not even at the beginning of the game.

Welcome to SOTW!

 

Haks right. I tried to type something to add, but nothing was sounding right.

 

Push the mouthpiece on farther, and relax your embouchure. Then pretend you are playing bari. You will instantly become a fine alto player.

Well, that may be a little exaggerated - but seriously, if you have the chops for bari, you have the chops for alto. Your face muscles shouldn't be tight or tired at all. Just use your bari embouchure.

 

42 years of sax have taught me that you need to be able to pick them all up if you want the gig. Sorry, but if you have poor intonation on alto I suspect the same holds true for tenor and bari. Music ed has not been my path but I do know from years of playing that it is difficult to cover all the jobs on one horn. What will you do when you have to pick up clarinet and oboe? Also, arguing with the boss only gets you frustrated if not let go, agree with the prof and practice so you can get into a B.S. program at a 4 year school.

 

I used to have the same problem as you with alto (and also about being very good on bari especially in jazz ensembles), but it is now gone. You need to practice playing alto and focus on intonation. Alto playing will force you to adjust throat/tongue positioning as well as embrochure development, in addition to all sorts of things that will make you a better player on all horns. I hadn't played alto since 7th grade, and this semester my sax prof put me on alto. In a couple weeks I was playing in-tune and starting to appreciate the alto sound I had hated for years.

 

It's good that you know what you like, but as a student you will do as the professors instruct you. I prefer to play mostly tenor for jazz and classical on alto. After auditions at the beginning of the semester, the jazz director placed me in the jazz band as the lead alto, and I got placed into the symphonic wind ensemble as the tenor sax player. I suppose playing jazz alto is at least something I've done enough to be good at, but I just can't seem to like my tenor sax "classical" sound. I just do the best I can despite it not being my thing and spend alot of time in the practice room. I find it interesting that the stuff you are the least naturally skilled at ALWAYS needs the most time in the practice room. This is my input as a fellow music ed. major, good luck to you!

 

I have played only bari for the last couple of years or so. Now I'm coming back to alto and my lips and face hurts, but it will pass. Just start practicing alto and you will get it pretty soon. Don't approach it thinking that you are going to sound bad, just do it thinking this will improve your overall sax playing and put in the work. Needless to say: Long tones on alto, a lot of them.

 

If you are going to major in saxophone, you major in SAXOPHONE. It's not the size that matters.. (at least in this case).

So stop being a sizeQueen, and lose the "great bari player" attitude and suck it up and become a musician. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is the reality.

 

You're lucky he's only making you play alto. My cousin was a performance major at UMASS under Lynn Klock. For his senior recital, he had to do solos on SATB saxes, as well as one on flute, clarinet, and one of the double reeds. There's no point in majoring in any one of the saxes. You're pretty much worthless in the professional world if you can only play one. The top soloists are able to do it, but that's only because they are top grade soloists. You won't be able to find gigs if all you do is play bari. I am primarily a bari player, but most of my outside gigs are on clarinet and flute doubling, with alto and soprano on occasion.

Sorry for all of us sounding like hard asses, but it's the truth. If you look at all the successful sax players *that aren't big soloists like Jeff Coffin, Tim Price, etc etc*, you see them focusing on one of the saxes, but you'll catch them playing a whole bunch of things. Send an email to Jay Mason, Terry Harrington, or Jennifer Hall. All are successful bari players in the LA scene doing pit orchestras, movies, tv, big bands etc etc. Jay plays for Gordon Goodwin, Terry is "Lisa Simpson" as well as a bunch of movies and stuff, Jennifer is playing on Dancing With the Stars among other things. Ask them what they had do during college to end up playing bari.

You'll similar answers that you're finding on here. You have to be proficient at SATB saxes, and to get anywhere, you have to be able to play flute and clarinet. It's not really optional no matter where you go. If you want to study bari, North Carolina School of the Arts with Taimur Sullivan may be one of your better options. He's primarily a classical bari player, and a Selmer Artist. He may be a good resource for you as well.

