[jim57]

I have played Alto sax for 7 years now and would like to try Tenor sax.
I know the fingering is the same , will i be able to play it from the first time i pick it up?
If not what will be different from the Alto and does it take long to convert.

 

[Timelord]

I did it in reverse, tenor first then alto. You'll be able to play it easily but it it is a long road to get it sounding good. I wasn't happy with my alto sound until I put in the hours, developed the alto chops properly and found a mouthpiece/reed combination very different from what I thought would work based on my tenor experience. Good luck.

 

[jlima]

You may find it strange at first, especially the size of the mouthpiece in the mouth, but you will adapt quickly. Getting a good tone will take some time, but that happens with every different horn that you try. I switched from alto to tenor and never wanted to go back. Also, my tone on alto improved a lot after playing the tenor. Good luck!

 

[dogbert]

I second the advice given regarding sound.
I thought, it's mainly a matter of size, but it isn't.
It took a long time for me to relax the embrochure, it was way to firm for tenor at first.

 

[HornForHire]

Yes, same here. It can take quite some time to develop a good tenor sound, but for me it was worth it.
It's very important to relax the embouchure.

 

[playatsax]

I added tenor to my toy box about a year ago. I found my face was too tight, causing every note to be sharp. Once I learned to loosen up, things went well. I think my alto tone has improved as well. It's more fluid, smooth and dark, maybe because I've learned to relax.

 

[69193]

Yes...you'll be able to play it the first time you pick it up. As the others have said...embouchure is the main difference that you'll notice.

I went 10+ years without playing (I played Bari last) and picked up a tenor a month or so ago and could play it right out of the box. Yeah....not alto ----> tenor, but still. If I could play after that long, I'm sure that you can figure it out.

 

[scargo]

One thing not mentioned is that it does take a bit (not a huge diff, but it's there) more air to keep a proper airstream in the tenor, although you'd figure that out while working on your tone. All that was said about the emboucher is sooo true. After doing a musical this fall on alto (don't have the time to work on both horns at the same time) it took about a month to get back to a tone I like on the tenor, and much of that was loosening up enough again. But my tone on alto was marvy.

 

[Kelpie]

I started playing the tenor after the alto, and the best explanation I know is more air, looser embouchure. You'll get lots of squeaks at first. For me, it was a difficult concept to grasp, and took several months to get the hang of it.