 

Sorry for all of us sounding like hard asses, but it's the truth. If you look at all the successful sax players *that aren't big soloists like Jeff Coffin, Tim Price, etc etc*, you see them focusing on one of the saxes, but you'll catch them playing a whole bunch of things.

Sorry to nitpick, but Jeff plays all the saxophones well and has killing flute chops. Tim plays all the saxophones well and has killing bassoon chops.

Anyway, to the OP. If you want to be a saxophonist, be a saxophonist. If you take 3-5 years (YMMV) after junior college to do a music ed degree, you'll have the rest of our life to be a baritone saxophone specialist.

 

Yep,

Even the serious life-long amateur, like me, needs to be able blow all flavors of sax. Folks are always asking me to do this song, or that song. And they never even consider what kind of sax it takes to do it. To non-sax players, a sax is a sax. And they might not even take notice that the sax you show up with today looks nothing like the one you showed up with yesterday. I believe a sax player should probably be able to play all SATB saxes when needed.

 

It's a Jr. College? The most your going to get as a Music Ed major is a 2 year Associates Degree. That's only enough credits to maybe substitute teach.

Suck it up, stop being a drama queen, and play the alto for a while. It can only HELP your bari skills.
Remember, as an Ed. Major you're going to have to pass proficiency tests on other instruments that you may dislike even more.
It's all part of the education process. Live with it.
Once you transfer to a 4 year college/university to finish your degree you can worry about playing the bari full time.

 

Let me just say, that if having to play alto instead of bari is this much of an issue for you, you are going to have a heck of a time with the flute. By far my least favorite woodwind (to play), but it is the double I am asked to play the most.

 

I finished a Master of Music degree in Music Ed last May. I play Baritone Saxophone exclusively when I do my own thing. When I am in a classroom having to show a beginning alto saxophonist how to put the thing together I use an Alto. Imagine what I do when I have to show the kid how to hold it, form an embouchure, place hands properly onto the instrument, and get a good sound. 5th graders find it easier to mirror a teacher when the teacher is doing the SAME thing as the student.

In short, come down to the rest of us and off that rather tall horse of yours. If you are finding it this difficult to switch to alto, then you are in for a HUGE surprise when it comes time to play a Horn in F, a trumpet, or a tuba.

Play Baritone Saxophone on your own time if you want. Don't impede your future students.

 

Most of these replies would have more resonance if some of you would have refrained a bit from the caustic language, IMHO.

The content is very valid, some of the semantics...not so much....

 

Dear Lenesha,

I started out my college experience having never played the alto saxophone. I spent a few semesters at a smaller state college, and I played tenor saxophone exclusively.

When I transfered to a university, I realized that the alto saxophone is a very important part of being a student of saxophone. I struggled mightily with the alto for a few semesters and had some serious inner dialogue about it. There were times when I really did not enjoy working on the alto. Mostly because I was not succesful for a long period of time, or my tone was harsh, the intonation was squirrely, etc. It took me some time to work through those issues, and ultimately it has improved my enjoyment and ability on the other saxophones. (I still have a lot to work on!)

I've really come to enjoy the challenge of working on improving my saxophone playing on all the horns that I have access to at this time, but I came to the table with a lot of misconceptions. There is such a wide variety of literature available to the alto saxophone, surely you could find at least one piece worth working on? There are lots of fantastic recordings available too! Check those out for ideas! Look at studio repetoire lists and find recordings! Look on youtube. It's not too hard to find.

In 2001, when I first started out as a Music Education major, I was thinking that I would major in the tenor saxophone and that would be that. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I was really limiting myself and my approach to learning to play the saxophone. In retrospect, my attitude was only holding me back from becoming a better and more well rounded saxophone player. Thankfully my studio professor saw some potential somewhere, and I'm sure when I first auditioned for him as a transfer student and "tenor saxophone major" he probably groaned inwardly.

Consider asking yourself some questions about what your goals are as a future music educator?

The saxophone is a family of instruments. Limiting yourself to one might be counterproductive to your goals and employment options, and as you may have noticed, subject to some scrutiny and consternation.

When you do a demonstration for potential elementary students on saxophone what effect would it have to perform on baritone, when most beginning students, at least in my area, can only physically play the alto? Sure they love to hear that low A, who doesn't? But they might not be able to play the baritone saxophone for a few years.

Since so many young saxophone players start out with alto, even having a rudimentary understanding of embouchure as it applies to the alto would be beneficial for you and your future students.

By limiting my perspective to "just tenor" I was really limiting my future, and thankfully I was able to realize that I was only holding myself back.

For what it's worth.
Doug

 

OK get your tomatoes ready...

There are undergraduate schools that will let you major on Baritone. We (and you) all have to play all the saxophones but, in my opinion, it's great to have a favorite. Heck, majoring in music is silly enough why not do what you really want? Play the Bari! Play the heck out of it, it's such an amazing instrument.

All my recitals in college, undergrad and grad, were mostly on the Bari. I usually took lessons on Bari. Yes, there is more literature for Alto but you can play all that on Bari. In lessons, I usually play my Bari with my students. They love playing duets with the Bari and they see me playing the instrument I like.

OK, that said, I guess you need to play the other instruments as well; F-mezzo, C-melody, Sopranino etc..

Yikes.

 

OK get your tomatoes ready...

There are undergraduate schools that will let you major on Baritone. We (and you) all have to play all the saxophones but, in my opinion, it's great to have a favorite. Heck, majoring in music is silly enough why not do what you really want? Play the Bari! Play the heck out of it, it's such an amazing instrument.

All my recitals in college, undergrad and grad, were mostly on the Bari. I usually took lessons on Bari. Yes, there is more literature for Alto but you can play all that on Bari. In lessons, I usually play my Bari with my students. They love playing duets with the Bari and they see me playing the instrument I like.

OK, that said, I guess you need to play the other instruments as well; F-mezzo, C-melody, Sopranino etc..

Yikes.

Curt, duck! First tomato coming your way!

I guess I'm just a lover of the saxophone family. It's great you got to specialize in Bari/Bass. Most of us can't and some us don't even want to. If I could afford it, I'd own an F mezzo, C Sop, Bass, Contra and Sub Contras, Nino, and 'illo. But, it is odd, how clarinetists are able to concentrate on Bb/A, and trumpets on Bb, and on and on, and most sax players are expected to just pick up any sax and play it! I own SATB and C, but find my favs lie in Bari and Soprano, w/Alto picking up third, and Tenor coming in last. But, I love to play multiple styles, and each sax has it's forte in those styles.

When I was joining the Marines, had this odd hate for the Alto (I had been on Bari for a couple years, and loved it!), but when I auditioned, I was told to audition on Alto, not Bari. Well, long story short, my Alto chops went through the roof (relatively speaking), my Tenor chops waned, but, somehow I never lost my Bari chops. Anyway, I'm just rambling here. Curt is a great guy, and though he is right that you should play what you love, well, you should also trudge through the things you don't. You'll be a better person, teacher, and musician for it! I thank the Marines now for what they did (though I hated it at the time)!

 

Play the horn you want to play. You can play all that stuff on bari that was written for alto.

when I hear Coltrane on alto-it just sounds like Coltrane playing alto. It's interesting of course but after awhile what's the point? His voice is the tenor.

Likewise-although I don't play baritone, I've know plenty of baritone players that do all their etudes, transcriptions, gigs, bands-all on bari and they sound great exploring that voice. If you're checking out Coltrane on bari-why switch to tenor?-see what kind of register breaks and quirks come out of the baritone by playing some of those lines on that horn-

Sonny Rollins said "get it all out of one horn"

As for the Ed major thing-I will concede that point. If you are an ed major, then that's your thing (teaching the other horns) so you should learn it. But if you want to play bari-play bari.